Gyroscope and input unit using the same
AssigneesAlps Electric Co., Ltd., Masoyoshi Esashi
InventorsMunemitsu Abe, Masayoshi Esashi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gyroscope includes a tuning fork, which includes a plurality of tines formed of a conductive material and a supporting portion; an upper glass substrate and a lower glass substrate which sandwich the tuning fork; drive electrodes which are provided on each of the upper and the lower glass substrates in such a manner that parts of the drive electrodes oppose the tines and the remaining parts protrude from the tines, the drive electrodes being capacitively coupled to the tines and driving the tines in a direction parallel to the substrates; and detection electrodes which are capacitively coupled to the tines, and which detect displacements of the tines in a direction perpendicular to the vibrating direction of the tines.
Claims14
A gyroscope comprising:
- a tuning fork having vibrating beams;
- a pair of substrates which are disposed one at each side of said tuning fork, at least surfaces thereof being insulative;
- a pair of drive electrodes which are provided on surfaces of said pair of substrates such that said drive electrodes oppose each other, said drive electrodes extending along a longitudinal direction of said vibrating beams such that a portion of each of said drive electrodes opposes one of said vibrating beams and the remaining portion of said drive electrodes protrudes from said one of said vibrating beams, said drive electrodes being capacitively coupled to said vibrating beams and driving said vibrating beams in a direction parallel to said pair of substrates when a voltage is applied to said drive electrodes in the same phase for driving said vibrating beams;
- and
- detection electrodes which are capacitively coupled to said vibrating beams, and which detect displacements of said vibrating beams in a direction perpendicular to said substrate and a vibrating direction of said vibrating beams.
A gyroscope comprising:
- a tuning fork having vibrating beams;
- at least one substrate which is disposed at at least one side of said tuning fork, and which is insulative at at least a surface thereof;
- drive electrodes which are disposed such that a portion of each of said drive electrodes opposes an end surface of one of said vibrating beams in a longitudinal direction thereof and the remaining portion protrudes from the end surface of said one of said vibrating beams, said drive electrodes being capacitively coupled to said vibrating beams and driving said vibrating beams in a direction parallel to said at least one substrate by applying an electrostatic attraction force in a direction to increase opposing areas between the drive electrodes and the end surfaces of said vibrating beams;
- and
- detection electrodes which are capacitively coupled to said vibrating beams, and which detect displacements of said vibrating beams in a direction perpendicular to the substrate and to a vibrating direction of said vibrating beams.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.