Measuring and testing – Speed – velocity – or acceleration – Acceleration determination utilizing inertial element
Reexamination Certificate
2006-05-16
2008-12-30
Kwok, Helen C. (Department: 2856)
Measuring and testing
Speed, velocity, or acceleration
Acceleration determination utilizing inertial element
C073S514380
Reexamination Certificate
active
07469588
ABSTRACT:
A Micro-Electro-Mechanical System closed-loop (MEMS) inertial device having a vertical comb drive that exhibits improved performance under vibration. The device includes one or more stator tines extending from a housing into a cavity formed by the housing. One or more rotor tines extend from a proof mass located in the cavity. The proof mass is joined to the housing by flexures which allow movement in the vertical direction. The rotor tines have a first length value in the direction of movement and the stator tines have a second length value in the direction of movement. The second length value is greater than the first length value. Also, the stator tines include two electrically separated portions. The lesser length of the rotor tines relative to the stator tines causes the attractive force between the rotor tines and either the upper or lower half of the stator tines to be relatively independent of rotor vertical position. This, in turn, produces better accelerometer accuracy in vibration environments.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5969848 (1999-10-01), Lee et al.
patent: 6000280 (1999-12-01), Miller et al.
patent: 6277666 (2001-08-01), Hays et al.
patent: 6582985 (2003-06-01), Cabuz et al.
patent: 6612029 (2003-09-01), Behin et al.
patent: 6679995 (2004-01-01), Banjac et al.
patent: 6705116 (2004-03-01), Matsuo et al.
patent: 6744173 (2004-06-01), Behin et al.
patent: 7258010 (2007-08-01), Horning et al.
patent: 7270003 (2007-09-01), Sassolini et al.
patent: 2002/0005976 (2002-01-01), Behin et al.
patent: 1624584 (2006-02-01), None
patent: 8166405 (1996-06-01), None
W. Tang, et al.; Electrostatic comb drive levitation and control method; IEEE; vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 170-178, Dec. 1992.
E. Carlen, et al.; High-aspect ratio vertical comb-drive actuator with small self-aligned finger gaps; IEEE; vol. 14, No. 5, pp. 1144-1155, Oct. 2005.
Julius Ming-Lin Tsai, et al.; The BELST ll process for a silicon high-aspect-ratio micromaching vertical comb actuator and its applications; Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, IOP Publishing Ltd 2004, pp. 235-241.
Q.X. Zhang, et al.; Fabrication technique for microelectromechanical systems vertical comb-drive actuators on a monolithic silicon substrate; American Vacuum Society 2005, pp. 32-41.
Arjun Selvakumar, et al.; Vertical Comb Array Microactuators; Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems, vol. 12, No. 4, Aug. 2003; IEEE 2003, pp. 440-449.
C. Tsou, et al.; Self-Aligned Vertical Electrostatic Combdrives for Scanning Micromirrors; IEEE 2005, pp. 72-75.
Toshiyuki Tsuchiya, et al.; A Z-Axis Differential Capacitive SOI Accelerometer With Vertical Comb Electrodes; IEEE 2004, pp. 524-527.
LaFond Peter H.
Yu Lianzhong
Honeywell International , Inc.
Kwok Helen C.
LandOfFree
MEMS vertical comb drive with improved vibration performance does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with MEMS vertical comb drive with improved vibration performance, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and MEMS vertical comb drive with improved vibration performance will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-4042803