Yamaha Corporation

Hitachi Cable, Inc.

Hideki Sato

Yukio Wakui

Masayoshi Omura

Kenji Shibata

Kokichi Aiso

Kazufumi Suenaga

Hiroshi Naito

Kenichi Shirasaka

Akira Nomoto

Hiroshi Saitoh

Hiroshi Adachi

Toshiyuki Oohashi

Susumu Yoshida

Satoshi Nihashi

Kiyoshi Yamaki

Chihiro Osuga

Tetsuya Mabuchi

Fumihito Oka

Hirokazu Kato

Makoto Kaneko

Toshihisa Suzuki

Toshihiko Muramatsu

Syuusei Takami

Hiroaki Fukami

Michihiko Goto

A magnetic sensor for detecting the intensity of a magnetic field in three axial directions, in which a plurality of giant magnetoresistive elements are formed on a single semiconductor substrate. A thick film is formed on the semiconductor substrate; giant magnetoresistive elements forming X-axis and Y-axis sensors are formed on a planar surface thereof; and giant magnetoresistive elements forming a Z-axis sensor are formed using slopes of channels in the thick film. Each of the slopes of the channels can be constituted of a first slope and a second slope, so that a magneto-sensitive element is formed on the second slope having a larger inclination angle. In order to optimize the slope shape and inclination with respect to each channel, it is possible to form a dummy slope that does not directly relate to the formation of the giant magnetoresistive elements.

Magnetic sensor and manufacturing method therefor

A magnetic sensor device is connectable to a data processing device and is a circuitry physically separate from the data processing device. In the magnetic sensor device, a detection unit detects magnetic field and outputs analog magnetic data representing the detected magnetic field. A conversion unit converts the analog magnetic data into digital magnetic data. A buffer memory has a capacity capable of storing a statistical population formed of a given number of the digital magnetic data. A control unit responds to a first trigger for operating the detection unit to successively output the analog magnetic data, then successively receives the digital magnetic data from the conversion unit in correspondence to the analog magnetic data, and accumulates the received digital magnetic data in the buffer memory to thereby form the statistical population. The control unit further responds to a second trigger for providing the data processing device with the statistical population accumulated in the buffer memory and formed of the given number of the digital magnetic data.

Magnetic sensor device and electronic compass apparatus

A piezoelectric thin film element is provided, including on a substrate: a piezoelectric thin film expressed by a general formula (NaKLi)NbO(0&#x2266;x&#x2266;1, 0&#x2266;y&#x2266;1, 0&#x2266;z&#x2266;0.2, x+y+z=1); and an upper electrode laminated thereon, wherein the piezoelectric thin film has a crystal structure of any one of a pseudo-cubic crystal, a tetragonal crystal, or an orthorhombic crystal, or has a crystal structure of coexistence of at least two of the pseudo-cubic crystal, the tetragonal crystal, or the orthorhombic crystal, and in such crystal structures, there is a coexistence of (001) oriented crystal grains oriented in (001) direction, and (111) oriented crystal grains oriented in (111) direction, with an angle formed by at least one of the crystal axes of the crystal grains and a normal line of the substrate surface set to be in a range of 0&#xb0; to 10&#xb0;.

Piezoelectric thin film element and piezoelectric thin film device including the same

A piezoelectric thin film element, comprising a piezoelectric thin film lamination with at least a lower electrode, a piezoelectric thin film represented by a general formula (NaKLi)NbO(0&#x2266;x 1&#x2266;, 0&#x2266;y&#x2266;1, 0&#x2266;z&#x2266;0.2, x+y+z=1), and an upper electrode disposed on a substrate, wherein the piezoelectric thin film has a crystal structure of a pseudo-cubic crystal or a tetragonal crystal or an orthorhombic crystal, or has a composition in which one of these crystals exists or at least two or more of them coexist, and is preferentially oriented to a specific axis smaller than or equal to two axes of these crystals, and in the ratio of component (001) to component (111), volume fraction of the component (001) falls within a range of 60% or more and 100% or less, and the volume fraction of the component (111) falls within a range of 0% or more and 40% or less, in a case that the total of the component (001) and the component (111) is set to be 100%.

Piezoelectric thin film element, and piezoelectric thin film device

To provide a piezoelectric thin film element capable of improving piezoelectric characteristics and realize a piezoelectric thin film device with high performance and high reliability, comprising: a substrate; and a piezoelectric thin film formed on the substrate by a sputtering method, with perovskite oxide expressed by (NaKLi)NbO(0&#x2266;x&#x2266;1, 0&#x2266;y&#x2266;1, 0&#x2266;z&#x2266;0, 2, x+y+z=1) as a main phase, wherein an absolute value of an internal stress of the piezoelectric thin film is 1.6 GPa or less.

Piezoelectric thin film element and manufacturing method of the piezoelectric thin film element, piezoelectric thin film device

To stably provide a KNN piezoelectric thin film element having piezoelectric characteristics replaceable with a PZT thin film. A piezoelectric thin film element includes: a piezoelectric thin film on a substrate, having an alkali niobium oxide series perovskite structure expressed by a general formula (KNa)NbO(0&#x3c;x&#x3c;1), wherein an intensity of a higher angle side skirt field is stronger than an intensity of a lower angle side skirt field of a diffraction peak in a KNN (002) diffraction peak in an X-ray diffraction 2&#x3b8;/&#x3b8; pattern of the piezoelectric thin film element.

