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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7926348 | Methods and systems for minimizing vibration rectification error in magnetic circuit accelerometers Systems and methods for minimizing vibration rectification error in magnetic circuit accelerometers. The systems include an accelerometer with an excitation ring that has a top piece with a lower portion inner diameter and a bottom piece having a diameter smaller th... | 04/19/2011 |
| 7331229 | Magnetic null accelerometer An accelerometer system includes a capacitor plate fixed within a housing and a flexure plate positioned substantially parallel to the capacitor plate a distance therefrom. The distance varies in response to acceleration forces acting upon the flexure plate such tha... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7219548 | Pickoff sensor obtaining of value of parameter from substantially zero net dampening torque location of pendulous sensor component A pendulous sensor component of an apparatus in one example reacts to a parameter. One or more pickoff sensors that obtain a value of the parameter from a substantially zero net dampening torque location of the pendulous sensor component. ... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7191654 | Methods and systems for adjusting magnetic return path with minimized reluctance Accelerometers having higher concentration of flux closer to the proof mass. The invention includes a proof mass, an excitation ring, a magnet, a pole piece, and a coil. The excitation ring includes a ring unit and a base unit that are attached and the ring unit or ... | 03/20/2007 |
| 7147486 | Method and apparatus for attaching a sensor assembly in a control unit A control unit for a safety restraint device includes a main printed circuit board that supports lateral and vertical acceleration sensors and an auxiliary printed circuit board that supports rollover sensors. The main and auxiliary printed circuit boards are spaced... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7146856 | Dynamically balanced capacitive pick-off accelerometer A Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) acceleration sensing device formed of a silicon substrate having a substantially planar surface; a pendulous sensing element having a substantially planar surface suspended in close proximity to the substrate planar surface; ... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7119550 | Capacitance difference detecting circuit and MEMS sensor Oscillators have capacitors, respectively, whose capacitances change according to an external force and generate first oscillating signals according to the capacitances. Each of the capacitors is disposed, for example, between a substrate and a mass body that is mov... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7100447 | Super Invar magnetic return path for high performance accelerometers A force rebalance accelerometer (20) includes a silicon dioxide-based proof mass (28) having capacitive elements (40) engaged with excitation rings (61) made from alloys of Super Invar. The magnet assembly includes an excitation ring, a m... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7022543 | Capacitive pick-off and electrostatic rebalance accelerometer having equalized gas damping A Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) acceleration sensing device, formed of a an elongated sensing element of substantially uniform thickness suspended for motion relative to a rotational axis offset between first and second ends thereof such that a first portio... | 04/04/2006 |
| 6964804 | Micromachined structures made by combined wet and dry etching A micromachined structure, comprising: a substarte; a first wet etched pit disposed in the substrate; a second wet etched pit disposed in the substrate, the second pit extending into the substrate a greater depth than the first pit; and a dry pit disposed between, a... | 11/15/2005 |
| 6948368 | Vibrating sensor with thermal shield The vibrating sensor includes a cell fixed in a housing, the cell including a support member and a vibrating member connected to the support member, together with a thermal masking element extending between the vibrating member and a wall of the housing. ... | 09/27/2005 |
| 6931928 | Microstructure with movable mass A microstructure includes a mass; a base member in which the mass is movably contained. The mass includes a surface, which is exposed out of the base member, and a stopper wire, which is arranged above the surface of the mass so as to inhibit over move of the mass. | 08/23/2005 |
| 6923062 | Sensor For a sensor whose sensor structure is implemented in a micromechanical structural component and which has parts which are movable in relation to the stationary substrate of the structural component, and which also includes an unsupported a seismic mass, a spring sy... | 08/02/2005 |
| 6913472 | Method and apparatus for attaching a sensor assembly in a control unit A control unit for a safety restraint device includes a main printed circuit board that supports lateral and vertical acceleration sensors and an auxiliary printed circuit board that supports rollover sensors. The main and auxiliary printed circuit boards are spaced... | 07/05/2005 |
| 6871544 | Sensor design and process An accelerometer (305) for measuring seismic data. The accelerometer (305) includes an integrated vent hole for use during a vacuum sealing process and a balanced metal pattern for reducing cap wafer bowing. The accelerometer (305) also includes... | 03/29/2005 |
| 6701779 | Perpendicular torsion micro-electromechanical switch A semiconductor torsional micro-electromechanical (MEM) switch is described having a conductive movable control electrode; an insulated semiconductor torsion beam attached to the movable control electrode, the insulated torsion beam and the movable contro... | 03/09/2004 |
| 6493952 | Measuring device subjected to gravitational forces and having a pendulous suspension A measuring device (6) subjected to gravitational forces and including at least one laterally oscillating, pendulously suspended, support structure (7) for supporting at least one of a measuring element, and optical element, and a suspension element for s... | 12/17/2002 |
| 6422076 | Compensation pendulous accelerometer A compensation pendulous accelerometer comprises a body in which a pendulous unit is positioned that is made as a unitary plate of a silicon monocrystal and comprises a movable vane on a flexible suspension and a support frame with protrusions. Two magnet... | 07/23/2002 |
| 6133059 | Integrated micromechanical sensor device and process for producing it The integrated micromechanical sensor device contains a body with a substrate (1) on which an insulating layer (2) and thereon a monocrystalline silicon layer (3) are arranged, in which the silicon layer has trenches as far as the surface of the insulatin... | 10/17/2000 |
