Angular Velocity Sensor

An angular velocity sensor, comprising:

• first and second vibrators which are elastically and displaceably supported on a substrate;
• a driving means which differentially vibrates mutually the first and second vibrators in the drive axis direction horizontal to the substrate surface;
• and
• a displacement detecting means in the detection axis direction, which detects a displacement of the first and second vibrators in the detection axis direction perpendicular to the drive axis direction, wherein the angular velocity sensor further comprises:
• first and second self-vibration detecting means which detect the self-vibrations of the first and second vibrators, which are generated due to leakage in the detection axis direction of the vibrations of the first and second vibrators in the drive axis direction and are comprised of a synchronous detection circuit for synchronously detecting the output of the displacement detecting means in the detection axis direction by a signal according to the vibrations of the vibrators in the drive axis direction, and an integration circuit for integrating the output of the synchronous detection circuit;
• first and second feedback circuits which completely cancel the self-vibrations of the first and second vibrators;
• an arithmetic means which performs predetermined calculation according to the outputs of a pair of the integration circuits;
• and
• an abnormality determining means which determines abnormality according to the output of the arithmetic means.

An angular velocity sensor, comprising:

• first and second vibrators which are elastically and displaceably supported on a substrate;
• a driving means which differentially vibrates mutually the first and second vibrators in the drive axis direction horizontal to the substrate surface;
• a displacement detecting means in the detection axis direction which detects a displacement of the first and second vibrators in the detection axis direction perpendicular to the drive axis direction;
• and
• a feedback circuit which completely cancels the displacement of the vibrators in the detection axis direction and is comprised of an integration circuit which integrates the output of the displacement detecting means in the detection axis direction, wherein the angular velocity sensor further comprises:
• first and second self-vibration detecting means which detect the self-vibrations of the first and second vibrators, which are generated due to leakage in the detection axis direction of the vibrations of the first and second vibrators in the drive axis direction and are comprised of a synchronous detection circuit for synchronously detecting the output of the displacement detecting means in the detection axis direction by a signal according to the vibrations of the vibrators in the drive axis direction, and an integration circuit for integrating the output of the synchronous detection circuit;
• an arithmetic means which performs predetermined calculation according to the output of a pair of the integration circuits;
• and
• an abnormality determining means which determines abnormality according to the output of the arithmetic means.

An angular velocity sensor, comprising:

• a vibrator which is elastically and displaceably supported on a substrate;
• an elastic coupling beam which elastically couples the substrate and the vibrator;
• a driving means which vibrates the vibrator in the drive axis direction horizontal to the substrate surface;
• and
• a displacement detecting means in the detection axis direction which detects the displacement of the vibrator in the detection axis direction perpendicular to the drive axis direction, wherein the angular velocity sensor further comprises:
• a gravity center moving means in the detection axis direction which moves in the detection axis direction the position of the center of mass of the vibrator to the center of the resultant force of the elastic coupling beam.