# US 7,406,869 B2 · Movement detector having six degrees of freedom with three position sensors and method for the production of a sensor > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,406,869 B2 - Document ID: US7406869B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 10/575,862 - Filed: 2004-10-25 - Published: 2007-02-22 - Granted: 2008-08-05 - Earliest claimed: 2003-10-28 - Assignees: Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique - Inventors: Laurent Jouanet; Patrice Rey - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7406869B2 ## CPC - H01H 35/14: Switches operated by change of acceleration, e.g. by shock or vibration, inertia switch {(wherein the liquid constitutes a contact of the switch H01H29/002)} - G01P 13/00: Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement (electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00) - G01P 15/0802: {Details} - G01P 15/0888: {for indicating angular acceleration} - G01P 15/135: by making use of contacts which are actuated by a movable inertial mass - G01P 15/18: in two or more dimensions - H01H 1/0036: {Switches making use of microelectromechanical systems [MEMS] (for electromagnetic relays H01H50/005; for electrostatic relays H01H59/0009)} - Y10T 29/49007: Indicating transducer - H01H: ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES (contact cables H01B7/10; electrolytic self-interrupters H01G9/18; emergency protective circuit arrangements H02H; switching by electronic means without contact-making H03K17/00) - G01P: MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION, OR SHOCK; INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT (measuring or recording blood flow A61B5/02, A61B8/06; monitoring speed or deceleration of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L3/00; vehicle lighting systems adapted to indicate speed B60Q1/54; determining position or course in navigation, measuring ground distance in geodesy or surveying G01C; combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement G01C23/00; measuring velocity of sound G01H; measuring velocity of light G01J7/00; measuring direction or velocity of solid objects by reception or emission of radiowaves or other waves and based on propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effect, propagation time, direction of propagation, G01S; measuring speed of nuclear radiation G01T; measuring acceleration of gravity G01V; {measuring or recording the speed of trains B61L23/00; speed indicators incorporated in motor vehicles B60K35/00; measuring frequency or phase G01R; traffic control G08G}) - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract The movement detector having six degrees of freedom comprises a support on which three position sensors are arranged according to three orthogonal axes. Each sensor comprises a rigid body (3), a deformable element (4) which is electrically conductive, and four conductive areas (6b) which are disposed on rigid walls (3). The deformable element (4) is balanced around the centre part thereof and has a rest position and four active positions wherein it is temporarily in contact with two of the conductive areas (6b) of the rigid body (3). The deformable element (4) of a sensor moves from a rest position to one of the active positions in response to a predetermined directional or axial translation or votation. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A movement detector having six degrees of freedom comprising: a support; and three position sensors arranged on the support according to three orthogonal axes, each sensor comprising: a rigid body having two opposing inside walls: conducting areas arranged on the rigid body, the conducting areas comprising four conducting areas arranged such that two of the conducting areas are arranged on one of the inside walls and two of the conducting areas are arranged on the opposing inside wall; and an electrically conducting deformable element that is isolated from the conducting areas when the deformable element is in a rest position, and the deformable element moving from the rest position to an active position in response to a high-speed movement of predetermined direction and orientation, wherein the deformable element associated with each sensor is in equilibrium around a central part of the deformable element, wherein the deformable element responds, to a translation along a predetermined axis by bending, causing ends of the deformable element to substantially simultaneously and temporarily contact two conducting areas on a same inside wall, and wherein the deformable element responds to a rotation around a predetermined axis by pivoting, causing the ends of the deformable element to substantially simultaneously and temporarily contact two conducting areas arranged on opposing inside walls. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The detector according to claim 1, further comprising an electronic processing circuit connected to the conducting areas of the three sensors. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The detector according to claim 1, wherein the deformable element is a beam in equilibrium around transverse median axis of the beam. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The detector according to claim 3, wherein the beam comprises conducting areas arranged at the ends of the beam. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The detector according to claim 1, wherein the deformable element is a disc in equilibrium around central axis of the disc. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The detector according to claim 5, wherein the disc comprises a peripheral conducting area on each face of the disc. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The detector according to claim 1, wherein the deformable element of each of the three sensors is electrically connected to a power supply contact area arranged on the rigid body of the corresponding sensor. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The detector according to claim 1, wherein the deformable element of each of the three sensors is in an equilibrium position corresponding to the rest position of the corresponding sensor for any movement having an acceleration less than or equal to the force of gravity G. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The detector according to claim 1, wherein the rigid body of each of the three sensors comprises two substrates arranged face to face, connected by balls constituting an electrical interconnection between the conducting areas of one of the substrates and output electrical contact areas formed on the other substrate. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The detector according to claim 9, wherein the deformable element includes two deformable half-elements, each of the deformable half-elements corresponding to one of the substrates and comprising a conducting layer, the conducting layer being supported by a central pillar, wherein the central pillar is formed on a central power supply contact area, that is formed on the corresponding substrate. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A method for production of each of the three sensors according to claim 10, achieved by microelectronics techniques, the method comprising: forming conducting areas and power supply areas on each of the substrates; forming an output electrical contact areas on one of the substrates; forming a central pillar on each of the substrates, the central pillar contacting the power supply contact area and supporting a conducting layer that serves as the deformable half-element; installing balls on the output electrical contact areas; and hybridizing the two substrates arranged face to face.