Back to results
US 12,474,366 B2Granted
Three-axis accelerometer with two masses
AssigneeMurata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
InventorsVille-Pekka Rytkönen, Anssi Blomqvist, Matti Liukku
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An accelerometer comprising a first proof mass and a second proof mass which are coupled to each other with a coupling structure which extends from the first proof mass to the second proof mass. The coupling structure synchronizes the movement of the first and second proof masses so that the first and second proof masses may be linearly displaced from their rest position in the x-direction, rotationally displaced in opposite in-plane directions and rotationally displaced in opposite out-of-plane directions.
Claims20
An accelerometer for measuring acceleration in at least of two directions of an x-axis, a y-axis and a z-axis, the accelerometer comprising:
- a first proof mass that is suspended from one or more first anchor points by a first suspension structure that configures the first proof mass to undergo linear translation along the x-axis, rotation about a first vertical axis in an xy-plane and rotation about a first horizontal axis out of the xy-plane, with the first vertical axis being perpendicular to the xy-plane and the first horizontal axis being parallel to the y-axis;
- a second proof mass that is suspended from one or more second anchor points by a second suspension structure that configures the second proof mass to undergo linear translation along the x-axis, rotation about a second vertical axis in the xy-plane and rotation about a second horizontal axis out of the xy-plane, with the second vertical axis being perpendicular to the xy-plane and the second horizontal axis being parallel to the y-axis;
- a coupling structure that couples the first proof mass to the second proof mass,
- wherein the first and second proof masses are positioned adjacent to each other and at least partly aligned with each other on the x-axis and lie in the xy-plane in respective rest positions,
- wherein the first proof mass has a center of mass with an x-coordinate that is offset from the first horizontal axis and the second proof mass has a center of mass with an x-coordinate that is offset from the second horizontal axis,
- wherein the coupling structure synchronizes movement of the first and second proof masses so that:
- the first and second proof masses are linearly displaced from the respective rest positions in a same direction parallel to the x-axis when the accelerometer undergoes acceleration in the direction of the x-axis,
- the first proof mass is rotationally displaced from the respective rest position of the first proof mass in the xy-plane about a first vertical axis in a first rotational direction when the accelerometer undergoes acceleration in the direction of the y-axis, and the second proof mass is rotationally displaced from the respective rest position of the second proof mass in the xy-plane about a second vertical axis in a second rotational direction when the accelerometer undergoes acceleration in the direction of the y-axis, with the first rotational direction being opposite to the second rotational direction, and
- the first proof mass is rotationally displaced from the respective rest position of the first proof mass out of the xy-plane about the first horizontal axis in a first rotational direction when the accelerometer undergoes acceleration in the direction of the z-axis, and the second proof mass is rotationally displaced from the respective rest position of the second proof mass out of the xy-plane about the second horizontal axis in a second rotational direction when the accelerometer undergoes acceleration in the direction of the z-axis, with the first rotational direction being opposite to the second rotational direction.
6 more elements
An accelerometer for measuring acceleration in at least of two directions of an x-axis, a y-axis and a z-axis, the accelerometer comprising:
- a first proof mass that is suspended from one or more first anchor points by a first suspension structure that configures the first proof mass to undergo linear translation along the x-axis, rotation about a first vertical axis in an xy-plane and rotation about a first horizontal axis out of the xy-plane, with the first vertical axis being perpendicular to the xy-plane and the first horizontal axis being parallel to the y-axis;
- a second proof mass that is suspended from one or more second anchor points by a second suspension structure that configures the second proof mass to undergo linear translation along the x-axis, rotation about a second vertical axis in the xy-plane and rotation about a second horizontal axis out of the xy-plane, with the second vertical axis being perpendicular to the xy-plane and the second horizontal axis being parallel to the y-axis, and wherein the first and second proof masses are at least partly aligned with each other on the x-axis and lie in the xy-plane when each of the first and second proof masses are in their respective rest positions;
- a coupling structure that couples the first proof mass to the second proof mass and that is configured to synchronize movement of the first and second proof masses so that:
- the first and second proof masses are linearly displaced from the respective rest positions in a same direction parallel to the x-axis when the accelerometer undergoes acceleration in the direction of the x-axis,
- the first proof mass is rotationally displaced from the respective rest position of the first proof mass in the xy-plane about a first vertical axis in a first rotational direction when the accelerometer undergoes acceleration in the direction of the y-axis, and the second proof mass is rotationally displaced from the respective rest position of the second proof mass in the xy-plane about a second vertical axis in a second rotational direction when the accelerometer undergoes acceleration in the direction of the y-axis, with the first rotational direction being opposite to the second rotational direction, and
- the first proof mass is rotationally displaced from the respective rest position of the first proof mass out of the xy-plane about the first horizontal axis in a first rotational direction when the accelerometer undergoes acceleration in the direction of the z-axis, and the second proof mass is rotationally displaced from the respective rest position of the second proof mass out of the xy-plane about the second horizontal axis in a second rotational direction when the accelerometer undergoes acceleration in the direction of the z-axis, with the first rotational direction being opposite to the second rotational direction.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.