Light detection device

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a light detection device capable of improving the detection accuracy of a multi-IMU system. In the present invention, a multi-IMU system is stacked on an image sensor. A back-side resonator that absorbs oscillation generated by an oscillator of an angular velocity sensor constituting the multi-IMU system is provided between a substrate and the angular velocity sensor, thus suppressing acoustic interference occurring between adjacent angular velocity sensors. The present disclosure is applicable to an imaging device.

Description

Photodetector

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a photodetection device, and more particularly to a photodetection device that improves the detection accuracy of a multi-IMU.

[0002] A multi-IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) has been proposed that improves detection accuracy by integrating the detection results of multiple IMUs.

[0003] As a technology for improving the detection accuracy of a multi-IMU, a technology has been proposed that enables the appropriate synthesis of observation values ​​from multiple IMUs depending on the noise characteristics of the multiple IMUs and conditions for the observation values ​​(see Patent Document 1).

[0004] International Publication No. 2020 / 045099

[0005] Incidentally, a vibration-type IMU using MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) that is used in a multi-IMU that uses multiple IMUs, such as the example in Patent Document 1, detects angular velocity based on the Coriolis force that occurs when an object is rotated while being vibrated.

[0006] However, since multiple IMUs generate vibrations, interference occurs between each IMU due to the vibrations generated by the other IMUs, and beat noise may occur due to the interference (acoustic interference).

[0007] In particular, recent improvements in the manufacturing precision of IMUs have reduced manufacturing variance, and IMUs are increasingly being manufactured with similar vibration frequencies, making interference more likely to occur and more susceptible to the effects of beat noise caused by interference.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and in particular aims to reduce the influence of beat noise caused by acoustic interference between the individual IMUs that make up a multi-IMU, thereby realizing a highly accurate multi-IMU.

[0009] An optical detection device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an optical detection element that detects light, and an angular velocity sensor that detects the angular velocity of the optical detection element, wherein the angular velocity sensor has a backside resonator between the angular velocity sensor and a substrate on which it is mounted that absorbs vibrations of the angular velocity sensor.

[0010] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a photodetector element that detects light and an angular velocity sensor that detects the angular velocity of the photodetector element are provided, and a backside resonator that absorbs vibrations of the angular velocity sensor is provided between the angular velocity sensor and a substrate on which the angular velocity sensor is mounted.

[0011] 9 is a diagram illustrating a multi-IMU. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the structure of an IMU. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the circuit configuration of the readout circuit of the IMU of FIG. 2. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the IMU of FIG. 2. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a multi-IMU. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating interference caused by a multi-IMU. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating interference caused by a multi-IMU. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of the basic configuration of a multi-IMU of the present disclosure. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of the physical layout of the MEMS (oscillator), detection circuit, and signal processing circuit of the multi-IMU of FIG. 9. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of the layout of an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor in a multi-IMU. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor using one three-dimensional oscillator. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor using three one-dimensional oscillators. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a one-dimensional oscillator of a capacitance-type angular velocity sensor in the X and Y directions. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a one-dimensional oscillator of a capacitance-type angular velocity sensor in the Z direction. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of the layout of a multi-IMU in the case where three angular velocity sensors each consisting of three one-dimensional oscillators are arranged. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a one-dimensional oscillator of a capacitance-type acceleration sensor in the X and Y directions. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a one-dimensional oscillator of a capacitance-type acceleration sensor in the Z direction. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the layout of a multi-IMU in the case of arranging three acceleration sensors, each consisting of three one-dimensional oscillators. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the layout of a multi-IMU consisting of two acceleration sensors and three angular velocity sensors. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the layout of a multi-IMU consisting of two acceleration sensors and three angular velocity sensors, with adjacent angular velocity sensors tilted at 90 degrees. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the layout of acceleration sensors and angular velocity sensors in a multi-IMU applied to AR glasses. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the layout of acceleration sensors and angular velocity sensors in a multi-IMU applied to VR glasses. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the layout of acceleration sensors and angular velocity sensors in a multi-IMU applied to a camera. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the layout of other acceleration sensors and angular velocity sensors in a multi-IMU applied to VR glasses. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a backside resonator applied to an angular velocity sensor. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a backside resonator applied to an angular velocity sensor.40 is an exploded perspective view of an angular velocity sensor to which a backside resonator is applied. FIG. 41 is a detailed view of the exploded perspective view of the angular velocity sensor to which the backside resonator of FIG. 28 is applied. FIG. 42 is an enlarged top view of the backside resonator. FIG. 43 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the backside resonator. FIG. 44 is a diagram illustrating a first modified example of the backside resonator. FIG. 45 is a diagram illustrating a first modified example of the backside resonator. FIG. 46 is a diagram illustrating a second modified example of the backside resonator. FIG. 47 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration in which a multi-IMU including an angular velocity sensor to which a backside resonator is applied is applied to image stabilization of an image sensor. FIG. 48 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of an imaging device that achieves image stabilization by driving an optical block. FIG. 49 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of an imaging device that achieves image stabilization by driving an image sensor. FIG. 49 is a diagram illustrating a detailed example configuration of an imaging device that achieves image stabilization by driving an image sensor. FIG. 49 is a diagram illustrating an overview of the imaging device of the present disclosure. FIG. 49 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of an imaging device according to a first modified example of the second embodiment. FIG. 49 is a timing chart illustrating image stabilization processing. FIG. 49 is a flowchart illustrating imaging processing by the imaging device of FIG. 40. 10 is a diagram illustrating the number of IMU units and the accuracy of correction. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an imaging device according to a second modification of the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a general-purpose personal computer.

[0012] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present technology will be described. The description will be made in the following order: 1. Overview of the present disclosure 2. First embodiment 3. Second embodiment 4. First modified example of the second embodiment 5. Second modified example of the second embodiment 6. Example of execution by software

[0014] <<1. Overview of the Present Disclosure>> <Regarding Multi-IMU> The present disclosure particularly aims to reduce the influence of beat noise caused by interference between individual IMUs that make up a multi-IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), thereby realizing a highly accurate multi-IMU.

[0015] First, in explaining the outline of the present disclosure, a multi-IMU will be explained.

[0016] As shown in the left part of FIG. 1, the single IMU 1 is configured to include, for example, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, which is translational movement, in each of three axial directions consisting of the X, Y, and Z axes, and a gyro sensor (angular velocity sensor) that detects angular velocity, which is rotational movement, and detects acceleration and angular velocity in each of the three axial directions.

[0017] There are high-precision standalone IMUs 1 available, but generally the more accurate they are, the larger and more expensive they are. Increasing the precision of an IMU increases both size and cost.

[0018] Therefore, as shown in the right part of Figure 1, a multi-IMU 10 is configured by providing multiple (for example, n) low-precision but inexpensive IMUs 1, such as IMUs 1-1 to 1-n, and by having a combiner 2 combine the acceleration and angular velocity detection results of each of the IMUs 1-1 to 1-n, thereby reducing the noise density and bias fluctuation to 1 / √n, thereby improving detection accuracy and achieving high precision.

[0019] The device size and cost of the individual low-precision, inexpensive IMUs 1-1 to 1-n that make up the multi-IMU 10 shown on the right side of Figure 1 can be made sufficiently smaller than the device size and cost required when a single high-precision IMU 1 such as the one shown on the left side of Figure 1 is provided, and it is also possible to achieve low costs.

[0020] In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between IMUs 1-1 to 1-n, they will simply be referred to as IMU 1, and the same applies to other configurations. Furthermore, in this specification, IMU 1 will be referred to as a small, inexpensive IMU with relatively low accuracy, but it may also be a large, expensive, high-accuracy IMU.

[0021] <Structure of IMU> Next, the structure of the IMU 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0022] As shown in the right part of Figure 2, each of the IMUs 1 that make up the multi-IMU 10 is composed of, from the top in the figure, a vibrator 11 made of silicon, a base 12 that fixes the vibrator 11, and a readout circuit 13 that reads the vibration of the vibrator 11 and outputs the angular velocity, and these are pasted (bonded) together in the order shown in the right part of Figure 2, and then integrated by a resin mold as shown in the left part of Figure 2.

[0023] <Circuit Configuration of Readout Circuit> Next, the circuit configuration of the readout circuit 13 in the IMU 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0024] 3 will be used to explain the configuration for detecting angular velocity within the readout circuit that constitutes the IMU 1. The configuration for detecting acceleration in the IMU 1 is a configuration in which the detection circuit is removed from the configuration for detecting angular velocity, and therefore, the more complex configuration for detecting angular velocity will be specifically explained.

[0025] The read circuit 13 is composed of a drive circuit block 31 , a sense circuit block 32 , and a digital output circuit block 33 .

[0026] The drive circuit block 31 supplies an oscillation signal having a predetermined drive frequency to the vibrator 11, which is made up of MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems), and the sense circuit block 32, and vibrates the vibrator 11 based on the oscillation signal.

[0027] The sense circuit block 32 detects, as an analog signal, vibrations that occur in response to the Coriolis force acting on the vibrator 11 that vibrates based on the oscillation signal, and outputs the analog signal to the digital output circuit block 33 .

