Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Nobuyuki Ishitoko

Katsumi Fujimoto

Akira Kumada

Akira Mori

Masato Koike

Kazuhiro Ebara

Yoshiji Okamoto

Hirofumi Tanaka

Takeshi Nakamura

Tetsuo Tatsumi

Isao Toyoshima

Toru Yabe

Iku Nagai

Takayuki Shimamoto

Michihiko Takenaka

Katsuhiko Morita

A vibrating gyroscope includes a vibrator which is retained by supporting members at one end of the supporting members and a housing to which the supporting members are fixed at the other end of the supporting members. A rigid reinforcing plate made of a metal is embedded in the housing made of a resin by insert molding. The rigid reinforcing plate is continuous between positions near fixing portions at which the supporting members are fixed to the housing. Therefore, the rigidity of the housing is increased and the vibration of the vibrator is prevented from being transmitted to the outside. In addition, the temperature drift performance is prevented from being degraded.

Vibrating gyroscope and electronic device including same

A compact vibrator support structure has a very high &ldquo;vibration confinement effect&rdquo;, and includes a vibrator, vibrator support members, and a vibrator base, which supports the vibrator in midair via the vibrator support members and is made of a material having a specific gravity of about 3.0 or above. Since the high vibration confinement effect of the vibrator support structure reduces leakage of vibration from the vibrator base, the stability of the vibration of the vibrator is greatly improved, thereby increasing the detecting accuracy of angular velocity. This eliminates the need to enlarge the vibrator base or to adhere a weight thereto, resulting in a miniaturized vibrating gyroscope.

Vibrator support structure, vibrating gyroscope therewith, and electronic device using the same

A vibrating gyroscope includes a vibrator having a node and a support member having a thin flexible portion and an expanded portion which is connected to the thin flexibly portion and has a larger area than the thin flexible portion. The expanded portion of the support member is fixed to the vibrator at the node.

Vibrating gyroscope

A vibration gyroscope includes a vibrator base that supports a vibrator in a hollow portion of the base and includes a frame-shaped portion. Protrusion portions are provided on the inner wall of the frame-shaped portion which defines a stopper that restricts displacement of the vibrator beyond a desired distance. The frame-shaped portion and the protrusion portions are integrally formed by a two-color molding method to define a single unitary member.

Vibration gyroscope and electronic device using the same

In order to provide a vibrating gyroscope in which variations in the angular-velocity detection sensitivity are not likely to occur even when sharp temperature changes occur, a vibrator for a vibrating gyroscope includes, on one main surface, a first detection electrode and a second detection electrode, which output a signal containing an angular-velocity signal, wherein a groove having a predetermined depth is provided between the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode. As for a vibrator for a vibrating gyroscope of the present invention, since the difference between the resonance frequency and the anti-resonance frequency in a bending vibration mode in the driving direction becomes closer to the difference between the resonance frequency and the anti-resonance frequency in a bending vibration mode in the detection direction, variations in the angular-velocity detection sensitivity are not likely to occur even when sharp temperature changes are given.

Vibrator for a vibrating gyroscope, vibrating gyroscope using the vibrator, and electronic apparatus using the vibrating gyroscope

A vibrating gyroscope includes supporting members which are fixed in the vicinity of two node axes n and n of a bar-shaped vibrator. The supporting members corresponding to node axis n extend from the locations at which they are fixed to the vibrator in the widthwise direction of the vibrator, and also include bending portions and a proximity portion. The bending portions bend toward node axis n At the proximity portion, the supporting members are in close proximity with each other with a gap therebetween in the vicinity of node axis n

Vibrating gyroscope and electronic unit using the same

The present invention provides a piezoelectric vibrator, in which there is no significant change in the characteristics even when depole occurs due to heat shock and the like. The piezoelectric vibrator includes a first piezoelectric substrate having split electrodes formed on one main surface thereof and a second piezoelectric substrate having a common electrode formed on one main surface thereof. The remaining main surfaces of both piezoelectric substrates are bonded to each other via an intermediate electrode. The material of the first piezoelectric substrate differs from the material of the second piezoelectric substrate. As a result, the difference (longitudinal DF) between a resonant frequency and an anti-resonant frequency in a longitudinal vibration of the piezoelectric vibrator substantially coincides with the difference (transverse DF) between a resonant frequency and an anti-resonant frequency in a transverse vibration thereof.

