Thales

Liviu Nicu

Bertrand Leverrier

Claude Rougeot

Jérôme Inglese

Pierre-Olivier Lefort

The invention relates to gyroscopes having a vibrating structure that is micromachined in a silicon substrate. A novel vibrating structure is described, which has two moving massesand, connected by a vibration energy coupling structure (transverse arms, longitudinal arms, and a short transverse linkbetween the longitudinal links). The moving masses are also suspended from U-shaped flexure arms (), having one branch end connected to the mass and another end connected to a fixed anchoring point. The flexure arms are not inserted between the coupling structure and the mass, but are independent of the coupling structure. The masses are excited so as to vibrate in their plane by electrostatic forces applied by interdigitated combs. The Coriolis forces make them vibrate perpendicular to the plane, and this vibration is detected by electrodes forming part of the moving masses.

Micromachined inertial sensor for measuring rotational movements

The invention relates to a microgyroscope, that is to say an inertial micromechanical sensor dedicated to the measurement of angular velocities, which is produced by micromachining techniques on a silicon wafer. The gyroscope comprises two symmetrical moving assemblies coupled via a coupling structure. Each of the two assemblies comprises a moving mass surrounded by a moving intermediate frame. The frame is connected to the coupling structure and can vibrate in two degrees of freedom in orthogonal directions Ox and Oy in the plane of the wafer. The mass is connected on one side to the frame and on the other side to fixed anchoring regions via linking means that allow the vibration movement along the Oy direction to be transmitted to the mass without permitting movement of the mass along the Ox direction. An excitation structure is associated with the frame in order to excite its vibration along Ox. A movement detection structure is associated with the mass in order to detect its vibration along Oy.

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La Roche de Glun, France

Liviu Nicu