[0028] The digital output circuit block 33 converts the vibration generated in response to the Coriolis force acting on the vibrator 11, which is supplied from the sense circuit block 32, from an analog signal into a digital signal, and outputs it as an angular velocity.

[0029] More specifically, the drive circuit block 31 includes an oscillation circuit 51 and an automatic gain control circuit 52 .

[0030] The oscillation circuit 51 is configured with an RC circuit, and generates an oscillation signal using the vibration supplied from the vibrator 11 as a reference signal, and outputs it to the automatic gain control circuit 52 and the phase shift circuit 72 of the sense circuit block 32 .

[0031] The automatic gain control circuit 52 adjusts the gain of the oscillation signal having the drive frequency supplied from the oscillation circuit 51 and supplies it to the vibrator 11, causing the vibrator 11 to vibrate.

[0032] The sense circuit block 32 includes a charge amplifier circuit 71 , a phase shift circuit 72 , a synchronous detection circuit 73 , and an LPF 74 .

[0033] The charge amplifier circuit 71 detects the vibration of the vibrator 11 as a vibration signal, amplifies the signal, and supplies it to the phase shift circuit 72 .

[0034] The phase shift circuit 72 adjusts the phase of the vibration signal of the vibrator 11 detected by the charge amplifier circuit 71 based on the oscillation signal supplied from the oscillation circuit 51 , and outputs the adjusted signal to the synchronous detection circuit 73 .

[0035] The synchronous detection circuit 73 detects a waveform representing the Coriolis force acting on the oscillator 11 , which is expressed by an envelope, from the phase-adjusted vibration signal of the oscillator 11 , and outputs the waveform to the LPF 74 .

[0036] The LPF 74 smoothes the waveform indicating the Coriolis force acting on the vibrator 11 and outputs it to the digital output circuit block 33 as angular velocity information in the form of an analog signal.

[0037] The digital output circuit block 33 includes an AD conversion circuit 91 , a decimation filter 92 , and a digital output circuit 93 .

[0038] The AD conversion circuit 91 converts the angular velocity information, which is made up of an analog signal and is made up of the Coriolis force acting on the vibrator 11 , into a digital signal and outputs it to the decimation filter 92 .

[0039] The decimation filter 92 averages the angular velocity information composed of a digital signal and outputs it to a digital output circuit 93 .

[0040] The digital output circuit 93 outputs the digitized and averaged angular velocity information as a digital signal.

[0041] <Regarding IMU Operation> Next, the operation of the IMU 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0042] As shown in the upper left of FIG. 4, the vibrator 11 vibrates based on a reference signal consisting of an oscillation signal of a drive frequency fb that is oscillated by an oscillation circuit 51 and whose gain is adjusted by an automatic gain control circuit 52 .

[0043] At this time, when the Coriolis force acts on the vibrator 11, amplitude modulation due to the Coriolis force is applied, and for example, the waveform output from the charge amplifier circuit 71 undergoes amplitude modulation in accordance with the Coriolis force, as shown by the waveform fbc, for the drive frequency fb.

[0044] The synchronous detection circuit 73 detects the amplitude modulation due to the Coriolis force from the envelope of the waveform fbc as the Coriolis force, that is, as the waveform of an analog signal indicating the angular velocity, and outputs it to the LPF 74 .

[0045] The waveform of the analog signal thus extracted as the Coriolis force is converted into a digital signal by the digital output circuit block 33 and output as a digitized angular velocity value.

[0046] The multi-IMU collects and integrates n of the above-mentioned IMUs 1, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, and outputs the angular velocities detected by each of the IMUs 1-1 to 1-n with high accuracy by combining them using a combiner 2.

[0047] <Interference Caused by Multiple IMUs> Specifically, the multi-IMU 10 has a configuration as shown in FIG. 6, for example.

[0048] That is, the multi-IMU 10 in FIG. 6 is configured such that IMUs 1-1 to 1-4 are provided on a printed circuit board 110.

[0049] With this configuration, in the multi-IMU 10 of FIG. 6, the angular velocities detected by the IMUs 1-1 to 1-4 are synthesized, and the detection accuracy is improved before being output.

[0050] Incidentally, it is known that the IMU 1 is manufactured with a driving frequency that varies by, for example, about 3% due to individual differences in manufacturing.

[0051] For this reason, if IMU1 is designed to have a drive frequency of, for example, 20.000 kHz, the configuration may be such that IMU1-1 drives at a drive frequency of 20.000 kHz, IMU1-2 drives at a drive frequency of 20.010 kHz, IMU1-3 drives at a drive frequency of 19.900 kHz, and IMU1-1 drives at a drive frequency of 20.020 kHz, as shown by IMU1-1 to IMU1-4 in Figure 6.

[0052] In such a case, since the difference in the drive frequencies of the IMUs 1-1 to 1-4 is small, interference occurs between the vibrations of the vibrators 11 of the IMUs.

[0053] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, for example, a reference signal consisting of an oscillation signal of a drive frequency fb output via an automatic gain control circuit 52 in a given IMU 1 is disturbed (acoustic vibration) by a reference signal consisting of a drive frequency fb' (≠fb) of another IMU 1 present nearby, causing interference, and the reference signal actually supplied to the vibrator 11 is amplitude modulated, and is supplied to the vibrator 11 as an amplitude-modulated signal fe containing a beat corresponding to the frequency difference.

[0054] As a result, if a reference signal having a drive frequency fb is supplied to the vibrator 11, and the waveform fc in FIG. 7 is detected as the angular velocity, when the reference signal supplied to the vibrator 11 changes to an amplitude modulated signal fe due to a disturbance, the angular velocity is detected as an amplitude modulated signal shown by the thick line in the figure, instead of the waveform fc that would normally be detected as the angular velocity, and an error occurs in the angular velocity.

[0055] Similarly, beats occur as vibrations of frequencies corresponding to the frequency differences between the IMUs 1-1 to 1-4.

[0056] That is, as shown in Figure 8, the beat frequency between IMU1-1 and IMU1-2 is 10 Hz, which is the difference between their drive frequencies, the beat frequency between IMU1-1 and IMU1-3 is 100 Hz, which is the difference between their drive frequencies, and the beat frequency between IMU1-1 and IMU1-3 is 20 Hz, which is the difference between their drive frequencies.

[0057] In addition, the beat frequency between IMU1-2 and IMU1-3 is 110 Hz, which is the difference between their drive frequencies, the beat frequency between IMU1-2 and IMU1-4 is 10 Hz, which is the difference between their drive frequencies, and the beat frequency between IMU1-3 and IMU1-4 is 120 Hz, which is the difference between their drive frequencies.

[0058] As a result, IMU1-1 to IMU1-4 each detect angular velocities containing errors due to interference between their respective reference signals, which can cause error vibrations at the swell frequency to be superimposed. Therefore, even if these are combined, it may not be possible to determine the appropriate angular velocity.

[0059] <<2. First embodiment>> Therefore, in the multi-IMU of the present disclosure, the number and arrangement of the acceleration sensors and gyro sensors (angular velocity sensors) that make up the multi-IMU are devised according to the application, and a mechanism is provided that mechanically suppresses the propagation of vibrations between the oscillators, thereby suppressing the effects of beats (acoustic interference) caused by mutual vibrations and improving detection accuracy.

[0060] <Configuration Example of a Multi-IMU According to the Present Disclosure> Fig. 9 shows the basic configuration of a multi-IMU according to the present disclosure. The multi-IMU 201 in Fig. 9 is composed of multiple MEMS (resonators) 221-1 to 221-n, a detection circuit 222, and a signal processing circuit 223.

[0061] The MEMS (vibrator) 221 has a configuration corresponding to the vibrator 11 in FIG. 4, and detects amplitude modulation related to acceleration and angular velocity and outputs it to the detection circuit 222 .

[0062] The detection circuit 222 detects each of the amplitude modulations of the multiple MEMS (vibrators) 221 as a waveform consisting of an analog signal and outputs it to the signal processing circuit 223.

[0063] The signal processing circuit 223 converts the waveforms consisting of the analog signals of the multiple MEMS (vibrators) 221 supplied from the detection circuit into digital signals, and synthesizes them through signal processing to generate and output synthesized outputs of acceleration and angular velocity.

[0064] In addition, the detection circuit 222 and the signal processing circuit 223 are application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), which makes it possible to improve detection accuracy according to the application and reduce costs.

[0065] Furthermore, by determining the number and arrangement of the MEMS (vibrators) 221-1 to 221-n according to the application, it is possible to improve detection accuracy and reduce costs.

[0066] FIG. 10 shows an example of the physical layout of the MEMS (vibrators) 221-1 to 221-n, the detection circuit 222, and the signal processing circuit 223 of the multi-IMU 201.

[0067] The multi-IMU 201 is composed of a MEMS layer 231 and a detection circuit and signal processing circuit layer 232, which are stacked.

[0068] MEMS (vibrators) 221-1 to 221-n are arranged on the MEMS layer 231. Furthermore, a detection circuit 222 and a signal processing circuit 223 are formed on the detection circuit and signal processing circuit layer 232.

[0069] The MEMS layer 231 is provided with a MEMS substrate (MEMS die) Zd, and on the MEMS substrate (MEMS die) Zd, there are set an area Za where a MEMS 221A as an acceleration sensor is arranged, and an area Zg where a MEMS 221G as an angular velocity sensor (gyro sensor) is arranged, with each having an area set according to the application and arranged in the number according to the application.