| 6127767 | Complementary electrostatic driving apparatus for microactuator with parasitic capacitances offset An electrostatic driving apparatus for a microactuator is provided, in which a parasitic capacitance is offset to improve the performance thereof. According to the complementary electrostatic driving apparatus for the microactuator, in order to prevent an... | 10/03/2000 |
| 6051866 | Microstructures and single mask, single-crystal process for fabrication thereof A single mask, low temperature reactive ion etching process for fabricating high aspect ratio, released single crystal microelectromechanical structures independently of crystal orientation.... | 04/18/2000 |
| 6043524 | Transducer and interface circuit A sensor (100) includes a fixed gate field-effect transistor (138) that produces a quiescent signal (VQUIESC1) in a channel (336) when a control signal (VCONTROL) is applied to a source (332) of the FGFET. A movable gate field-effect... | 03/28/2000 |
| 6005275 | Semiconductor acceleration sensor with cantilever A semiconductor device comprises a semiconductor acceleration sensor having a cantilever made of a semiconductor material, a supporter for supporting the cantilever, and diffused resistors disposed on the cantilever. An acceleration detecting device detec... | 12/21/1999 |
| 5952575 | Force rebalance accelerometers and rebalancing methods A force rebalance accelerometer includes a magnetic assembly designed for improved scale factor performance and producibility. The magnetic assembly excitation ring includes slots. The slots are defined by an inner edge of the upper surface of the excitat... | 09/14/1999 |
| 5914507 | PZT microdevice A micromechanical device or microactuator based upon the piezoelectric, pyroelectric, and electrostrictive properties of ferroelectric thin film ceramic materials such as PZT. The microdevice has a device substrate and a deflectable component. The deflect... | 06/22/1999 |
| 5856772 | Low stress magnet interface A force rebalance accelerometer includes a proof mass suspended by one or more flexures between stationary mounted upper and lower excitation rings. Pick-off capacitance plates formed on opposing sides of the proof mass form capacitance elements whose cap... | 01/05/1999 |
| 5780885 | Accelerometers using silicon on insulator technology Process for the production of accelerometers using the silicon on insulator method. The process comprises the following stages: a) producing a conductive monocrystalline silicon film on a silicon substrate and separated from the latter by an insulating la... | 07/14/1998 |
| 5763779 | Accelerometer with improved support rim isolation An accelerometer is of the type in which a paddle is suspended from a support so that the paddle is displaceable with respect to the support. A suspension arrangement for the paddle includes a pair of compliant beams having longitudinal axes that are subs... | 06/09/1998 |
| 5747991 | Capacitance type acceleration sensor The capacitance type acceleration sensor disclosed is one in which a variation in a distance between first and second electrodes caused by acceleration is measured as an electrostatic capacity variation. The acceleration sensor includes a fixed electrode,... | 05/05/1998 |
| 5721378 | Servo acceleration sensor and a method for computing an acceleration of the vehicle along a slope A servo acceleration sensor comprises a pendulum assembly composed of a pendulum made up of a torque coil provided on one side of a metal plate, a free end section from which the pendulum is suspended, a base end section, and a pair of plate springs conne... | 02/24/1998 |
| 5644083 | Accelerometer and method of manufacture Accelerometer and method in which parts such as the seismic mass and force sensors are all fabricated of a single material such as crystalline quartz and bonded together in a manner which reduces the possibility of creep between them. Damping plates and s... | 07/01/1997 |
| 5635739 | Micromechanical angular accelerometer with auxiliary linear accelerometer A micromechanical accelerometer comprises a mass of monocrystalline silicon in which a substantially symmetrical plate attached to a silicon frame by flexible linkages is produced by selective etching. The plate has a plurality of apertures patterned and ... | 06/03/1997 |
| 5627397 | Semiconductor acceleration sensor with source and drain regions A semiconductor acceleration sensor according to the present invention performs acceleration detection by means of detecting increase or decrease in electrical current flowing between fixed electrodes formed on a semiconductor substrate taking a movable s... | 05/06/1997 |
| 5626779 | Micromachine transducer with cantilevered movable portion The micromachine includes a movable portion, an unmovable portion surrounding the movable portion, a connecting portion for connecting the movable portion with the unmovable portion in a cantilever fashion, and a support member for connecting the movable ... | 05/06/1997 |
| 5614742 | Micromechanical accelerometer with plate-like semiconductor wafers A high precision micromechanical accelerometer comprises a layered structure of five (5) semiconductor wafers insulated from one another by thin oxide layers. The accelerometer is formed by first connecting a coverplate and a baseplate to associated insul... | 03/25/1997 |
| 5600067 | Torque wire thermal strain relief A method and apparatus for relieving thermal stress on the flexures of an accelerometer, particularly a quartz accelerometer, caused by the difference in the coefficient of expansion of a bonding adhesive or a sealant placed over a bonding pad to protect ... | 02/04/1997 |
| 5587530 | Low stress magnet interface for a force rebalance accelerometer A force rebalance accelerometer includes a proof mass suspended by one or more flexures between stationary mounted upper and lower excitation rings. Pick-off capacitance plates formed on opposing sides of the proof mass form capacitance elements whose cap... | 12/24/1996 |
| 5557044 | Low stress magnet interface A force rebalance accelerometer includes a proof mass suspended by one or more flexures between stationary mounted upper and lower excitation rings. Pick-off capacitance plates formed on opposing sides of the proof mass form capacitance elements whose cap... | 09/17/1996 |
| 5539236 | Piezoresistive accelerometer with enhanced performance An electromechanical transducer is provided, and the process for making it utilizes a piezoresistive element or gage which is dielectrically isolated from a gap spanning member and substrate upon which it is supported. The gage of the invention is a force... | 07/23/1996 |
| 5532665 | Low stress magnet interface A force rebalance accelerometer includes a proof mass suspended by one or more flexures between stationary mounted upper and lower excitation rings. Pick-off capacitance plates formed on opposing sides of the proof mass form capacitance elements whose cap... | 07/02/1996 |
