Measuring and testing – Speed – velocity – or acceleration – Angular rate using gyroscopic or coriolis effect
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-08
2003-03-18
Kwok, Helen (Department: 2856)
Measuring and testing
Speed, velocity, or acceleration
Angular rate using gyroscopic or coriolis effect
C073S504120
Reexamination Certificate
active
06532816
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vibrating gyroscopes and electronic apparatuses incorporating the same, and more specifically, it relates to a vibrating gyroscope for use in video cameras with image stabilization capabilities, car navigation systems, pointing devices, etc., and to an electronic apparatus incorporating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 10
is a fragmentary perspective view of a conventional vibrating gyroscope. The principles of the vibrating gyroscope
80
shown in
FIG. 10
are disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-332379.
Referring to
FIG. 10
, the vibrating gyroscope
80
includes a vibrator
100
, supporting members
804
,
805
,
806
, and
807
, and a frame
810
. The vibrator
100
includes a first piezoelectric substrate
101
polarized in the thickness direction, a first detecting electrode
101
a
and a second detecting electrode
101
b
being formed on a first principal plane thereof, and a second piezoelectric substrate
102
polarized in the thickness direction, a driving electrode (not shown) being formed on a first principal plane thereof. A second principal plane of the first piezoelectric substrate
101
and a second principal plane of the second piezoelectric substrate
102
are laminated via an intermediary electrode
103
. Furthermore, the supporting members
804
and
805
are provided at the positions where node points N
1
and N
2
of the vibrator
100
are projected on the first principal plane of the first piezoelectric substrate
101
, and the supporting members
806
and
807
are provided at the positions where the node points N
1
and N
2
are projected on the first principal plane of the second piezoelectric substrate
102
. The first detecting electrode
101
a
is connected to the supporting member
804
, the second detecting electrode
101
b
is connected to the supporting member
805
, and the driving electrode on the first principal plane of the second piezoelectric substrate
102
is connected to the supporting members
806
and
807
. The supporting members
804
,
805
,
806
, and
807
are composed of the same material, are constructed in the same shape, and have the same stiffness, and support the piezoelectric substrates
101
and
102
while also serving as leads.
The frame
810
is composed of an insulating material such as resin, and has an upper face
810
a
on the same plane as the first principal plane of the first piezoelectric substrate
101
, a lower face
810
b
on the same plane as the first principal plane of the second piezoelectric substrate
102
, and projections
811
provided on an inner face of the frame
810
with a particular spacing along the width direction of the vibrator
100
. Ends
804
a,
805
a,
806
a,
and
807
a
of the supporting members
804
,
805
,
806
, and
807
extend in a direction parallel to the first principal plane of the first piezoelectric substrate
101
or the first principal plane of the second piezoelectric substrate
102
. The ends
804
a
and
805
b
are fixed to the upper face
810
a
of the frame
810
, for example, by soldering, and the ends
806
a
and
807
a
are fixed to the lower face
810
b
of the frame
810
, for example, by soldering.
Generally, a vibrating gyroscope requires thick supporting members in order to prevent problems such as the vibrator falling off from the supporting members due to an excessive shock exerted on the vibrating gyroscope. Use of thick supporting members, however, causes the vibration of the vibrator to leak from the supporting members, reducing the magnitude of the vibration.
In the vibrating gyroscope
80
, thin supporting members
804
and
806
are provided so as to sandwich the node point N
1
, and thin supporting members
805
and
807
are provided so as to sandwich the node point N
2
, and the supporting members
804
,
805
,
806
, and
807
are fixed to the substrate
810
having the same thickness as the piezoelectric substrates
101
and
102
. Thus, although supported by the thin supporting members
804
,
805
,
806
, and
807
, the vibrator
100
avoids problems such as falling off from the supporting members
804
,
805
,
806
, and
807
.
In the vibrating gyroscope
80
so constructed, when a driving signal is applied to the driving electrode on the first principal plane of the second piezoelectric substrate
102
via the supporting members
806
and
807
, longitudinal-bar flexural oscillation occurs in the thickness direction of the vibrator
100
, in which the nodes in the lowest mode are the node points N
1
and N
2
. When an angular velocity, for which the longitudinal direction of the vibrator
100
is the axis, is applied to the vibrating gyroscope
80
, the vibrator
100
is flexed in the width direction, and signals output from the first detecting electrode
101
a and the second detecting electrode
101
b
are processed, so that the angular velocity applied to the vibrating gyroscope is determined.
Furthermore, in the vibrating gyroscope
80
, the projections
811
are provided with a particular spacing along the width direction of the vibrator
100
, so that excessive displacement of the vibrator
100
and plastic deformation of the supporting members
804
,
805
,
806
, and
807
are prevented even if an excessive shock in the width direction of the vibrator
100
is exerted on the vibrating gyroscope
80
.
Next,
FIG. 11
is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of another conventional vibrating gyroscope. In
FIG. 11
, components identical to or equivalent to those in the vibrating gyroscope
80
shown in
FIG. 10
are indicated by the same reference characters, and description thereof is omitted.
Referring to
FIG. 11
, a vibrating gyroscope
90
includes a frame
820
instead of the frame
810
in the vibrating gyroscope
80
, a substrate
830
(not shown in FIG.
10
), a lower lid
840
, and an upper lid (not shown) having the same construction as the lower lid
840
.
The frame
820
is composed of resin, and includes an upper face
820
a
on a plane above a first principal plane of a first piezoelectric substrate
101
, a lower face
820
b
on a plane below a first principal plane of a second piezoelectric substrate
102
, and in addition, convex portions
812
provided on inner faces of the frame
820
, and concave slots
813
provided on the upper face
820
a
and the lower face
820
b
of the frame
820
. Supporting members
804
and
805
are led into the frame
820
from the top faces of the convex portions
812
, supporting members
806
and
807
are led into the frame
820
from side faces of the convex portions
812
, and ends
805
a
and
807
a
and ends
804
a
and
806
a
(not shown) of the supporting members
804
,
805
,
806
, and
807
are pulled out from side faces of the convex portions
812
.
The substrate is provided with lands
831
,
832
,
833
, and
834
formed on the top face thereof, and electronic components mounted on the bottom face thereof, necessary for driving a vibrator
100
(not shown) or for determining angular velocity. The substrate
830
is fixed to the frame
820
so as to engage with the bottom faces of the convex portions
812
and with the inner faces of the frame
820
. The ends
804
a,
805
a,
806
a,
and
807
a
of the supporting members
804
,
805
,
806
, and
807
are connected to the lands
831
,
832
,
833
, and
834
. The upper lid and the lower lid
840
are composed of resin, and are provided with third projections
841
. The upper lid and the lower lid
840
are fixed to the frame
820
so that the third projections
841
and the concave slots
813
of the frame
820
engage with each other.
In the vibrating gyroscope
90
, the vibrator
100
is fixed to the frame
820
and the substrate
830
is also fixed to the frame
820
, so that the vibrator
100
, the frame
820
, and the substrate
830
are integrated. Furthermore, the upper lid and the lower lid
840
are provided so as to seal the electronic components mounted on the substrate
Keating & Bennett LLP
Kwok Helen
Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
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