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US 12,276,675 B2Granted
Inertial sensor and inertial measurement unit
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorsShota Kigure, Yoshiyuki Matsuura
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An inertia sensor detects a physical quantity based on a displacement in a Z axis when three axes orthogonal to one another are defined as an X axis, a Y axis, and the Z axis. The inertial sensor includes: a substrate; and a movable body that is fixed to the substrate, that swings around a swing axis P along the X axis, and that has two flat surfaces facing each other and a side surface connecting the two flat surfaces. The movable body includes a first extension arranged at a predetermined angle with respect to the swing axis P and a second extension arranged facing the side surface of the first extension.
Claims11
An inertial sensor, comprising:
- a substrate that is orthogonal to a Z axis when three axes orthogonal to one another are defined as an X axis, a Y axis, and the Z axis, and that is provided with a fixed electrode;
- and
- a movable body that faces the fixed electrode in a Z-axis direction along the Z axis, that is orthogonal to the Z axis, that includes two flat surfaces having a front and back relationship with each other and a side surface connecting the two flat surfaces, and that is provided so as to be swingable with respect to the substrate around a swing axis along the X axis, wherein
- in a plan view from the Z-axis direction along the Z axis, the movable body includes:
- a first extension arranged at a predetermined angle with respect to the swing axis, and
- a second extension arranged so that a side surface of the second extension opposes and faces a side surface of the first extension with an opening of the movable body disposed therebetween,
- in the movable body, a supporter fixed to the substrate is provided, the supporter is arranged in the opening in the plan view from the Z-axis direction, and the supporter is coupled to the movable body by a coupler which spans the opening,
- the first extension is arranged in the opening in the plan view from the Z-axis direction and extends radially from the supporter toward an outer edge of the movable body,
- the second extension is a projection extending from a portion of the movable body defining an outer perimeter of the opening toward the supporter in the plan view from the Z-axis direction, and
- only the opening is disposed between the side surface of the second extension and the side surface of the first extension such that the side surface of the second extension is configured to contact the side surface of the first extension along a length of the first extension and the second extension, respectively, and not at a terminus of the first extension and the second extension, to close, in parallel to an extension direction of the first extension and the second extension, at least a portion of the opening therebetween to restrict displacement of the movable body when a predetermined in-plane rotation is applied, the length of the first extension and the second extension extending along the extension direction, which extends from the portion of the movable body defining the outer perimeter of the opening toward the supporter in the plan view from the Z-axis direction.
7 more elements
An inertial sensor, comprising:
- a substrate that is orthogonal to a Z axis when three axes orthogonal to one another are defined as an X axis, a Y axis, and the Z axis, and that is provided with a fixed electrode;
- and
- a movable body that faces the fixed electrode in a Z-axis direction along the Z axis, that is orthogonal to the Z axis, that includes two flat surfaces having a front and back relationship with each other and a side surface connecting the two flat surfaces, and that is provided so as to be swingable with respect to the substrate around a swing axis along the X axis, wherein
- in the movable body, an opening is provided, a supporter fixed to the substrate is provided, the supporter is arranged in the opening in a plan view from the Z-axis direction along the Z axis, and the supporter is coupled to the movable body by a coupler which spans the opening, and
- in the plan view from the Z-axis direction, the movable body includes:
- a plurality of first extensions respectively arranged at a plurality of predetermined angles with respect to the swing axis, the plurality of first extensions extending radially from the supporter toward outer edges of the movable body, the plurality of first extensions including at least two pairs of first extensions, with each pair of first extensions provided symmetrically with each other relative to the swing axis, and
- a plurality of second extensions arranged so as to face the plurality of first extensions, each of the plurality of second extensions extending so as to be disposed between a respective adjacent pair of the plurality of first extensions, and
- side surfaces of each of the plurality of second extensions oppose and face a respective side surface of the plurality of first extensions, with the opening disposed therebetween, and only the opening is disposed between the side surface of the second extension and the side surface of the first extension such that the side surface of the second extension is configured to contact the side surface of the first extension along a length of the first extension and the second extension, respectively, and not at a terminus of the first extension and the second extension, to close, in parallel to an extension direction of the first extension and the second extension, at least a portion of the opening therebetween to restrict displacement of the movable body when a predetermined in-plane rotation is applied, the length of the first extension and the second extension extending along the extension direction, which extends from a portion of the movable body defining an outer perimeter of the opening toward the supporter in the plan view from the Z-axis direction.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.