[0070] In the left part of Figure 10, the area Za where the MEMS 221A as an acceleration sensor is placed is marked with "ACC", and the area Zg where the MEMS 221G as an angular velocity sensor (gyro sensor) is placed is marked with "Gyro".

[0071] Also, in the center right side of FIG. 10, the MEMS 221A as an acceleration sensor is marked with "A", and the MEMS 221G as an angular velocity sensor (gyro sensor) is marked with "G".

[0072] That is, in the center right side of Figure 10, an example is shown in which three MEMS 221A as acceleration sensors are arranged linearly in the vertical direction on the right side of the figure, and a total of nine MEMS 221G as angular velocity sensors (gyro sensors) are arranged in a 3 x 3 array in the horizontal x vertical directions.

[0073] In the following description, the MEMS 221A serving as an acceleration sensor will also be referred to as an acceleration sensor 221A, and the MEMS 221G serving as an angular velocity sensor (gyro sensor) will also be referred to as an angular velocity sensor (gyro sensor) 221G.

[0074] The number and arrangement of the acceleration sensors 221A and angular velocity sensors 221G in FIG. 10 are merely an example, and various numbers and arrangements may be used depending on the application.

[0075] For example, as shown in the multi-IMU 201A in the upper left of FIG. 11, there may be one acceleration sensor 221A and one angular velocity sensor 221G.

[0076] Also, as shown in the multi-IMU 201B in the upper right corner of FIG. 11, one acceleration sensor 221A-11 and three angular velocity sensors 221G-11 to 221G-13 may be arranged in a row in the horizontal direction in the drawing.

[0077] Furthermore, as shown in the multi-IMU 201C in the lower left of Figure 11, two acceleration sensors 221A-21 and 221A-22 and two angular velocity sensors 221G-21 and 221G-22 may each be arranged in one row in the vertical direction in the figure.

[0078] Alternatively, as shown in the multi-IMU 201D in the lower left of Figure 11, it may be composed of two acceleration sensors 221A-31 and 221A-32 arranged in a row and nine angular velocity sensors 221G-31 to 221G-39 arranged in a 3 x 3 configuration.

[0079] <Configuration Example of Three-Dimensional Angular Velocity Sensor and Acceleration Sensor> Next, a configuration example of the three-dimensional angular velocity sensor 221G and the acceleration sensor 221A will be described.

[0080] The three-dimensional angular velocity sensor 221G and acceleration sensor 221A are available in two types: one type has one three-dimensional vibrator that can detect three-dimensional angular velocity and acceleration in each of the orthogonal X, Y, and Z axis directions, and one type has three one-dimensional vibrators that can detect one dimension in each of the orthogonal X, Y, and Z axis directions.

[0081] <Three-dimensional oscillator type> More specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, there are angular velocity sensors 221G-3D×1 (left side in FIG. 12) and acceleration sensors 221A-3D×1 (right side in FIG. 12) that are provided with one three-dimensional oscillator that can detect three-dimensional angular velocity and acceleration in the orthogonal X, Y, and Z axis directions by itself.

[0082] The oscillator 3DMG of the angular velocity sensor 221G-3D×1 and the oscillator 3DMA of the acceleration sensor 221A-3D×1 are, for example, piezoelectric three-dimensional oscillators.

[0083] In addition, in Figure 12, the angular velocity sensor 221G-3D x 1 is marked with a black circle within a dotted frame, and the acceleration sensor 221A-3D x 1 is marked with a black circle within a white circle within a dashed-dotted frame, and the same notation will be used hereinafter.

[0084] <One-dimensional vibrator type> On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13, there are angular velocity sensors 221G-1D×3 (left side in FIG. 13) that have a total of three one-dimensional vibrators 1DMG-X, 1DMG-Y, and 1DMG-Z that can detect one-dimensional angular velocity and acceleration in each of the orthogonal X, Y, and Z axis directions, and acceleration sensors 221A-1D×3 (right side in FIG. 13) that have a total of three one-dimensional vibrators 1DMA-X, 1DMA-Y, and 1DMA-Z.

[0085] The one-dimensional vibrators 1DMG-X, 1DMG-Y, and 1DMG-Z of the three angular velocity sensors 221G-1D and the one-dimensional vibrators 1DMA-X, 1DMA-Y, and 1DMA-Z of the three acceleration sensors 221A-1D are, for example, one-dimensional vibrators of a capacitance type.

[0086] <Detailed Configuration Example of One-Dimensional Oscillator of Capacitive Angular Velocity Sensor (XY Directions)> Here, a detailed configuration example of a one-dimensional oscillator of an XY direction capacitive angular velocity sensor will be described with reference to FIG.

[0087] In the upper part of FIG. 14, the one-dimensional oscillator 1DMG-X,Y of the XY-axis capacitance type angular velocity sensor is composed of a fixed part GHF and weights GHW1 and GHW2 of mutually symmetrical shapes configured to vibrate independently in opposite phases in the left and right directions in the fixed part GHF.

[0088] As shown in the lower left of Figure 14, the weights GHW1 and GHW2 vibrate in the directions of arrows DHL1 and DHR1 so as to face each other in a first period, and then vibrate in the directions of arrows DHL2 and DHR2 so as to move away from each other in a second period, repeating this operation at a predetermined frequency.

[0089] In this state, for example, as shown in the lower center of the figure, when rotation (roll rotation, pitch rotation) is applied in the directions of the arrows XYR about the axis Ax (X or Y), distortion occurs in the weights GHW1 and GHW2 as shown by the dotted lines.

[0090] At the boundary between the weights GHW1, GHW2 and the fixed part GHF, opposing comb-like electrodes EL1, EL2 are arranged so as to mesh with each other at a predetermined interval, as shown in the lower right part of FIG. 14, and the capacitance generated when vibrating at a predetermined frequency is in a steady state, as shown in the lower left part of FIG.

[0091] However, as shown in the lower center of FIG. 14, when the weights GHW1 and GHW2 are distorted in their movement as indicated by the dotted lines, the electrodes EL1 and EL2 are displaced from the predetermined distance, causing a change in capacitance.

[0092] By detecting this change in capacitance, the angular velocity of rotation (roll rotation or pitch rotation) around the X or Y axis is detected. For this reason, the one-dimensional oscillators 1DMG-X,Y of the angular velocity sensors for the X and Y directions are arranged orthogonal to each other on the XY plane.

[0093] <Detailed Configuration Example of One-Dimensional Oscillator of Capacitive Angular Velocity Sensor (Z Direction)> Next, a detailed configuration example of a one-dimensional oscillator of a capacitive angular velocity sensor in the Z direction will be described with reference to FIG.

[0094] In the upper part of Figure 15, the one-dimensional oscillator 1DMG-Z of the Z-axis capacitance type angular velocity sensor is composed of a fixed part GVF and weights GVW1 and GVW2 configured to vibrate independently in opposite phases in the left and right directions in the fixed part GVF.

[0095] As shown in the lower left of Figure 15, the weights GVW1 and GVW2 vibrate in the directions of arrows DHL1 and DHR1 so as to face each other in a first period, and then vibrate in the directions of arrows DHL2 and DHR2 so as to move away from each other in a second period, repeating this operation at a predetermined frequency.

[0096] In this state, for example, as shown in the lower center of the figure, when a rotation (yaw rotation) in the direction of the arrow ZR is applied about the axis Ax(Z), distortion occurs in the weights GVW1 and GVW2 as shown by the dotted lines.

[0097] At the boundary between the weights GVW1, GVW2 and the fixed part GVF, opposing comb-like electrodes EL1, EL2 are arranged at a predetermined interval, as shown in the lower right of Figure 14, and the electrostatic capacitance generated during vibration is in a steady state, as shown in the lower left of Figure 15.

[0098] However, as shown in the lower right of Figure 15, when rotation in the direction of the arrow ZR (yaw rotation) is applied, the weights GVW1 and GVW2 become distorted in movement as shown by the dotted line, and the electrodes EL1 and EL2 change from the specified distance, causing a change in capacitance.

[0099] By detecting this change in capacitance, the angular velocity in the Z direction is detected.

[0100] <Example of arrangement of angular velocity sensor consisting of three one-dimensional oscillators> Next, an example of arrangement of angular velocity sensor 221G when using three angular velocity sensors 221G-1D×3, each of which has three one-dimensional oscillators 1DMG-X, 1DMG-Y, and 1DMG-Z that can detect one-dimensional angular velocity in each of the orthogonal X, Y, and Z axis directions.

[0101] As described above, in the region Zg1 in FIG. 16, angular velocity sensors 221G-51 to 221G-53 each consisting of one-dimensional vibrators 1DMG-X, 1DMG-Y, and 1DMG-Z are arranged.

[0102] In angular velocity sensor 221G-51 in Fig. 16, one-dimensional oscillators 1DMG-X and 1DMG-Y are arranged at 90 degrees to each other on an XY plane parallel to the paper surface. In contrast, one-dimensional oscillator 1DMG-Z may be arranged in any positional relationship with one-dimensional oscillators 1DMG-X and 1DMG-Y as long as it is on the XY plane. However, in Fig. 16, one-dimensional oscillator 1DMG-Z is arranged parallel to one-dimensional oscillator 1DMG-X. The same applies to angular velocity sensors 221G-52 and 221G-53.

