Piezoelectric transducers and inertial sensors using piezoelectric transducers
AssigneeAnalog Devices, Inc.
InventorsJinbo Kuang, William Albert Clark, John Albert Geen
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Abstract
An inertial sensor includes driving piezoelectric transducers for enabling an oscillation of a resonator, sensing piezoelectric transducers for enabling a detection of a movement of the inertial sensor, and piezoelectric compensating elements substantially equidistantly among the driving and the sensing piezoelectric transducers, wherein the compensating elements and the resonator form corresponding capacitors having capacitive gaps, and wherein, during the oscillation of the resonator, changes in electrostatic charges stored in the capacitors are measured with the compensating elements and are modified so as to modify the oscillation of the resonator.
Claims20
A method for modifying an oscillation of a resonator in an inertial sensor, the inertial sensor comprising driving piezoelectric transducers for enabling an oscillation of the resonator and sensing piezoelectric transducers for enabling a detection of a movement of the inertial sensor, the inertial sensor further comprising piezoelectric compensating elements disposed substantially equidistantly among the driving and the sensing piezoelectric transducers, the compensating elements and the resonator forming corresponding capacitors having capacitive gaps, the method comprising:
- using the driving piezoelectric transducers to cause oscillation of the resonator;
- and
- modifying the electrostatic charges stored in the capacitors so as to modify the oscillation of the resonator.
An inertial sensor comprising:
- a resonator;
- driving piezoelectric transducers for enabling an oscillation of the resonator;
- sensing piezoelectric transducers for enabling a detection of a movement of the inertial sensor;
- piezoelectric compensating elements disposed substantially equidistantly among the driving and the sensing piezoelectric transducers, the compensating elements and the resonator forming corresponding capacitors having capacitive gaps;
- and
- a processor coupled to the driving piezoelectric transducers and to the sensing piezoelectric transducers, the processor configured to cause oscillation of the resonator via the driving piezoelectric transducers, the processor further configured to modify the electrostatic charges stored in the capacitors so as to modify the oscillation of the resonator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.