Vibrator, vibrating gyroscope, and electronic apparatus using the vibrating gyroscope

A vibrating gyroscope includes: a support; four vibrating arms, four weights and excitation and detection elements. Each of the four vibrating arms has a first end and a second end in a longitudinal direction, and the four vibrating arms are fixed to the support at the respective first ends in the longitudinal direction such that four vibrating arms are radially arranged in a single plane with the adjacent arms making an angle of about 90 degrees. The four weights are fixed to the support so as to be arranged radially between the respective adjacent vibrating arms. The excitation and detection elements vibrate the vibrating arms under a bending mode within the single plane and output signals generated by the vibration of the vibrating arms.

A vibrating gyroscope includes two planar vibrating plates arranged to oppose each other. The two vibrating plates vibrate under buckling vibration mode and a second-order bending vibration mode which is degenerated with or close to the buckling vibration mode. The vibrating gyroscope detects Coriolis force by detecting displacements in amplitude balance of the second-order bending vibration modes generated when an angular rotation velocity around an axis parallel to surfaces of the vibrating plates is applied.

A vibrating gyroscope includes a vibration member in which first and second piezoelectric substrates are joined together. On the outside main surface of the first piezoelectric substrate, a first external electrode divided into six electrode sections is formed. On the outside main surface of the second piezoelectric substrate, a second external electrode is formed. By removing a part of the electrode sections disposed at the center, a capacitance difference C(L)-C(R) between the capacitance C(L) formed between one of the electrode sections disposed at the center and the second external electrode, and the capacitance C(R) formed between another electrode section disposed at the center and the second external electrode is adjusted.

Method for adjusting the temperature characteristic of a vibrating

A vibrating gyroscope includes a vibrating unit and a driving unit for driving the vibrating unit. The vibrating unit includes at least a pair of piezoelectric bodies stacked and polarized in a stacked direction thereof such that polarizing directions of the piezoelectric bodies are opposed to each other. An interface between the piezoelectric bodies is electrically floating with respect to a reference potential. The driving circuit receives at least one feedback signal from the vibrating unit and outputs to the vibrating unit a driving signal which has substantially the same phase as the feedback signal.

Vibrating gyroscope including a pair of piezoelectric bodies with

A vibrating gyroscope includes a columnar vibrator, a driver and a detector. The columnar vibrator includes first and second piezoelectric substrates polarized in mutually opposite directions along the thickness directions thereof and stacked with each other. Two divided electrodes are formed on one main surface of the first piezoelectric substrate and spaced in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first piezoelectric substrate, and a common electrode is formed on one main surface of the second piezoelectric substrate. The driver drives the vibrator in the thickness direction of the first and second piezoelectric substrates and is connected between the divided electrodes and the common electrode. The detector detects a displacement caused by bending vibration of the vibrator, and is connected to the divided electrodes. The vibrator has substantially the same resonant frequency in the two diagonal directions which diagonally connect four edges elongating in the longitudinal direction of the vibrator.

Vibrating gyroscope and adjusting method therefor

A vibrating gyroscope 10 includes a regular quadrangular prism-shaped vibrator 12. The vibrator 12 includes, a first piezoelectric base plate 14a and a second piezoelectric base plate 14b, which are polarized reversely each other in a direction of thickness. On a main surface of the first piezoelectric base plate 14a, two divided electrodes 16, 16 are formed in laterally spaced relationship. On a main surface of the second piezoelectric base plate 14b, a common electrode 18 is formed. Between the first piezoelectric base plate 14a and the second piezoelectric base plate 14b, a dummy electrode 20 is formed. One output terminal of an oscillation circuit 30 as a driving means is connected to the two divided electrodes 16, 16 of the vibrator 12, via resistors 32a and 32b. Another output terminal of the oscillation circuit 30 is connected to the common electrode 18 of the vibrator 12. The two divided electrodes 16, 16 of the vibrator 12 are respectively connected to a non-inverting input terminal and an inverting input terminal of a differential amplifier circuit 36 as a detecting means, via resistors 34a and 34b.

The vibrating gyroscope includes, for example, a regular triangular prism-shaped vibrating body. Piezoelectric elements are respectively formed to the three side faces of the vibrating body. An oscillation circuit is connected between two piezoelectric elements and the other piezoelectric element. Two supporting members made of metal wire are mounted to vivinity of nodal points of the vibrating body in order to support the vibrating body. Both ends of the supporting members are fixed to a supporting board. A holding portion for holding a part of the vibrating body is formed on the supporting board. The holding portion is formed by a opening or a recess. The vibrating body together with an oscillation circuit and detection circuit can be mounted on the supporting board. The opening or the recess wherein a part of the vibrating body is held can have a extended portion to enlarge exposing portion of two side faces of the vibrating body.

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Moriyama, Japan

Nobuyuki Ishitoko