[0103] 16, of the angular velocity sensors 221G-51 to 221G-53, the angular velocity sensor 221G-52 is positioned at a 90-degree angle to the angular velocity sensors 221G-51 and 221G-53. As a result, the XY positional relationship between the two sensors is changed by 90 degrees, so the vibrations of both sensors are canceled out, making it possible to suppress the occurrence of beats. In either case, it is possible to detect acceleration with high accuracy.

[0104] 14 and 15, the one-dimensional oscillators 1DMG-X, 1DMG-Y, and 1DMG-Z that make up the angular velocity sensor 221G are configured to detect acceleration based on a change in capacitance between the comb-shaped electrodes EL1 and EL2 that occurs in response to the amount of distortion of the weights GHW and GVW that occurs in response to the angular velocity. Therefore, the angular velocity sensor 221G can detect angular velocity with higher accuracy the more the number of comb-shaped electrodes EL1 and EL2. Therefore, by increasing the number of (one-dimensional oscillators 1DMG-X, 1DMG-Y, and 1DMG-Z) in the angular velocity sensor 221G and increasing the number of comb-shaped electrodes EL1 and EL2, the accuracy of angular velocity detection can be improved.

[0105] <Detailed Configuration Example of One-Dimensional Vibrator of Capacitive Acceleration Sensor (XY Directions)> Next, a detailed configuration example of a one-dimensional vibrator of an XY direction capacitive acceleration sensor will be described with reference to FIG.

[0106] In the upper part of Figure 17, the one-dimensional oscillator 1DMA-X,Y of the XY direction capacitance type acceleration sensor is composed of a fixed part AHF and a weight AHW of a shape indicated by a dotted line extending left and right in the figure within the fixed part AHF.

[0107] The weight AHW is configured to be pressed from two directions indicated by arrows AHD1 and AHU1 by a spring (not shown), thereby maintaining a position based on the center AHC (perpendicular to X or Y) in the up and down direction at the upper left of Figure 17.

[0108] In this state, for example, as shown at the bottom of the figure, if acceleration is applied in the direction of arrow AH relative to the center AHC, the load balance caused by the spring (not shown) is disrupted, and the weight AHW moves from the position of the outer shape shown by the solid line in the direction of arrow AHU1 to the position of the outer shape shown by the dotted line.

[0109] At the boundary between the weight AHW and the fixed part AHF, opposing comb-shaped electrodes EL1 and EL2 are arranged at a predetermined interval, as shown in the lower right of Figure 14, and the capacitance generated when in the state shown in the upper part of Figure 17 is in a steady state.

[0110] However, for example, as shown in the lower part of Figure 17, when the weight AHW moves upward in the figure as shown by the outline shape indicated by the dotted line, the electrodes EL1 and EL2 change from the predetermined distance, causing a change in capacitance.

[0111] By detecting this change in capacitance, acceleration in the X or Y direction can be detected. For this reason, the one-dimensional vibrators 1AMG-X and 1AMG-Y of the X and Y direction acceleration sensors are arranged orthogonal to each other on the XY plane.

[0112] <Detailed Configuration Example of One-Dimensional Vibrator of Capacitive Acceleration Sensor (Z Direction)> Next, a detailed configuration example of the one-dimensional vibrator of the Z-direction capacitive acceleration sensor 221A will be described with reference to FIG.

[0113] In the upper part of Figure 18, the one-dimensional vibrator 1DMA-Z of the Z-direction capacitance type acceleration sensor 221A is composed of a fixed part AVF and a weight AVW that is configured to be driven like a seesaw by acceleration from the Z direction, centered on the axis Ax in the figure within the fixed part AVF.

[0114] As shown in the upper part of Figure 18, the weight AVW has a hollow portion H in the left part where the weight is hollowed out, and is asymmetrical in shape with the axis Ax as the center, with the left and right sides having different weights.

[0115] In this state, for example, as shown in the lower part of the figure, when acceleration is applied in the direction of arrow DV21, perpendicular to axis Ax (Z-axis direction), weight AVW is asymmetric in shape around axis Ax and has different weights on the left and right, so the heavy part on the right side of the figure moves in the direction of arrow DV22 from the position represented by the outer shape shown by the solid line to the position represented by the outer shape shown by the dotted line, and the lighter part on the left side where hollow portion H is provided tilts in the direction of arrow DV21.

[0116] At the boundary between the weight AVW and the fixed part AVF, opposing comb-like electrodes EL1 and EL2 are arranged at a predetermined interval, as shown in the lower right of Figure 14, and the capacitance generated when stationary is in a steady state, as shown in the upper part of Figure 18.

[0117] However, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 18, when the weight AVW is tilted as indicated by the dotted line, the electrodes EL1 and EL2 are displaced from the predetermined distance, causing a change in capacitance.

[0118] By detecting this change in capacitance, the acceleration in the Z direction is detected.

[0119] <Example of arrangement of acceleration sensor consisting of three one-dimensional vibrators> Next, an example of arrangement of acceleration sensor 221A when using three acceleration sensors 221A-1D x 3, each of which has three one-dimensional vibrators 1DMA-X, 1DMA-Y, and 1DMA-Z that can detect one-dimensional acceleration in the orthogonal X, Y, and Z axis directions.

[0120] In the area Za1 in FIG. 19, acceleration sensors 221A-51 to 221A-53 each consisting of one-dimensional vibrators 1DMA-X, 1DMA-Y, and 1DMA-Z are arranged.

[0121] In the acceleration sensor 221A-51 in Fig. 19, the one-dimensional vibrators 1DMA-X and 1DMA-Y are arranged at 90 degrees to each other on an XY plane parallel to the paper surface. In contrast, the one-dimensional vibrator 1DMA-Z may be arranged in any positional relationship with the one-dimensional vibrators 1DMA-X and 1DMA-Y as long as it is on the XY plane. However, in Fig. 19, the one-dimensional vibrator 1DMA-Z is arranged parallel to the one-dimensional vibrator 1DMA-X. The same applies to the acceleration sensors 221A-52 and 221A-53.

[0122] 19, of the acceleration sensors 221A-51 to 221A-53, the acceleration sensor 221A-52 is arranged at a 90-degree angle to the acceleration sensors 221A-51 and 221A-53. As a result, the XY positional relationship between the two sensors is changed by 90 degrees, and therefore the vibrations of both sensors are cancelled out, making it possible to detect acceleration with high accuracy.

[0123] 17 and 18, the one-dimensional vibrators 1DMA-X, 1DMA-Y, and 1DMA-Z that make up the acceleration sensor 221A are configured to detect acceleration based on changes in capacitance between the comb-shaped electrodes EL1 and EL2 that occur in response to changes in the positions of the weights AHW and AVW that correspond to the acceleration that occurs. Therefore, the larger (heavier) the weights AHW and AVW that make up the one-dimensional vibrator 1DMA are, the more accurately the acceleration sensor 221A can detect acceleration. Therefore, by increasing (heavier) the placement area (or the size of the placement space) of the acceleration sensor 221A (the one-dimensional vibrators 1DMA-X, 1DMA-Y, and 1DMA-Z), it is possible to improve the accuracy of acceleration detection.

[0124] <Variations in Arrangement of Acceleration Sensors and Angular Velocity Sensors (Part 1)> Next, examples of arrangement of acceleration sensors and angular velocity sensors in a multi-IMU will be described.

[0125] FIG. 20 shows an example configuration of a multi-IMU 201E in which two acceleration sensors 221A-101 and 221A-102 each consisting of three one-dimensional oscillators are arranged, and nine angular velocity sensors 221G-101 to 221G-109 each consisting of three one-dimensional oscillators, each consisting of three x three angular velocity sensors.

[0126] As described above, the accuracy of detecting angular velocity improves by increasing the number of angular velocity sensors 221G, and the accuracy of detecting acceleration improves by increasing the size (weight) of the acceleration sensor 221A.

[0127] 20, two acceleration sensors 221A are provided, each with a larger area than the angular velocity sensor 221G. Alternatively, two acceleration sensors 221A each with a larger area may be provided. However, if only one acceleration sensor 221A is provided, there is a possibility that acceleration cannot be detected if the acceleration sensor 221A does not function properly due to some kind of failure. Therefore, by providing redundancy by providing two or more sensors, even if this reduces the detection accuracy of each sensor, more stable acceleration detection is possible.

[0128] Furthermore, the angular velocity sensor 221G is smaller than the acceleration sensor 221A, but in order to increase the number of comb-shaped electrodes EL1 and EL2 for detecting capacitance, nine electrodes are arranged, which is more than in the acceleration sensor 221A. The angular velocity sensors 221G may be made smaller and more angular velocity sensors 221G may be arranged, thereby increasing the number of electrodes and enabling more accurate detection of changes in capacitance. However, making the angular velocity sensors 221G smaller reduces the number of electrodes per angular velocity sensor 221G, and as a result, the size must be such that the total number of electrodes does not decrease.

