Abstract: An acceleration sensor is constructed by a substrate, a cylindrical dead-weight movable electrode to be displaced by acceleration, a fixed electrode from the inside of which a cylinder is hollowed, a cylindrical anchor arranged on the substrate for supporting the dead-weight movable electrode with elastic transformable structural material and beams. When acceleration is applied from the outside, the cylindrical detecting face of the dead-weight movable electrode and the cylindrical detected face of the fixed electrode are in contact on a two-dimensional plane parallel to the substrate and the acceleration sensor detects the contact. A radial interval between the detecting face of the dead-weight movable electrode and the detected face of the fixed electrode is set in view of the elastic modulus of the beams so that external force can be detected isotropically and the acceleration sensor detects acceleration on a two-dimensional plane nondirectionally.

Abstract: An enplane displacement, electrostatic capacity-type acceleration sensor includes a sensor unit made from a silicon substrate having a displaceable electrode and a fixed electrode, a pair of protective substrates bonded on opposing sides of the sensor unit, and an integrated circuit for detecting acceleration from the electrostatic capacity of the sensor unit. Sensor unit connection electrodes formed for connecting the sensor unit with the integrated circuit are disposed on the side of the sensor unit facing one of the protective substrates. Electrode holes are disposed in one protective substrate which are formed as through-holes in the substrate at positions corresponding to the connection electrodes. The integrated circuit is connected to the protective substrate in which the electrode holes are formed with the connections of the integrated circuit inserted through the electrode holes and electrically connected with the connection electrodes of the sensor unit.

Abstract: A semiconductor acceleration sensor comprises a semiconductor sensor chip for detecting acceleration and an IC chip for processing the signal from this sensor chip, the IC chip is bonded to the sensor chip, the sensor chip is mounted to a die pad, electrical connection is established by lead wires connected to lead terminals, and a package is formed by molding with resin wherein the die pad is electrically connected to a particular lead terminal by a lead wire and is grounded by the particular lead terminal, and the die pad is positioned remote from the mounting surface of the package.

Abstract: A magnitude of an acceleration along a direction included within a predetermined plane is detected as an electric signal. A fixed substrate (10) and a displacement substrate (20) are disposed in parallel. The fixed substrate (10) is secured within a cylindrical casing, and the displacement substrate (20) is elastically supported at the periphery thereof within the cylindrical casing by supporting means (30). An annular displacement electrode (E21) and a central displacement electrode (E22) are provided on the upper surface of the displacement substrate (20), and a weight body (40) is secured on the lower surface of the displacement substrate (20). An annular fixed electrode and is a central fixed electrode opposite to the annular displacement electrode (E21) and the central displacement electrode (E22) are provided on the lower surface of the fixed substrate (10), and an annular capacitance element (C1) and a central capacitance element (C2) are constituted. By vibration of the earthquake, etc.

Abstract: A vibration gyroscope having stable sensitivity characteristic against temperature change has an amplifier circuit which amplifies a detection signal derived from a piezoelectric vibrator. The amplifier circuit includes an input terminal, an operational amplifier having a non-inversion input connected to the input terminal and an inversion input which is grounded, an output terminal connected to the output of the operation amplifier, a first temperature-sensitive element connected between the non-inversion input of the operation amplifier and the ground, and a second temperature-sensitive element connected between the inversion input of the operational amplifier and the output of the same.

Abstract: In an optical communication network in which a plural number of nodes are connected to each bidirectional broadcasting bus, and a node communicates with another using the packets, or an optical communication network in which a plural number of nodes are connected to a bidirectional broadcasting bus, and a node communicates with another using the packets, each node comprises carrier sensing means for sensing a carrier on the broadcasting bus, and jamming detecting means for detecting a jamming state of received signals.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a measurement system for measuring wheel angles and determining the position of chassis units on a vehicle. The measurement system includes a measuring unit which can be mounted on a vehicle and arranged to measure angles and distances in the horizontal plane with reference to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and in the vertical plane with reference to the vertical direction. The results of measurement are fed to a control unit, connected to the measuring unit by a lead. A computer which compiles and computes the measurement results, and provides information on the vehicle wheel alignment angles and the positions of vehicle chassis units by means of a display monitor or a printer connected to the control unit.

