Vibration-sensing device method of adjusting the same and angular velocity sensor taking advantage of the same

A method of adjusting a vibration-sensing device comprising a first tuning fork-shaped vibrating member having a base, a first vibrating tine and a second vibrating tine, said first and second vibrating tines being joined with each other at said base to be fork-shaped, said first and second tines vibrating in a plane where said first and second tines exist;

• a vibration-driver fixed to said first tuning fork-shaped vibrating member and configured to drive plane vibration of said first and second vibrating tines of said first tuning fork-shaped vibrating member in said plane;
• a torsion bar including at least a first torsion bar element connected to said base and extending in said plane in a direction opposite to the direction in which said first and second vibrating tines extend;
• a torsion vibrating member including a first beam projected from said first torsion bar element, a second beam projected from said first torsion bar element in a direction opposite to the direction in which said fist beam is projected;
• a first mass control element connected to an end of said first beam, and a second mass control element connected to an end of said second beam;
• said torsion bar, said first tuning fork-shaped vibrating member, and said torsion vibrating member forming a torsion vibrating system around an axis of said torsion bar;
• and a torsion-vibration-detector configured to detect a state of torsion vibration driven in said torsion vibrating system and to output a signals representing said state of torsion vibration, said method comprising:
• controlling a mass of said torsion vibrating member by adjusting a mass of at least one of said first and second beams and said first and second mass control elements, thereby setting a predetermined relationship between a resonance frequency of plane vibration of said first tuning fork-shaped vibrating member in said plane and a resonance frequency of torsion vibration of said torsion vibrating member.

A vibration-sensing device comprising:

• a first tuning fork-shaped vibrating member having a base, a first vibrating tine and a second vibrating tine, said first and second vibrating tines being joined with each other at said base to be fork-shaped, said first and second tine vibrating in a plane where said first and second tines exist;
• a torsion bar including at least a first torsion bar element connected to said base and extending in said plane where said first and second vibrating tines exist in a direction opposite to the direction in which said first and second vibrating tines extend;
• a torsion vibrating member including a first beam projected from said first torsion bar element, a second beam projected from said first torsion bar element in a direction opposite to the direction in which said first beam is projected, a first mass control element connected to an end of said first beam, and a second mass control element connected to an end of said second beam;
• said torsion bar, said first tuning fork-shaped vibrating member, and said torsion vibrating member forming a torsion vibrating system around an axis of said torsion bar;
• a torsion-vibration-driver configured to drive torsion vibration in said torsion vibrating system around said torsion bar;
• and
• a plane-vibration-detector configured to detect a state of plane vibration of said first and said second vibrating tines of said first tuning fork-shaped vibrating member in said plane, caused by the torsion vibration driven in said torsion vibrating system, and to output a signal representing the state of plane vibration.