[0129] Furthermore, as shown in the multi-IMU 201E, there is a limit to the placement area, so the individual sizes of the angular velocity sensor 221G and acceleration sensor 221A, the proportion of their respective placement areas, and the number of each sensor to be placed must be determined according to the detection accuracy of acceleration and angular velocity required by the device in which they are installed.

[0130] Furthermore, the weights GHW and GVW that constitute the one-dimensional vibrator 1DMG that constitutes the angular velocity sensor 221G and the weights AHW and AVW that constitute the one-dimensional vibrator 1DMA that constitutes the acceleration sensor 221A are configured within the casings of the one-dimensional vibrators 1DMG and 1DMA that are sealed in a vacuum state. With this configuration, the angular velocity and acceleration detected in response to the movement of the weights GHW and GVW and the weights AHW and AVW can be detected with improved accuracy as the degree of vacuum increases, since air resistance is reduced.

[0131] However, since the higher the degree of vacuum, the higher the cost, and in particular for angular velocity sensors 221G, which can detect angular velocity with higher accuracy the more there are, there is a limit to the improvement in accuracy even if the number is increased in low-cost angular velocity sensors with a low degree of vacuum, so it is necessary to adopt a vacuum degree appropriate to the cost and to set the number according to the required accuracy.

[0132] <Variations in the arrangement of acceleration sensors and angular velocity sensors (part 2)> In the above, we have described the multi-IMU 201E, which is arranged with two acceleration sensors 221A-101 and 221A-102, each consisting of three one-dimensional oscillators, and 3 x 3 angular velocity sensors 221G-101 to 221G-109, each consisting of three one-dimensional oscillators.

[0133] However, in the multi-IMU 201E of FIG. 20, the angular velocity sensors 221G-101 to 221G-109 are arranged in the same direction, which makes it easy for vibrations to interfere with each other and causes beats due to acoustic interference.

[0134] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 21, the angular velocity sensors 221G may be arranged so that every other one is tilted 90 degrees to the left in the horizontal and vertical directions, thereby increasing the distance between the vibration sources and changing the direction by 90 degrees, thereby suppressing acoustic interference.

[0135] The multi-IMU 201F in Figure 21 is provided with angular velocity sensors 221G'-102, 221G'-104, 221G'-106, and 221G'-108 instead of the angular velocity sensors 221G-101 to 221G-109 in the multi-IMU 201E in Figure 20, 221G-102, 221G-104, 221G'-106, and 221G'-108.

[0136] That is, the angular velocity sensors 221G'-102, 221G'-104, 221G'-106, and 221G'-108 are configured such that the angular velocity sensors 221G-102, 221G-104, 221G-106, and 221G-108 are rotated 90 degrees to the left in the drawing, respectively.

[0137] With this arrangement, the direction of vibration between adjacent angular velocity sensors 221G changes by 90 degrees, making it possible to suppress acoustic interference. Since the angle between adjacent angular velocity sensors 221G only needs to be inclined by 90 degrees, the angular velocity sensors 221G may be inclined by 90 degrees to the left or to the right. Furthermore, when there are multiple angular velocity sensors 22G inclined by 90 degrees, all may be inclined by 90 degrees in the same direction, or they may not all be inclined in the same direction.

[0138] <Variations in Arrangement of Acceleration Sensors and Angular Velocity Sensors (Part 3)> Next, with reference to FIG. 22 , variations in arrangement of acceleration sensors and angular velocity sensors when a multi-IMU is mounted on AR (Augmented Reality) glasses will be described.

[0139] FIG. 22 shows variations in the arrangement of acceleration sensors and angular velocity sensors of a multi-IMU mounted on AR glasses.

[0140] The multi-IMU 201G mounted on the AR glasses 251 in Figure 22 is composed of acceleration sensors 221A-101b, 221A-102b, and angular velocity sensors 221G-101s, 221G-103s, 221G-105s, 221G-107s, 221G-109s, 221G'-102s, 221G'-104s, 221G'-106s, and 221G'-108s.

[0141] The acceleration sensors 221A-101b and 221A-102b are larger than the acceleration sensors 221A-101 and 221A-102 in FIG.

[0142] The AR glasses 251 estimate their own position using SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) based on images captured by the camera 252 shown in the figure. This SLAM-based self-position estimation requires highly accurate position and orientation information from the low-noise acceleration sensor 221A, which necessitates highly accurate inertial navigation. Therefore, for the multi-IMU 201G mounted on the AR glasses 251, the acceleration sensors 221A-101b and 221A-102b, the greater the mass, the lower the noise. Therefore, the acceleration sensors 221A-101b and 221A-102b have a larger occupied area and larger (heavier) weights AHW and AVW, thereby improving accuracy.

[0143] Angular velocity sensors 221G-101s, 221G-103s, 221G-105s, 221G-107s, 221G-109s, 221G'-102s, 221G'-104s, 221G'-106s, and 221G'-108s are basically arranged in the same manner as angular velocity sensors 221G-101 to 221G-109 of multi-IMU 201F in Figure 21, but are made smaller due to the larger acceleration sensors 221A-101b and 221A-102b.

[0144] <Variations in Arrangement of Acceleration Sensors and Angular Velocity Sensors (Part 4)> Next, with reference to FIG. 23, variations in arrangement of acceleration sensors and angular velocity sensors when a multi-IMU is mounted on VR (Virtual Reality) glasses will be described.

[0145] FIG. 23 shows variations in the arrangement of acceleration sensors and angular velocity sensors of a multi-IMU mounted on VR glasses.

[0146] The multi-IMU 201H mounted on the VR glasses 261 in Fig. 23 is composed of two acceleration sensors 221A-101s, 221A-102s, nine angular velocity sensors 221Gs, and nine angular velocity sensors 221G's. Here, the nine angular velocity sensors 221Gs and the nine angular velocity sensors 221G's are arranged in a total of 18, six in the horizontal direction and three in the vertical direction, and are arranged with an angle of 90 degrees alternately in the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0147] The acceleration sensors 221A-101s and 221A-102s are smaller in size than the acceleration sensors 221A-101 and 221A-102 shown in FIG.

[0148] In the VR glasses 261, head tracking using the angular velocity sensors 221Gs and 221G's requires posture estimation with little bias fluctuation over long periods of time. As described above, the greater the number of comb teeth for detecting capacitance in the angular velocity sensor 221G, the higher the sensitivity and accuracy. Therefore, while there are nine angular velocity sensors 221G in FIG. 21, the multi-IMU 201H in FIG. 23 has twice as many angular velocity sensors 221Gs and 221G's, that is, 18. This reduces noise and improves bias stability, making the configuration suitable for long-term use, such as the VR glasses 261.

[0149] The angular velocity sensors 221Gs, 221G's are basically arranged in a manner similar to that of the angular velocity sensors 221G-101 to 221G-109 of the multi-IMU 201F in Figure 21, extended horizontally, but the overall number has been doubled, resulting in a smaller size.

[0150] <Variations in Arrangement of Acceleration Sensors and Angular Velocity Sensors (Part 5)> Next, with reference to FIG. 24, variations in arrangement of acceleration sensors and angular velocity sensors when a camera is equipped with a multi-IMU will be described.

[0151] FIG. 24 shows variations in the arrangement of the acceleration sensors and angular velocity sensors of the multi-IMU mounted on the camera.

[0152] The multi-IMU 201I mounted on the camera 271 in Fig. 24 is composed of nine angular velocity sensors 221Gs and nine angular velocity sensors 221G's. Here, the nine angular velocity sensors 221Gs and nine angular velocity sensors 221G's are arranged in a staggered arrangement in the horizontal and vertical directions (six sensors in the horizontal direction and three sensors in the vertical direction), for a total of 18 sensors. Also, no acceleration sensor 221A is provided.

[0153] Since it is important to suppress rotation of the optical axis for image stabilization of the camera 271, attitude stabilization is required to suppress rotation on three axes (roll, pitch, yaw). The angular velocity sensor 221G becomes more sensitive and accurate the more comb-shaped electrodes used to detect capacitance. This reduces noise density and improves speed responsiveness, making it suitable for applications that require accurate tracking of rapid movements, such as image stabilization.

[0154] The angular velocity sensors 221Gs, 221G's are basically arranged in a manner similar to that of the angular velocity sensors 221G-101 to 221G-109 of the multi-IMU 201F in Figure 21, extended horizontally, but the overall number has been doubled, resulting in a smaller size.

[0155] <Variations in Arrangement of Acceleration Sensors and Angular Velocity Sensors (Part 6)> Next, with reference to FIG. 25, variations in arrangement of acceleration sensors and angular velocity sensors when a multi-IMU is mounted on VR (Virtual Reality) glasses will be described.

[0156] FIG. 25 shows variations in the arrangement of acceleration sensors and angular velocity sensors of a multi-IMU mounted on VR glasses.

[0157] The multi-IMU 201J mounted on the VR glasses 261' in Fig. 25 is composed of acceleration sensors 221A-101 and 221A-102, and an angular velocity sensor 221G-151 equipped with 10 one-dimensional oscillators 1DMG-X, 10 one-dimensional oscillators 1DMG-Y, and 30 one-dimensional oscillators 1DMG-Z. That is, in the example of Fig. 25, the number of one-dimensional oscillators 1DMG-X and 1DMG-Y and the number of one-dimensional oscillators 1DMG-Z that make up the angular velocity sensor 221G-151 are different from each other.

