Abstract: A micro-gyroscope for determining a rate of rotation about a Z-axis includes a substrate and two sensor devices each of which comprises at least one drive mass, at least one anchor, drive elements, at least one sensor mass and sensor elements. The drive mass is mounted linearly displaceably in the direction of an X-axis, and can be driven in an oscillatory manner with respect to the X-axis. The sensor mass is coupled to the drive mass by means of springs. The sensor mass is displaceable in the Y-direction, and sensor elements detects a deflection of the sensor mass in the Y-axis. The two sensor devices are disposed parallel to each other and one above the other in the direction of the Z-axis, and the drive mass in these two sensor devices are coupled to each other by means of a coupling spring.

Abstract: An inertial sensor includes first and second movable elements suspended from a substrate and interconnected by a beam. The second movable element is positioned laterally adjacent to the first movable element, and each of the movable elements has a mass that is asymmetric relative to a rotational axis. A first spring system couples the first movable element to the substrate and a second spring system couples the second movable element to the substrate. The spring systems and the beam enable the movable elements to move together in response to force imposed upon the movable elements. In particular, the first and second movable elements can undergo in-plane torsion motion in response to force, such as acceleration, imposed in a sense direction. Additionally, damping structures may be integrated into the first and second movable elements to effectively increase a damping ratio of the device resulting from the in-plane torsion motion.

Abstract: A method of inspecting the fan track liner of a gas turbine engine of a type having a rotatable propulsive fan circumscribed by a fan track liner and having a plurality of fan blades extending radially outwardly from a central hub. The method comprises the steps of: affixing at least part of an inspecting device to the fan so as to be directed towards the fan track liner; and rotating the fan within the fan track liner to move the at least part of the inspecting device circumferentially relative to at least a region of the fan track liner to thereby scan the region of the fan track liner with the at least part of the inspecting device.

Abstract: The terminal holding device includes an attaching unit to be attached to a vehicle, a holding unit which removably holds a terminal device in such a manner that a display unit of the terminal device is exposed and which includes a contact surface to be contact with the terminal device, an acceleration sensor which detects acceleration in a direction from a side of the contact surface to a side opposite to the contact surface, and a supplying unit which supplies a detection signal of the acceleration sensor to the terminal device.

Abstract: A gyroscope control circuit for a vibratory gyroscope system includes an open-loop RSP control circuit and a closed-loop CSP control circuit. The gyroscope control circuit optionally may include a Q compensation circuit to compensate for variations in gyroscope sensitivity due to variations in resonator signal path Q. The resonator signal path and the Coriolis signal path may have transduction factors that are proportional to each other such that sensitivity of the gyroscope varies directly with resonator signal path quality factor (Q).

Abstract: One or more vibration plate layers of a diaphragm part are formed by a thin film forming technique. When a resonance frequency in a resonance vibration mode calculated from dimensions of a structure of an angular velocity sensor and an elastic parameter of a material thereof is defined as f kilohertz, a mass of a weight part is defined as M milligrams, a circumference of the diaphragm part is defined as r meters, a stress applied to a piezoelectric layer is defined as ?p pascals, a thickness thereof is defined as tp meters, a stress applied to an n-th layer from the weight part in a vibration plate portion constituted by a plurality of layers including a lower electrode and the vibration plate layers is defined as ?n pascals, and a thickness thereof is defined as tn meters (where n is a natural number), Teff expressed by Teff=r(?ptp+??ntn)/M satisfies {(?0.36f2+210)/33}?Teff?{(0.44f2+210)/33}.

Abstract: One embodiment of the invention includes a CVG system. A plurality of electrodes electrostatically force a resonator into a periodic motion based on a drive axis forcer signal applied to a first set of the plurality of electrodes and a sense axis force-rebalance signal applied to a second set of the plurality of electrodes, and provides a sense axis pickoff signal and a drive axis pickoff signal. A gyroscope controller generates the drive axis forcer signal based on the drive axis pickoff signal and calculates an angular rate of rotation about an input axis based on the sense axis force-rebalance signal. The gyroscope controller modulates a predetermined disturbance signal component onto the sense axis force-rebalance signal and to control a modulation phase of the sense axis force-rebalance signal based on detection of the predetermined disturbance signal component in the sense axis force-rebalance signal to substantially mitigate bias and scale-factor error.

Abstract: A sense channel signal processing block is time-domain multiplexed among multiple MEMS devices and utilizes an anti-aliasing filter disposed after track-and-hold switches, to prevent the bandwidth of the sense channel from being limited by the anti-aliasing filter.

Abstract: A device is described that includes a pendulous proof mass, a support base, a flexure, and at least two resonators. The support base defines a plane and supports the pendulous proof mass. The flexure flexibly connects the pendulous proof mass to the support base, suspends the pendulous proof mass within the support base, and in response to an acceleration of the device, the pendulous proof mass rotates about the flexure in the plane defined by the support base. The at least two resonators flexibly connect the pendulous proof mass to the support base and flex based on the rotation of the pendulous proof mass about the flexure, wherein each of the at least two resonators resonate at a respective resonant frequency.

Abstract: A sensor for detecting a rotation rate of an object, including: a sensor element, which is designed to vibrate at an angle to the rotation axis of the rotation rate to be detected at an excitation frequency on a resetting element fastened in a spatially fixed manner to the object, such that the sensor element is deflected at a reaction frequency in a reaction direction at an angle to the rotation axis and at an angle to the vibration direction owing to the Coriolis force; and a measuring transducer, which is designed to detect the vibration in the reaction direction wherein the vibratable sensor element is formed in such a manner that a comparison of a temperature-dependent displacement of a frequency spacing between the excitation frequency and the reaction frequency and a temperature-dependent position of the sensor element on the object satisfies a predefined condition.

