DESIGN OF A SOLID-STATE GYROSCOPIC SENSOR MADE OF QUARTZ

An angular rate sensor made out of a single piece of quartz has been studied. The piezoelectric effect in quartz is used both to excite a reference vibration in the plane of a tuning fork and to sense the vibration normal to this plane due to an externally applied rotation. The amplitude of the second vibration is directly proportional to the angular velocity of the applied rotation. In con- trast to ordinary types of tuning-fork gyroscopes, this sensor uses its stem only as a support. It also utilizes a fairly large resonance frequency. This enables the sensor to survive in a vibration-rich enviromnent. The well-established means of manufacturing used by watch crystal manufacturers can be used. © 1990.