Vibrating gyroscope, electronic device using the same, and self-diagnosis method for vibrating gyroscope
AssigneeMurata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
InventorsKazuhiro Ebara, Akira Kumada, Hiroyuki Hirano
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Abstract
A vibrating gyroscope includes a piezoelectric vibrator and a plurality of detection load-impedance elements. The resistance of one of the detection load-impedance elements is changed by a switch so that the resistance is different from that of the other one of the detection load-impedance elements, thereby making difference between the amplitude of signals input from two detection electrodes to a differential circuit and detecting the variation in a Coriolis signal. Accordingly, a self-diagnosis for the vibrating gyroscope, for example, a diagnosis of a short circuit in the detection electrodes of the vibrator can be performed.
Claims19
A vibrating gyroscope comprising:
- a vibrator including a plurality of detection electrodes, and vibrating in response to a driving signal and an applied angular velocity;
- a vibrator driving unit for applying a driving signal to the vibrator;
- a plurality of detection load-impedance elements connected to the plurality of detection electrodes for converting charges, which are generated in the plurality of detection electrodes in response to the vibration of the vibrator, to voltage signals;
- a Coriolis-force detecting unit for outputting a Coriolis signal corresponding to the angular velocity based on the plurality of voltage signals;
- and
- an impedance changing unit for changing the impedance of at least one of the plurality of detection load-impedance elements.
A self-diagnosis method for a vibrating gyroscope including a vibrator having a plurality of detection electrodes and vibrating in response to a driving signal and an applied angular velocity, a vibrator driving unit for applying a driving signal to the vibrator, a plurality of detection load-impedance elements for converting charges that are generated in the plurality of detection electrodes due to the vibration of the vibrator to voltage signals, and a Coriolis-force detecting unit for outputting a Coriolis signal corresponding to the angular velocity based on the plurality of voltage signals, the method comprising the step of performing self-diagnosis based on the variation in the Coriolis signal caused by changing the impedance of at least one of the plurality of detection load-impedance elements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.