[0158] Head tracking using the gyroscope of VR glasses requires posture estimation with little bias fluctuation over long periods of time. Fusion with an acceleration sensor can be used for the roll (rotation direction around the x-axis) and pitch (rotation direction around the y-axis) directions, so posture estimation with little drift over long periods of time is possible by using the angular velocity sensor 221G and acceleration sensor 221A together.

[0159] On the other hand, since fusion with the acceleration sensor 221A is not possible in the Yaw (rotation direction around the z-axis) direction, low bias fluctuations are required for the angular velocity sensor 221G-151 itself. As shown in Figure 25, by arranging more one-dimensional vibrators 1DMG-Z than the one-dimensional vibrators 1DMG-X and one-dimensional vibrators 1DMG-Y, in other words, by setting the arrangement area Zz of the one-dimensional vibrators 1DMG-Z wider than the arrangement areas Zx and Zy of the one-dimensional vibrators 1DMG-X and one-dimensional vibrators 1DMG-Y, an angular velocity sensor 221G-151 with higher accuracy in the Yaw direction than the other axes is realized, and VR head tracking with little long-term drift can be achieved.

[0160] <Backside Resonator> Next, a backside resonator provided to mechanically reduce acoustic interference between the angular velocity sensors 221G will be described.

[0161] In describing the backside resonator, a multi-IMU 201K in which 3 x 3 angular velocity sensors 221G are arranged in an array as shown in the left part of Fig. 26 will be used. However, the acceleration sensor 221A is merely omitted here, and in reality, the acceleration sensor 221A may be included. Furthermore, the number and arrangement of the angular velocity sensors 221G may be other configurations and are not limited to the multi-IMU 201K of Fig. 26.

[0162] As shown in the multi-IMU 201K on the left side of FIG. 26, it is known that acoustic interference occurs among the nine angular velocity sensors 221G due to the transmission of vibrations between them.

[0163] The backside resonator absorbs vibrations generated in each angular velocity sensor 221G, thereby suppressing transmission of the vibrations to adjacent angular velocity sensors 221G and reducing acoustic interference.

[0164] The right part of Fig. 26 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an angular velocity sensor 221G including a backside resonator. As shown in the right part of Fig. 26, the angular velocity sensor 221G is composed of, from the top in the drawing, a MEMS layer 301, an anchor 302, and a backside resonator 303.

[0165] The MEMS layer 301 is a layer in which components corresponding to the one-dimensional vibrators 1DMG-X, 1DMG-Y, and 1DMG-Z that constitute the angular velocity sensor 221G are formed.

[0166] The anchor 302 is formed on the backside resonator 303 and supports the MEMS layer 301 at a point.

[0167] The backside resonator 303 is made of silicon or the like, and absorbs the vibrations generated in the MEMS layer 301 that are transmitted via the anchor 302 using the flexibility of materials such as silicon, thereby suppressing propagation to the adjacent angular velocity sensor 221G, thereby reducing the effects of acoustic interference.

[0168] More specifically, the backside resonator 303 functions as a band-cut filter that cuts acoustic vibrations of a predetermined frequency that are generated when the one-dimensional vibrators 1DMG-X, 1DMG-Y, and 1DMG-Z that constitute the angular velocity sensor 221G formed in the MEMS layer 301 are driven, and reduces acoustic interference by suppressing the transmission of vibrations to adjacent angular velocity sensors 221G.

[0169] Next, the MEMS layer 301, the anchor 302, and the backside resonator 303 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[0170] The left part of Fig. 27 shows a cross-sectional structure obtained by slicing the side cross section of the multi-IMU 201K in the right part of Fig. 27 along dotted lines L1 and L2. Fig. 28 is an exploded perspective view of the angular velocity sensor 221G. Fig. 29 is a detailed top view of each layer in the exploded perspective view of Fig. 28. Fig. 30 is an enlarged top view of the backside resonator 303, and Fig. 31 is a diagram showing how the backside resonator 303 absorbs vibrations generated in the MEMS layer 301 and transmitted via the anchors 302.

[0171] That is, the cross-sectional structure when sliced ​​along dotted line L1 in the side cross section of multi-IMU 201K as a unit shown in the upper right part of Figure 27 is the cross-sectional structure S1 in the upper left part of Figure 27, and is the cross-sectional structure of MEMS layer 301 in which structures corresponding to one-dimensional vibrators 1DMG-X, 1DMG-Y, and 1DMG-Z that make up angular velocity sensor 221G are formed.

[0172] Furthermore, the cross-sectional structure when sliced ​​along dotted line L1 in the side cross section of the multi-IMU 201K unit shown in the lower right of Figure 27 is the cross-sectional structure S2 in the lower left of Figure 27, and is the structure in which the backside resonator 303 is formed.

[0173] 27, the cross-sectional structure S2 in the lower left also shows the position of the anchor 302 formed on the backside resonator 303 in the right part of Fig. 27. In Fig. 27, the horizontal size of the MEMS layer 301 is depicted as being smaller than the size of the backside resonator 303, but this is because the horizontal size of the MEMS layer 301 is depicted in a deformed manner to show that there is a space between adjacent MEMS layers 301. In reality, the horizontal size of the MEMS layer 301 is only slightly smaller than the size of the backside resonator 303.

[0174] In addition, in Figure 28, the layered relationship of the MEMS layer 301, anchor 302, and backside resonator 303 is shown, but the sizes of each are exaggerated to make it easier to understand the layered relationship.For the actual size relationship, please refer to the detailed diagram in Figure 29.

[0175] The anchors 302 are set at five locations on the table portion 303c of the backside resonator 303, and support the MEMS layer 301 at five points. Note that the number of anchors 302 may be any number other than five.

[0176] As shown in FIG. 30, the backside resonator 303 is composed of a fixed portion 303a, a damper portion 303b, and a table portion 303c.

[0177] The fixed portion 303a is further connected in a fixed state to the underlying substrate 311. The damper portion 303b has a flexible structure, and absorbs vibrations transmitted from the MEMS layer 301 via anchors 302 provided on the table portion 303c, thereby suppressing propagation of the vibrations to the adjacent angular velocity sensor 221G.

[0178] 31, when table portion 303c moves in the direction of the arrow in the figure due to vibrations generated in MEMS layer 301 being transmitted via anchors 302 formed on the upper layer thereof, damper portion 303b absorbs the vibrations by deforming into damper portion 303b' having an outer shape as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 31, and suppresses propagation of the vibrations to substrate 311 fixed by fixing portion 303a. This suppresses propagation of the vibrations to adjacent angular velocity sensor 221G formed on substrate 311, making it possible to suppress acoustic interference and improve the accuracy of angular velocity detection by angular velocity sensor 221G.

[0179] <First modified example of backside resonator> In the above, an example has been described in which the damper portion 303b and the fixed portion 303a of the backside resonator 303 are formed at the corners of the table portion 303c, but configurations equivalent to the damper portion 303b and the fixed portion 303a may also be formed on the side surfaces of the four sides of the table portion 303c.

[0180] 32 and 33 show an example of the configuration of an angular velocity sensor 221G′ equipped with a modified backside resonator in which components corresponding to the damper portion 303b and the fixed portion 303a are formed on the side surfaces of the four sides of the table portion 303c.

[0181] The left part of Fig. 32 is a top view of an angular velocity sensor 221G' to which a modified example of the backside resonator is applied, and the right part of Fig. 32 is a side cross-sectional view taken along dotted line L10 in the left part of Fig. 32. Fig. 33 is a drawing corresponding to Fig. 27.

[0182] That is, the left part of FIG. 33 shows a cross-sectional structure when the side cross section of the multi-IMU 201K′ in the right part of FIG. 33 is sliced ​​along dotted lines L11 and L12.

[0183] That is, the cross-sectional structure when sliced ​​along dotted line L11 in the side cross section of multi-IMU 201K′ as a unit shown in the upper right part of FIG. 33 is the cross-sectional structure S11 in the upper left part of FIG. 33, and is the cross-sectional structure of MEMS layer 301 in which structures corresponding to one-dimensional vibrators 1DMG-X, 1DMG-Y, and 1DMG-Z that make up angular velocity sensor 221G′ are formed.

[0184] Furthermore, the cross-sectional structure when sliced ​​along dotted line L12 in the side cross section of the multi-IMU 201K′ unit shown in the lower right of Figure 33 is the cross-sectional structure S12 in the lower left of Figure 33, and is the structure in which the backside resonator 303s is formed.

[0185] That is, in the angular velocity sensor 221G′ of FIGS. 32 and 33, a backside resonator 303s is formed in place of the backside resonator 303.

[0186] The backside resonator 303s is composed of a fixed portion 303as, a damper portion 303bs, and a table portion 303cs.

[0187] The fixed portion 303as is formed in a rectangular shape so as to surround the table portion 303cs, and is further connected in a fixed state to the underlying substrate (corresponding to the substrate 311). The damper portion 303bs has a flexible, for example, spring-like structure, and absorbs vibrations transmitted from the MEMS layer 301 via anchors 302 (not shown) provided on the table portion 303cs, preventing the vibrations from propagating to the adjacent angular velocity sensor 221G'.