Abstract: A MEMS device includes a drive spring system coupling a pair of drive masses and a sense spring system coupling a pair of sense masses. The drive spring system includes a constrained stiff beam and flexures interconnecting the pair of drive masses. In response to drive movement of the drive masses the flexures enable pivotal movement of the constrained stiff beam about its center hinge point to enable anti-phase drive motion of the drive masses and to suppress in-phase motion of the drive masses. The sense spring system includes diagonally oriented stiff beams and a spring system that enable anti-phase sense motion of the sense masses while suppressing in-phase motion of the sense masses. Coupling masses interposed between the drive and sense masses decouple the drive motion of the drive masses from the sense motion of the sense masses.

Abstract: A vibration damper for a sensor unit comprises an elastic damping element including a central plate, a plurality of damping fingers joined at a first end to the central plate, and a plurality of fastening surfaces. At least two fastening surfaces of the plurality of fastening surfaces are disposed at a distance from each other in a first spatial direction. The damping element is flexurally elastically soft along the first spatial direction and is formed with a higher stiffness in a main extension plane defined perpendicular to the first spatial direction. A layer of adhesive is applied to each of the at least two fastening surfaces which are configured to be subjected to shear stress as a result of vibrations in the main extension plane.

Abstract: The present technology is directed to apparatuses, systems, and methods for improving the performance of non-contact vibrometers in the presence of platform motion and speckle noise. In addition, systems and methods are described that allow intentional frequency displacement of heterodyne and/or homodyne vibrometer returns to enable disambiguation of the sign of the vibration direction in the presence or absence of platform motion.

Abstract: A portable ultrasonic probe includes a main body including a transducer to generate an ultrasonic wave and a folder portion including a display portion and pivotally coupled to an end portion of the main body, the main body includes a first heat radiation module configured to absorb and emit heat generated by the transducer, and the folder portion includes a second heat radiation module thermally coupled to the first heat radiation module when the folder portion is in a first position and configured to emit heat transmitted from the first heat radiation module.

Abstract: A functional device according to an embodiment of the invention includes: an insulating substrate; a movable section; movable electrode fingers provided in the movable section; and fixed electrode fingers provided on the insulating substrate and arranged to be opposed to the movable electrode fingers. The fixed electrode fingers include: first fixed electrode fingers arranged on one side of the movable electrode fingers; and second fixed electrode fingers arranged on the other side of the movable electrode fingers. The first fixed electrode fingers and the second fixed electrode fingers are arranged to be spaced apart from each other.

Abstract: A method is presented for diagnosing a particulate matter sensing system, where the system includes a sensing element having two electrodes spaced from one another. The method determining at a first time during a cool-down event a first sensing element temperature and a resistance of the sensing element, and determining at a later second time during the cool-down event a second sensing element temperature and the resistance of the sensing element. The method further includes calculating a predicted sensing element resistance at the second sensing element temperature, based on the first sensing element temperature, the resistance of the sensing element determined at the first time, and a predetermined model of the resistance vs. temperature characteristics of the sensing element. A fault condition for the system may be indicated based on a comparison of the predicted sensing element resistance at the second sensing element temperature and a measured sensing element resistance.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and device for ascertaining an edge layer characteristic of a component (12), in particular a component (12) for an aircraft engine. In the method, a reference body (22) with a known edge layer characteristic is arranged on the surface of the component (12). An ultrasonic wave (18) is introduced into the surfaces of the component (12) and the reference object (22) by an ultrasonic transmitter (16). An ultrasonic wave (18) resulting from the exchange between the component (12) and the reference body (22) is detected by an ultrasonic detector (20), and an edge layer characteristic of the component (12) is ascertained by an ascertaining device (28) using a difference between the generated ultrasonic wave (18) and the resulting ultrasonic wave (18).

Abstract: A method for ascertaining a correction value for monitoring a fluid bearing of a coordinate measuring machine or other machine tool. Also disclosed is a coordinate measuring machine having at least one fluid bearing. The machine further includes a first element and a second element which are supported against each other by means of at least one fluid bearing. In addition, a control device is provided for controlling the machine. A quantity representing a pressure in the at least one fluid bearing is ascertained as a function of a position and/or orientation of the first element relative to the second element. A correction value for a pressure in the at least one fluid bearing is determined for the position and/or orientation of the first element relative to the second element. The correction value is then stored in the control device, and subsequently used for machining or measuring a workpiece.

Abstract: A method for evaluating output signals of a rotational rate sensor unit, including providing an n-tuple of angular speed values measured by at least one rotational rate sensor of the rotational rate sensor unit, in a first step; determining an intermediate value as a function of the n-tuple of angular speed values, in a second step; calculating a new change of orientation value as a function of the intermediate value and an earlier change of orientation value stored in a register of the rotational rate sensor unit, in a third step; and storing the new change of orientation value in the register, in a fourth step, repeating the first, second, third, and fourth step until, the new change of orientation value is read out by an external data processing unit connected to the rotational rate sensor unit, and/or, an exceeding of a threshold value is detected.

Abstract: Micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) sensors and methods for detecting rates of rotation thereof. The MEMS sensor has at least one driving mass that oscillates along the x-axis, and at least one sensing mass coupled to the driving mass so that the sensing and driving masses move relative to each other in the x direction and are coupled for rotation together about the y and/or z axes. At least one anchor spring couples the driving or sensing mass to an anchor secured to a substrate. Rotation of the MEMS sensor is sensed by sensing relative movement between the substrate and sensing mass. During its oscillation, the driving mass generates an imbalance of the driving and sensing masses with respect to the anchor, and Coriolis forces cause the sensing and driving masses to rotate together about the y or z axis when the MEMS sensor rotates about the y or z axis.