Measuring and testing – Speed – velocity – or acceleration – Angular rate using gyroscopic or coriolis effect
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-16
2001-04-24
Chapman, John E. (Department: 2856)
Measuring and testing
Speed, velocity, or acceleration
Angular rate using gyroscopic or coriolis effect
Reexamination Certificate
active
06220093
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vibratory gyroscope to be used, for example, in angular rotation velocity sensors for vehicle navigation systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
A vibratory gyroscope utilizes a dynamic phenomenon in which Coriolis force is generated at right angles to the vibration direction when a vibrating object is provided with an angular rotation velocity. The vibratory gyroscope has electrodes formed on plural faces of a vibrator thereof and alternating current (AC) is applied from an external source to the electrodes to obtain a detection output resulting from piezoelectric effects and relies on fine lead wires for electrical connection to the vibrator.
With the lead-wire connection, however, wires are apt to be cut in connection processing; therefore, wires must be connected one by one. In connection processing involving manual soldering, processing efficiency is significantly reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In consideration of the above problems, objects of the present invention are to provide a vibratory gyroscope as follows:
a vibratory gyroscope in which the connection strength can be made much higher than that of conventional vibratory gyroscopes and which allows the processing efficiency to be improved;
a vibratory gyroscope in which vibration of a circuit substrate is not significantly transferred to the vibrator, and conversely, vibration of the vibrator is also not significantly transferred to the circuit substrate;
a vibratory gyroscope in which the width of a wiring section is smaller to make it more difficult for vibration to be transferred between the circuit substrate and the vibrator;
a vibratory gyroscope in which vibration of the vibrator is not significantly transferred to the circuit substrate;
a vibratory gyroscope in which land sections are arranged on two opposite sides of the vibrator, but only a single flexible wiring board is sufficient;
a vibratory gyroscope in which even when electrodes having identical potentials are formed on two opposite sides of the vibrator, the width of the wiring section is not allowed to be larger;
a vibratory gyroscope in which vibration is well balanced;
a vibratory gyroscope in which although plural wiring patterns and electrodes are formed, the connection processing can be achieved by a one-time operation for one side of the vibrator; and
a vibratory gyroscope in which even when undesirable forces impinge on the land sections of the vibrator and wiring patterns, connections are not broken.
To achieve these objects, according to the present invention, there is provided a vibratory gyroscope that comprises a vibrator having electrodes and land sections electrically connected to the electrodes formed therein; a holding member to hold the vibrator so as to vibrate; a flexible wiring board comprising a wiring section in which wiring patterns are formed and which comprises at least vibrator-side end sections and circuit-substrate-side end sections and is positioned between the vibrator-side end sections and the circuit-substrate-side end sections, the vibrator-side end sections comprising land sections electrically connected to the wiring patterns and electrically connected to the land sections; and a circuit substrate connected to the land sections arranged on the circuit-substrate-side end section of the flexible wiring board and electrically connected to the wiring patterns.
In the above vibratory gyroscope, the wiring section of the flexible wiring board may be narrower than the vibrator-side end section and the circuit-substrate-side end section.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, a plurality of land sections of the vibrator may be formed, the corresponding land sections in the flexible wiring board may be connected within the vibrator-side end section to the land sections of the vibrator which are at least arranged to be adjacent to each other and have the same potentials, and they may be formed in the wiring section with the wiring patterns, which are electrically connected to the land sections of the flexible wiring board, arranged so as to be common.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, the vibrator may comprise vibration arms individually comprising a free end to vibrate in a state wherein one end is held, a base end section of the vibrator may be held by the holding member, the land sections of the vibrator-side end sections are arranged in the base end section of the vibrator, and the holding member is fixed with the circuit-substrate-side end section.
Furthermore, in the vibratory gyroscope according to the present invention, the vibrator may be in a plate-like shape and may comprise driving or detection electrodes on front and back sides thereof and the land sections electrically connected to the driving or detection electrodes; the flexible wiring board may comprise a branch section in which the wiring section branches into two sections in a side of the vibrator rather than the center side, the vibrator-side end section for the front side of the vibrator, and the vibrator-side end section for the back side of the vibrator; and land sections arranged in each of the vibrator-side end sections may be connected to corresponding land sections formed on the front and back sides of the vibrator.
In the above vibratory gyroscope, the wiring patterns individually connected to the land sections of the vibrator, which have the same potentials in the front and back sides of the vibrator, may be incorporated in the branch section and directed to the circuit-substrate-side end section.
In this case, according to the present invention, the wiring section may originate centrally from the vibrator-side end section.
Furthermore, in the above vibratory gyroscope, paste primarily comprising silver to form the electrodes and land sections of the vibrator, solders of solder paste or solder plating may be arranged in the land sections of the vibrator-side end sections of the flexible wiring board, and the solders may be allowed to melt by thermal welding to connect the land sections of the vibrator and the land sections of the flexible wiring board.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, an adhesive may be applied in sections thermal-welded to connect the land sections of the vibrator and the land sections of the flexible wiring board.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, lead wires are not used; but a flexible wiring board is used instead to connect the vibrator and the circuit substrate; therefore, the connection strength can be made much higher than that of conventional vibratory gyroscopes and the processing efficiency can also be improved.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the wiring section is narrower, vibration of a circuit substrate is not significantly transferred to the vibrator, and conversely, vibration of the vibrator is also not significantly transferred to the circuit substrate. This allows a detection signal retrieved from the vibrator to be relatively free of undesirable vibration influences.
Furthermore, since the wiring patterns are commonly used, the width of the wiring section can be arranged at smaller scales to make it more difficult for the transfer of vibration to occur between the circuit substrate and the vibrator.
Furthermore, since the land sections are arranged in the base end section of the vibrator held by the holding member and they are connected in this base end section to the land sections of the flexible wiring board, vibration of the vibrator is not significantly transferred to the circuit substrate.
Furthermore, land sections are arranged on two opposite sides of the vibrator, but the single flexible wiring board is sufficient. This allows manufacturing cost to be reduced, and compared to the case in which two flexible wiring boards are used, also allows the processing-efficiency to be improved.
Furthermore, since the common wiring patterns are arranged in the wiring section between the branch section and the circuit-board-side end section, eve
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Chapman John E.
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