Abstract: Disclosed is a vibration gyro sensor comprising an annular frame having an approximately square planar contour with a central opening having an approximately circular planar configuration, an annular section arranged in the opening of the annular frame and having an approximately circular planar contour for constructing a vibrator, and a plurality of resilient sections which span the inner circumference of the annular frame and the outer circumference of the annular section, wherein the annular frame, the annular section, and the plurality of resilient sections are constructed by an integrated fired product made of ceramics. The vibration gyro sensor further comprises piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements (driving piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements and detecting piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements) formed on upper surfaces of the respective resilient sections.

Abstract: A sensor for measuring rotation rate with respect to three axes and linear acceleration with respect to two axes. Electromagnets comprising cores of high magnetic permeability and windings are fixed to structures that protrude inwardly from outer frames of upper and lower rotor assemblies. An element of high magnetic permeability is fixed to the facing surface of a rotor arm to create electromagnetic drives for counteroscillation of upper and lower sets of rotor arms. Accelerometers are horizontally aligned and fixed to the top surfaces of preselected rotor arms of the upper rotor assembly and to the bottom surfaces of aligned rotor arms of the lower set of rotor arms for measuring rotation rate with respect the x and y axes and linear acceleration with respect to the z axis. The two sets of rotor arms are connected by a torsion bar.

Abstract: A vibratory sensor with a resonator for measuring angular rotation, such as for example a hemispherical resonator gyroscope (HRG) operating in force rebalance mode, includes circuitry to generate a virtual node and antinode in the resonator standing wave. Shifting a pair of pickoff electrodes from a position directly over an actual node in the HRG standing wave to an offset position where the primary and secondary harmonic contributions at the first pickoff electrode are equal to the primary and secondary harmonic contributions at the second pickoff electrode permits the elimination of secondary harmonics contribution. A virtual node is created by offsetting a pair of pickoff electrodes 22.5 degrees from the actual antinode such that each pickoff electrode includes an equal contribution of the secondary harmonic signal present in the standing wave.

Abstract: Disclosed is a microelectromechanical sensor (10) with an element (40) that is driven into oscillations with drive forms (&phgr;1, &phgr;2, &phgr;3, &phgr;4) through the use of arms (50), comb-drives (55A, 55B, 55C, and 55D) and corresponding comb-fingers (51, 61) and wherein a sense signal is transduced with capacitive sense electrodes (26, 26). The driveforms (&phgr;1, &phgr;2, &phgr;3, &phgr;4) are provided in four-phases and are applied in pairs (&phgr;1, &phgr;3 and &phgr;2, &phgr;4) that are 180 degrees out of phase with respect to one another such that the driveforms are substantially self-canceling with regard to any driveform energy that feeds through any parasitic capacitance (99) that connects the comb-drives (55A, 55B, 55C, and 55D) to the capacitive sense electrodes (26, 26).

Abstract: A gyroscope for sensing rate on at least two axes includes a substantially planar vibratory resonator having a ring or hoop like shape, carrier mode drive means for causing the resonator to vibrate in a Cos n1&thgr; in-plane carrier mode where n1 has an integer value of 2 or more. The gyroscope also includes support means for flexibly supporting the resonator, carrier mode pick off means for sensing in-plane movement of the resonator, X axis response mode pick off means for sensing out-of-plane Cos n&thgr; response mode movement of the resonator in response to rotation of the gyroscope around the X axis, where n has a value of n1+1 or n1−1, and Y axis response mode pick off means for sensing out-of-plane Sin n&thgr; response mode movement of the resonator in response to rotation of the gyroscope about the Y axis where n has a value n1+1 or n1−1, identical to that for the X axis response mode.

Abstract: An angular velocity sensor including a framelike vibrator supported on a fixed support portion via a pair of beams. The framelike vibrator is placed into an inertial state by being vibrated by a driving means, and a displacement of the framelike vibrator due to Coriolis force is detected. The fixed support portion is formed on a support substrate made of a material having a different coefficient of thermal expansion in the center of the framelike vibrator, and the beams are T-shaped and include a first beam portion for displacing the framelike vibrator by the driving means in the driving direction, and a second beam portion for displacing the framelike vibrator in the direction of generation of the Coriolis force.