[0188] This suppresses the propagation of vibrations to the adjacent angular velocity sensor 221G', which is formed on a substrate (corresponding to substrate 311) below the backside resonator 303s, making it possible to suppress acoustic interference and improve the accuracy of angular velocity detection by the angular velocity sensor 221G'.

[0189] <Second Modification of Backside Resonator> In the above, an example has been described in which the damper portion 303bs and the fixed portion 303as of the backside resonator 303 are formed on the side surfaces of the four sides of the table portion 303cs, but the configurations corresponding to the fixed portion 303as, the damper portion 303bs, and the table portion 303cs may be formed in the same layer.

[0190] FIG. 34 shows an example of the configuration of an angular velocity sensor in which the fixed portion of the backside resonator, the damper portion, and the configuration corresponding to the table are formed in the same layer.

[0191] The angular velocity sensor 221G'' in FIG. 34 is composed of a MEMS layer 301, an anchor 302, and a backside resonator 303t.

[0192] The backside resonator 303t is composed of a fixed portion 303at, a damper portion 303bt, and a table portion 303ct.

[0193] The fixed portion 303at, the damper portion 303bt and the table portion 303ct have the same basic functions as the fixed portion 303as, the damper portion 303bs and the table portion 303cs, respectively, but the entire portion, including the fixed portion 303at, is formed on the same layer.

[0194] The backside resonator 303t in FIG. 34 is also configured to absorb vibrations generated in the MEMS layer 301 and suppress propagation to the adjacent angular velocity sensor 221G'', similar to the backside resonators 303 and 303s.

[0195] As a result, propagation of vibrations to the adjacent angular velocity sensor 221G'' formed on the underlying substrate (corresponding to substrate 311) is suppressed, making it possible to suppress acoustic interference and improve the accuracy of angular velocity detection by the angular velocity sensor 221G''.

[0196] <<3. Second Embodiment>> In the above, the configuration of the multi-IMUs 201, 201A to 201K that suppress acoustic interference has been described, but the above-described multi-IMU 201 (including 201A to 201K) may also be applied to image stabilization in an image sensor.

[0197] FIG. 35 shows a configuration example in which a multi-IMU 201 capable of suppressing acoustic interference is applied to an image sensor.

[0198] As shown in the lower part of FIG. 35, a multi-IMU 201 capable of suppressing the above-mentioned acoustic interference is attached to the rear side of the imaging surface of the image sensor 401.

[0199] As described above, the multi-IMU 201 is configured to be able to suppress acoustic interference, and is able to detect angular velocity and acceleration with high accuracy.

[0200] Therefore, it is possible to detect the acceleration and angular velocity with high accuracy for each unit area 401a corresponding to the area on the image sensor 401 where the multi-IMU 201 is arranged.

[0201] With this configuration, it is possible to correct camera shake with high precision for each unit area 401a by signal processing based on pinpoint acceleration and angular velocity detected for each unit area within the image captured by the image sensor 401.

[0202] Although Figure 35 describes an example configuration using an image sensor 401, any sensor that detects light may be used other than the image sensor 401, such as a depth sensor, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging, Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), or ToF (Time of Flight) sensor.

[0203] Furthermore, an image sensor 401 with a multi-IMU 201 stacked thereon may be applied to a device that captures images used for SLAM, such as the camera 252 mounted on the AR glasses 251 in FIG. 22 .

[0204] With this configuration, it is possible to achieve highly accurate self-position estimation by SLAM based on the image captured by the image sensor 401 functioning as the camera 252 and the highly accurate position and orientation information of the camera 252 realized by the multi-IMU 201.

[0205] In particular, by configuring the camera 252 in a stacked configuration of the multi-IMU 201G in Figure 22, the ratio of the area occupied by the acceleration sensor 221A and the angular velocity sensor 221G and the number of each are optimized for the purpose of SLAM within the limited space on the back of the image sensor 401, making it possible to estimate the self-position with higher accuracy.

[0206] Furthermore, the image sensor 401 that functions as the camera 252 that captures images used in SLAM may be an RGB camera, a depth sensor, a LiDAR, or a ToF sensor.

[0207] <<4. First Modification of Second Embodiment>> In the above, an example has been described in which image stabilization is performed by signal processing for each unit area 401 a on the image sensor 401. However, image stabilization may be performed physically using a drive mechanism instead of signal processing.

[0208] Note that camera shake refers to the shaking of an image that occurs when a user holds and operates an imaging device in their hands, but here it refers to all shaking that occurs when capturing an image. For example, camera shake includes shaking of an image that occurs due to high-frequency vibrations generated by the operation of a motor or engine in an imaging device mounted on a mobile device such as a drone or vehicle that is driven by a motor or engine.

[0209] <Configuration example of an imaging device that achieves image stabilization by driving an optical block> First, an overview of a technology for physically correcting image stabilization using a drive mechanism will be described. Fig. 36 shows a configuration example of an imaging device that achieves image stabilization by driving an optical block.

[0210] The imaging device 1001 in FIG. 36 is composed of an optical block 1011, a reflector 1012, a shutter 1013, an image sensor 1014, and a drive unit 1015.

[0211] The optical block 1011 is composed of a lens for adjusting focus and transmits incident light indicated by a solid line, which is focused on an image sensor 1014 through a reflector 1012 and a shutter 1013. The incident light reflected onto the image sensor 1014 is represented by a dotted line. The wavy portions in the transmission path of the incident light indicated by the solid line represent camera shake.

[0212] The reflector 1012 , together with a mirror (not shown), reflects part of the incident light to a viewfinder F through which the user looks, and transmits the rest of the incident light to an image sensor 1014 via a shutter 1013 .

[0213] The shutter 1013 is a mechanical or electrical component that controls opening and closing, and adjusts the exposure time of the incident light that passes through the optical block 1011 and enters the image sensor 1014.

[0214] The image sensor 1014 is made up of a CMOS, a CCD, or the like, and captures an image made up of pixel signals corresponding to the amount of incident light.

[0215] The driving unit 1015 includes an actuator and the like, and drives the optical block 1011 in a direction perpendicular to the incident direction of the incident light.

[0216] More specifically, when an IMU (not shown) or the like detects movement of the optical block 1011 due to hand shake or the like, the driving unit 1015 drives the optical block 1011 so as to cancel out the detected movement.

[0217] That is, in the imaging device 1001 of Fig. 36, the optical block 1011 is driven by the driving unit 1015 so as to cancel out movement caused by camera shake or the like, thereby correcting camera shake in the image captured by the image sensor 1014. In Fig. 36, the solid line indicating the path of incident light after the driving unit 1015 is made straight, which represents that camera shake of the incident light is corrected by the operation of this driving unit 1015.

[0218] However, the driving unit 1015 in the imaging device 1001 in Fig. 36 needs to be relatively large in size because it is necessary to drive the optical block 1011 made up of lenses, etc. Also, because the driving unit 1015 has a relatively large size, it is difficult to drive at high speed, and it is difficult to achieve driving that follows and cancels high-frequency vibrations that occur when a motor or engine is operating, for example.

[0219] <Example of the configuration of an imaging device that achieves image stabilization by driving an image sensor> Therefore, in the present disclosure, a driving unit that drives the image sensor 1014 is provided instead of the driving unit 1015 that drives the optical block 1011, thereby making the configuration of the driving unit smaller and enabling it to follow high-frequency vibrations.

[0220] Fig. 37 shows an example of the configuration of an imaging device that achieves image stabilization by providing a drive unit that drives an image sensor 1014. In the imaging device 1021 of Fig. 37, components that have the same functions as those of the imaging device 1001 of Fig. 36 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted where appropriate.

[0221] That is, the imaging device 1021 in Figure 37 differs from the imaging device 1001 in Figure 36 in that it has a driving unit 1031 that drives the image sensor 1014 instead of the driving unit 1015 that drives the optical block 1011.

[0222] The driving unit 1031 includes an actuator and the like, and drives the image sensor 1014 in a direction perpendicular to the incident direction of the incident light.

[0223] When a movement of the image sensor 1014 caused by hand shake or the like is detected by an IMU (not shown) or the like, the driving unit 1031 drives the image sensor 1014 so as to cancel out the detected movement.

[0224] In the imaging device 1021 of FIG. 37, the image sensor 1014 is driven by a driving unit 1031 so as to cancel out movement caused by camera shake or the like, thereby correcting camera shake in the image captured by the image sensor 1014.

[0225] The driving section 1031 in the imaging device 1021 in FIG. 37 is configured to drive the image sensor 1014, which is relatively small and light compared to the optical block 1011 made up of lenses and the like, and therefore the configuration itself can be made relatively small.

[0226] Furthermore, since the drive unit 1031 is relatively small and light, high-speed drive can be realized, and it is possible to realize drive that follows high-frequency vibrations generated by the operation of a motor or engine, for example, and cancels out the vibrations.

[0227] <Detailed configuration example of an imaging device that achieves image stabilization by driving an image sensor> Next, with reference to Figure 38, we will explain a detailed configuration example of an imaging device 1021 that achieves image stabilization by driving an image sensor 1014.

[0228] 38, components having the same functions as those in the imaging device 1021 of FIG. 37 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0229] That is, the imaging device 1021 in FIG. 38 has a more detailed configuration than the imaging device 1021 in FIG.