Abstract: The invention is a method and apparatus for controlling the vibration modes of a vibratory rotation sensor (VRS) comprising a resonator and a housing which together serve as the ground potential reference. The resonator has a surface with a conductive region and the housing has a plurality of attached electrodes positioned opposing the conductive region on the resonator. The parameters of the resonator standing-wave vibration pattern are determined by feeding an ac sensing signal to the conducting region on the resonator and obtaining one or more vibration signals while the electric potential of the conductive region on the resonator is maintained within 100 millivolts of ground. Each vibration signal is a replica of the ac sensing signal with amplitude modulation which is a periodic function of the distance from a point in the conducting region of the surface of the resonator to an opposing housing electrode. The frequency of the amplitude modulation is the vibration frequency of the resonator.

Abstract: A device for electromechanical stimulation and testing of hearing in which an electromechanical transducer transmits audiologic signals as mechanical deflections via a coupling element from the outside, noninvasively through the external auditory canal, by direct mechanical coupling with the manubrium of the malleus to the ossicular chain. In preferred embodiments, by suitable selection of the transducer principle disruptive magnetic stray fields and acoustic stimulation by sound transmission to the contralateral ear, which is not being examined, are prevented.

Abstract: A method for making and vacuum packaging a silicon micromachined motion sensor, such as a gyroscope, at the chip level. The method involves micromachining a trench-isolated sensing element in a sensing chip, and then attaching a circuit chip to enclose the sensing element. Solder bumps serve to attach the circuit chip to the sensing chip, form a hermetic seal to enable vacuum-packaging of the sensor, and electrically interconnect the sensing chip with the circuit chip. Conductive runners formed on the enclosed surface of the circuit chip serve to electrically interconnect the sensing element with its associated sensing structures.

Abstract: A two degree of freedom (2 DOF) accelerometer comprising two imbalanced sensing modules (i.e., bar modules having an unbalance) is provided such that two sensing modules are located in the plane to be measured. The two imbalanced sensing modules have force balance and are used to measure linear and angular accelerations in two degrees of freedom. A single modular design is used for both of the axes. Each of the two individual sensing modules has a housing containing a proof mass for each measured output and a support of the proof mass with the support optimized for the sensitive axis selected for sensor output and having high rigidity in all other axes of the support. Also provided is electrostatic servo force balance technology. A proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller is used to obtain a closed loop bandwidth of 1 kHz and a steady state error of zero for full scale accelerations up to 75 g's and 1000 rad/sec.sup.2.

Abstract: A flexible substrate (110) having flexibility and a fixed substrate (120) disposed so as to oppose it are supported at their peripheral portions by a sensor casing (140). An oscillator (130) is fixed on the lower surface of the flexible substrate. Five lower electrode layers (F1 to F5: F1 and F2 are disposed at front and back of F5) are formed on the upper surface of the flexible substrate. Five upper electrode layers (E1 to E5) are formed on the lower surface of the fixed substrate so as to oppose the lower electrodes. In the case of detecting an angular velocity .omega.x about the X-axis, an a.c. voltage is applied across a predetermined pair of opposite electrode layers (E5, F5) to allow the oscillator to undergo oscillation Uz in the Z-axis direction. By change of the capacitance value, it is possible to detect the magnitude of the Coriolis force Fy, and to determine angular velocity .omega.x. Similarly, it is possible to detect an angular velocity .omega.y about the Y-axis and an angular velocity .omega.

Abstract: An acceleration sensor (1) includes a parallelepiped case (2). A circuit board (3) is secured in the case (2). A sensor chip (5), on which a diffusion strain gauge (5b) is formed, is mounted on the circuit board (3). A cylindrical acceleration selecting element (13) is provided on the case (2). The axis of the acceleration selecting element (13) extends in the x direction. A cylindrical pressure transmitting element (14) is also provided on the case (2). The pressure transmitting element (14) communicates a hollowed part on the top of the sensor chip (5) with the interior of the acceleration selecting element (13). The hollowed part on the top of the sensor chip (5), the pressure transmitting element (14) and the acceleration selecting element (13) are filled with silicon gel (10).