Abstract: An angular rate sensor or gyro includes a ring-like resonator (1) mounted by support beams (2) extending from the inner periphery of the ring (1) to a boss (4) on a base (3). The support beams (2) are flexible and allow the resonator (1) to vibrate in response to an electrostatic drive (6, 8) in a substantially undamped oscillation mode to permit the resonator to move relative to the support in response to turning rate. The support beams (2) and resonator (1) are made from crystalline silicon. Electrostatic sensors (7, 9) are provided for sensing movement of the resonator (1). The drive (6, 8) and sensors (7, 9) have plate-like elements made from crystalline silicon having surfaces located substantially normal to the plane of the resonator (1) at a spacing from the adjacent outer periphery of the resonator (1).

Abstract: A method of fabricating a micro-mechanical sensor (101) comprising the steps for forming an insulating layer (6) onto the surface of a first wafer (4) bonding a second wafer (2) to the insulating layer (6), patterning and subsequently etching either the first (4) or second wafer (6) such that channels (18, 20) are created in either the first (2) or second (4) wafer terminating adjacent the insulating layer (6) and etching the insulating layer (6) to remove portions of the insulating layer (6) below the etched wafer such that those portions of the etched wafer below a predetermined cross section, suspended portions (22), become substantially freely suspended above the un-etched wafer. This method uses Silicon on Insulator technology. Also disclosed is a micro-mechanical gyroscope structure (101) allowing an anisotropic silicon to be used to fabricate a sensor functioning as if fabricated from isotropic silicon.

Abstract: Disclosed is a vibration gyro sensor comprising an annular frame having an approximately square planar contour with a central opening having an approximately circular planar configuration, an annular section arranged in the opening of the annular frame and having an approximately circular planar contour for constructing a vibrator, and a plurality of resilient sections which span the inner circumference of the annular frame and the outer circumference of the annular section, wherein the annular frame, the annular section, and the plurality of resilient sections are constructed by an integrated fired product made of ceramics. The vibration gyro sensor further comprises piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements (driving piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements and detecting piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements) formed on upper surfaces of the respective resilient sections.

Abstract: A micromechanical gradient sensor having a substrate, a ring body which is mounted elastically above the substrate with the assistance of a first spring device, a driving device which is connected to the ring body for driving the ring body to rotary motions about the ring axis, and an acceleration sensing device which is secured to the ring body via a second spring device. The acceleration sensing device is designed in such a manner that, as a result of the centrifugal force acting due to the rotary motions, and as a result of the force acting against the spring tension of the two spring devices due to the gravitational acceleration, the acceleration sensing device is able to travel out along the sensor axis connecting it, and running through the ring axis. Also included is an evaluation unit for determining the excursion of the acceleration sensing device and for determining the angle of inclination of sensor axis relative to the perpendicular component.

Abstract: Disclosed is a vibration gyro sensor comprising an annular frame having an approximately square planar contour with a central opening having an approximately circular planar configuration, an annular section arranged in the opening of the annular frame and having an approximately circular planar contour for constructing a vibrator, and a plurality of resilient sections which span the inner circumference of the annular frame and the outer circumference of the annular section, wherein the annular frame, the annular section, and the plurality of resilient sections are constructed by an integrated fired product made of ceramics. The vibration gyro sensor further comprises piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements (driving piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements and detecting piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements) formed on upper surfaces of the respective resilient sections.

Abstract: A device for determining a rotation rate is described, in which by means of digital evaluation circuits the output signals of a rotation rate sensor are evaluated. By identification of the transfer function from the electronically generated oscillation voltage that excites the oscillating body carrying the acceleration elements, to the output of the acceleration elements, or by identification of the transfer function from the electrically generated test voltage at the input of the acceleration elements to their output, the systematic errors of the rotation rate sensor are determined and taken into account in the digital sensor signal processing, with the aid of which the rotation rate is unequivocally determined.

Abstract: A vibratory sensor, such as for example a hemispherical resonator gyroscope (HRG) operating in the whole angle mode, is disclosed with a self-calibrating function and an improved precision. Precision is improved using two multiplying low noise DACs to estimate the position of the standing wave relative to a fixed position on the HRG. During a first half cycle the DACs multiply a measured standing wave position by an estimated standing wave position, such that the product of the two signals approach zero. The small voltage output can then be amplified using high gain to minimize the noise in the standing wave angle prediction. Using an ADC, the amplified signal is converted and transmitted to a microprocessor for evaluation. In the second half cycle, the low noise multipliers are evaluated using a known reference signal, where the product of the known reference signal and the multipliers are evaluated against a predicted signal to determine multiplier drift.