There is provided a small-size magnetic sensor for detecting the intensity of a magnetic field in three axial directions, in which a plurality of giant magnetoresistive elements are formed on a single semiconductor substrate. A thick film is formed on the semiconductor substrate; giant magnetoresistive elements forming an X-axis sensor and a Y-axis sensor are formed on a planar surface thereof; and giant magnetoresistive elements forming a Z-axis sensor are formed using slopes of channels formed in the thick film. Regarding the channel formation, it is possible to use the reactive ion etching and high-density plasma CVD methods. In addition, an insulating film is formed between the thick film and passivation film and is used as an etching stopper. Each of the slopes of the channels can be constituted of a first slope and a second slope, so that a magneto-sensitive element is formed on the second slope having a larger inclination angle. In order to optimize the slope shape and inclination with respect to each channel, it is possible to form a dummy slope that does not directly relate to the formation of the giant magnetoresistive elements.

A magnetic sensor is constituted using magnetic sensor chips mounted on stages supported by interconnecting members and a frame having leads in a lead frame. Herein, the stages are inclined upon plastic deformation of the interconnecting members. When the frame is held in a metal mold and the stages are pressed, the interconnecting members are elastically deformed, so that the magnetic sensor chips are bonded onto the stages placed substantially in the same plane and are then wired with the leads. Thereafter, the stages are released from pressure, so that the interconnecting members are restored from the elastically deformed states thereof. When the magnetic sensor chips are combined together to realize three sensing directions, it is possible to accurately measure three-dimensional bearings of magnetism, and the magnetic sensor can be reduced in dimensions and manufactured with a reduced cost thereof.

Manufacturing method for magnetic sensor and lead frame therefor

A navigation device is designed to calculate the present position thereof based on the output data of a GPS unit in association with an acceleration sensor and a magnetic sensor. When the absolute value of the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor is above the prescribed threshold, the navigation device calculates the present position based on the previously detected values of the position and running speed stored in memory. When the absolute value of the acceleration is below the prescribed threshold, the navigation device detects the uniform motion applied thereto; hence, it calculates the present position based on the bearing detected by the magnetic sensor as well as the previously detected values of the position and running speed stored in the memory with high precision irrespective of the offset error of the acceleration sensor.

Navigation device

An azimuth processing device is designed for outputting azimuth data based on measurement data sequentially output from a compass sensor. In the device, an accumulation section selectively accumulates substantially new pieces of the measurement data. An offset data updating section updates offset data of the compass sensor based on plural pieces of the measurement data accumulated by said accumulation section. An azimuth data output section outputs the azimuth data based on substantially newest measurement data and the offset data.

Azimuth processing device, azimuth processing method, azimuth processing program, direction finding device, tilt offset correcting method, azimuth measuring method, compass sensor unit, and portable electronic device

A piezoelectric thin film element includes a bottom electrode, a piezoelectric layer and a top electrode on a substrate. The piezoelectric layer includes as a main phase a perovskite-type oxide represented by (NaKLi)NbO(0&#x2266;x&#x2266;1, 0&#x2266;y&#x2266;1, 0&#x2266;z&#x2266;0.2, x+y+z=1), and the bottom electrode includes a surface roughness of not more than 0.86 nm in arithmetic mean roughness Ra or not more than 1.1 nm in root mean square roughness Rms.

Piezoelectric thin film element

A magnetic-sensor controller includes an input section, a perpendicular-bisector calculation section, a storage section, and a setting section. The input section successively inputs a plurality of magnetic data sets successively output from a three-dimensional magnetic sensor. Each magnetic data includes three components. The perpendicular-bisector calculation section calculates, for each pair of two of the magnetic data sets, a perpendicular bisector of two points corresponding to the two magnetic data sets. The storage section stores a plurality of perpendicular bisectors. The setting section statistically approximates, by a single point, a region where the plurality of perpendicular bisectors stored in the storage section meet, and sets an offset of the magnetic data set on the basis of the single point. The magnetic-sensor controller enables accurate setting of an offset even when the magnetic field strength changes.

Magnetic-sensor controller, magnetism measurement apparatus, offset setting method, and computer-readable medium on which offset setting program is recorded

A small-size magnetic sensor comprises three axial sensors each configured using plural giant magnetoresistive elements, wherein an X-axis sensor and a Y-axis sensor are arranged on the planar surface of an embedded layer of a substrate, and giant magnetoresistive elements forming a Z-axis sensor are formed on slopes of projections, which are formed by etching the embedded layer. It is possible to form an elongated projection on a substrate by way of the high-density plasma CVD method or by way of plasma etching and microwave etching, so that giant magnetoresistive elements are formed on the slopes of the elongated projection.

In a compass sensor unit, an azimuth data computing method is carried out by the steps of: inputting a signal from a geomagnetic sensor to measure magnetic field; determining whether to store measurement data of the magnetic field based on a distance from the last stored measurement data; calculating an offset value based on the stored data; making a comparison for each component of a plurality of measurement data used for calculating the offset value, and judging the offset value to be valid when a difference between the maximum and minimum values of each component is a given value or more; updating the already stored offset value to the offset value judged to be valid; and correcting newly provided measurement data by the updated offset value to compute azimuth data.

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Hamamatsu, Japan

Hideki Sato