Abstract: A device for the detection and measurement of the position of a turning body (3) such as a wheel of an automotive vehicle, adapted to be driven in rotation, comprises a source of illumination (8) adapted to illuminate selectively the vicinity of the position to be detected and at least one detector (9) of the luminous intensity receiving the radiation of the illuminated position so as to determine the geometric parameter representative of the position (15) to be detected. Use in balancing turning bodies, particularly automotive vehicle wheels.

Abstract: The invention is a method for obtaining linear measures of one or more parameters p.sub.m of a device having one or more input ports i and an output port where m takes on integer values from 1 to M, M being an integer equal to or greater than 1, and i takes on integer values from 1 to I, I being an integer equal to or greater than 1. The device causes one or more input signals G.sub.i (p.sub.m)E.sub.ei (t) fed into one or more input ports to be transformed into an output signal comprising a summation over i of G.sub.i (p.sub.m)H.sub.i (p.sub.m)E.sub.oi (t) at the output port. The function G.sub.i (p.sub.m) is a weighting function associated with the i'th input port, E.sub.ei (t) is an excitation signal associated with the i'th input port, and E.sub.oi (t) is the transformation of the excitation signal E.sub.ei (t) that results from E.sub.ei (t) traversing the path from the input port i to the output port. The signals E.sub.ei (t) and E.sub.oi (t) are both independent of the parameter p.sub.m.

Abstract: A vibrating gyroscope includes a vibrator having a triangular prism shaped vibrating body and piezoelectric elements. An oscillation circuit is connected between two piezoelectric elements and another piezoelectric element. Output signals from two piezoelectric elements are applied to input terminals of a differential circuit. The differential circuit is connected to a synchronous detecting circuit, and the synchronous detecting circuit is connected to a smoothing circuit. A temperature compensating capacitor is connected between two piezoelectric elements that are connected to the differential circuit. The oscillation circuit consists of an amplifier and a phase shifter having a resistor and a capacitor. As the capacitor used in the phase shifter, the temperature compensating capacitor may be used.

Abstract: A system for the non-contact inspection and characterization of an object in which wideband (40 kHz to approximately 2 MHz) air/gas coupled ultrasonic transducers are used. The system of the present invention enables a single set of transducers to be used in an inspection/defect detection arrangement to characterize materials having a wide range of through-thickness, and other resonances. For example, the through-thickness fundamental resonance of 11 mm thick plywood is 44 kHz, 723 kHz for 2 mm thick carbon fiber, and 1.47 kHz for 0.75 mm thick polystyrene, all of which are measurable in the same system. The system is used in a method to characterize a defect by being able to operate at or near the resonant frequency of the normal material and at or near the resonant frequency of the material in a defect region to improve the accuracy of detecting specific types of defects including inclusions, material thinning, delamination and pitting by monitoring changes of various attributes (e.g.

Abstract: The invention relates to an angular velocity sensor used in posture control of a moving element or navigation system, and is intended to realize higher sensitivity, lower offset, lower offset drift, lower translation acceleration sensitivity, and higher impact resistance in a small size and at low cost.

Abstract: A capacitive sensor for measuring accelerations and inclinations with respect to the gravitational field. The capacitive sensor has at least one stator electrode and one displacement electrode, in which the position of the displacement electrode can change with respect to the stator electrode, thereby resulting in a change in capacitance. From this change of capacitance, an acceleration or inclination can be measured. The capacitive sensor is distinguished by the stator electrode being designed to have an annular shape and the displacement electrode is likewise formed by an annular element which is connected to a central surface part via resilient elastic webs, and wherein the central surface part is immovably connected to the sensor housing. Alternatively, the capacitive sensor may have the stator electrode and the displacement electrode formed as polygonal shapes.

Abstract: It is known that for an easily height displaceable "weightless" support of heavy objects such as car wheels to be mounted on a balancing machine, it is possible to use an air cylinder (22) having a voluminous lower pressure chamber (20) into which compressed air from an inlet valve (36) can be introduced for building up an air spring to equalize the weight of the object, whereby the object can be moved somewhat up and in "weightless" condition. This requires a certain adaptation of the supply of the compressed air, and the invention provides for a device having means for effecting such an adaptation automatically. An inlet valve (36) is used, which is openable by operator actuation when the elevating system (6, 10) assumes its bottom position, while the valve is closed in response to the initial raising of the elevating system (6, 10, 18, 30).