[0230] The image capturing device 1021 in FIG. 38 further includes an IMU 1041, a position and orientation detection unit 1042, and a drive control unit 1043 in addition to the configuration of the image capturing device 1021 in FIG.

[0231] The driving unit 1031 is shown divided into driving units 1031a-1 and 1031a-2 that drive the image sensor 1014 in the horizontal direction in the figure, and driving units 1031b-1 and 1031b-2 that drive the image sensor 1014 in the vertical direction in the figure.

[0232] The IMU 1041 is configured, for example, from the above-mentioned multi-IMU 201 (including 201 A to 201 K), and detects the acceleration and angular velocity of the main body of the image capturing device 1021 and outputs them to the position and orientation detection unit 1042 .

[0233] The position and orientation detection unit 1042 integrates the acceleration and angular velocity detected by the IMU 1041 to detect the position and orientation of the main body of the image capture device 1021 itself, and outputs the results to the drive control unit 1043 .

[0234] The drive control unit 1043 outputs control signals to the drive units 1031a-1, 1031a-2, and 1031a-1, 1031a-2, respectively, for driving the image sensor 1014 in a direction that cancels out the generated vibrations, based on information about the position and orientation of the main body of the imaging device 1021 itself detected by the position and orientation detection unit 1042. That is, the drive control unit 1043 drives the drive unit 1031 to control the position and orientation of the image sensor 1014 using inertial navigation using the IMU 1041 and the position and orientation detection unit 1042, or intermediate output signals (acceleration, velocity, angular velocity, and angle, which are intermediate variables).

[0235] More specifically, the movement of the image sensor 1014 is transmitted from a drive unit 1031 or the like attached to the main body of the imaging device 1021, and therefore moves in a manner that follows the movement of the main body of the imaging device 1021. In other words, the movement of the image sensor 1014 follows the movement of the main body of the imaging device 1021, and is delayed by a predetermined time with respect to the movement of the imaging device 1021.

[0236] Therefore, the drive control unit 1043 predicts the movement of the image sensor 1014 from the movement of the imaging device 1021 detected by the position and orientation detection unit 1042, and supplies control signals to drive the drive units 1031a-1, 1031a-2, and 1031a-1, 1031a-2 so as to cancel out the predicted movement of the image sensor 1014.

[0237] Therefore, the drive control unit 1043 controls the drive units 1031 a - 1 and 1031 a - 2 and 1031 a - 1 and 1031 a - 2 so as to cancel out the movement of the image sensor 1014 by feedforward control based on the detection result of the position and orientation detection unit 1042 .

[0238] The driving units 1031 a - 1 and 1031 a - 2 , and 1031 a - 1 and 1031 a - 2 respectively drive the image sensor 1014 in a direction and by an amount of movement based on a control signal supplied from the driving control unit 1043 .

[0239] As a result, the image sensor 1014 is driven in a direction that cancels out camera shake in accordance with changes in the position and orientation of the imaging device 1021, thereby achieving camera shake correction.

[0240] However, in the configuration of the imaging device 1021 in Figure 38, the IMU 1041 is located outside the range driven by the driving units 1031a-1, 1031a-2, and 1031a-1, 1031a-2 that drive the image sensor 1014, and therefore, although the position and orientation of the main body of the imaging device 1021 can be properly detected, the position and orientation of the image sensor 1014 cannot be properly detected.

[0241] For this reason, there is a risk that camera shake cannot be properly corrected even if the image sensor 1014 is driven by the driving units 1031a-1, 1031a-2, and 1031a-1, 1031a-2. In particular, when high-frequency vibrations or the like occur in the image sensor 1014, the IMU 1041 cannot detect changes in the position or attitude of the image sensor 1014 as high-frequency vibrations, and cannot properly follow the movement, which could result in proper correction being impossible.

[0242] <Overview of the imaging device of the present disclosure> Therefore, in the present disclosure, an IMU is provided that detects the position and orientation of the image sensor 1014 itself, and the drive unit 1031 is driven based on changes in the position and orientation of the image sensor 1014 in addition to changes in the position and orientation of the main body of the imaging device.

[0243] This allows the drive unit 1015 to be controlled so that it can follow the movement of the image sensor 1014 with high precision, making it possible to correct camera shake, including high-frequency vibrations such as those generated by the operation of a motor or engine.

[0244] Figure 39 shows an example of the general configuration of an imaging device that is equipped with an IMU that detects the position and orientation of the image sensor 1014 itself, and drives a drive unit 1031 based on the position and orientation of the image sensor 1014 in addition to the position and orientation of the main body of the imaging device.

[0245] In the imaging device 1061 of FIG. 39, components having the same functions as those in the imaging device 1021 of FIG. 38 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0246] That is, the imaging device 1061 in Figure 39 differs from the imaging device 1021 in Figure 38 in terms of its configuration in that an IMU 1081 and a position and orientation detection unit 1082 are newly provided, and a drive control unit 1083 is provided instead of the drive control unit 1043.

[0247] The IMU 1081 is integrated with the image sensor 1014. That is, the IMU 1081 is, for example, a multi-IMU 201 attached to the image sensor 401 in FIG. 35 that corresponds to the image sensor 1014, and detects the acceleration and angular velocity of the image sensor 1014 and outputs them to the position and orientation detection unit 1082.

[0248] The position and orientation detection unit 1082 detects the position and orientation of the image sensor 1014 based on an integral calculation of the angular velocity and acceleration of the image sensor 1014 supplied from the IMU 1081 , and outputs the results to the drive control unit 1083 .

[0249] The drive control unit 1083 calculates target control values ​​for the drive units 1031a-1, 1031a-2, and 1031a-1, 1031a-2, based on the position and orientation information of the main body of the imaging device 1061 supplied from the position and orientation detection unit 1042 and the position and orientation information of the image sensor 1014 supplied from the position and orientation detection unit 1082, so as to maintain the position and orientation of the image sensor 1014 in a predetermined state.

[0250] Then, the drive control section 1083 generates a control signal based on the calculated control amount target value, and drives the drive sections 1031a-1, 1031a-2, and 1031a-1, 1031a-2.

[0251] In other words, the drive control unit 1083 controls the image sensor 1014 to maintain a predetermined position and orientation using inertial navigation based on information about the position and orientation of the main body of the imaging device 1061 supplied from the position and orientation detection unit 1042 and information about the position and orientation of the image sensor 1014 supplied from the position and orientation detection unit 1082, and an intermediate output signal.

[0252] Furthermore, since a predetermined time delay occurs between the position and orientation of the imaging device 1061 body provided by the position and orientation detection unit 1042 and the actual position and orientation of the image sensor 1014, as described above, the drive unit 1031 only performs feedforward control based on the position and orientation of the imaging device 1061 body,.

[0253] However, the information on the position and orientation of the image sensor 1014 supplied by the position and orientation detection unit 1082 can be considered to be the current position and orientation of the image sensor 1014 as a result of driving by the driving units 1031a-1, 1031a-2, and 1031a-1, 1031a-2.

[0254] Therefore, it can be said that the drive control unit 1083 simultaneously realizes feedforward control based on the position and orientation of the imaging device 1061 body supplied by the position and orientation detection unit 1042, and feedback control based on the position and orientation of the image sensor 1014 supplied by the position and orientation detection unit 1082.

[0255] With this configuration, it is possible to control the driving of the drive units 1031a-1, 1031a-2, and 1031a-1, 1031a-2 so that the movement (changes in position and attitude) of the image sensor 1014 can be followed with high precision. Therefore, when the main body of the imaging device is mounted on a mobile device such as a drone or vehicle, it becomes possible to correct camera shake, including high-frequency vibrations generated by the operation of the motor or engine that serves as the power source.

[0256] <Configuration Example of Imaging Device According to First Modification of Second Embodiment> Next, a configuration example of an imaging device according to a first modification of the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 40. Note that Fig. 40 shows a configuration example in which the imaging device 1101 is mounted on a mobile device 1100 such as a vehicle or a drone, but the imaging device 1101 may not be mounted on the mobile device 1100.

[0257] The imaging device 1101 in Figure 40 is composed of a main body unit 1111 that controls operations to correct camera shake (including shake caused by vibrations associated with the movement of the mobile device 1100), an imaging unit 1112 equipped with an image sensor that captures images, and an output unit 1113 that outputs the image that is the result of the imaging.

[0258] The main body unit 1111 includes an IMU 1131 , a main body position and orientation detection unit 1132 , an image sensor position and orientation detection unit 1133 , a drive control unit 1134 , a drive unit 1135 , and an image stabilization processing unit 1136 .

[0259] The IMU 1131 corresponds to the IMU 1041 in FIG. 39 , and detects the acceleration and angular velocity of the main body 1111 and outputs them to a main body position and orientation detection unit 1132 .

[0260] The main body position and orientation detection unit 1132 has a configuration corresponding to the position and orientation detection unit 1042 in Figure 39, and is equipped with a translational motion calculation unit 1151 and a rotational motion calculation unit 1152, and detects the position and orientation of the main body unit 1111 and outputs them to the drive control unit 1134.

[0261] The translational motion calculation unit 1151 detects the position of the main body unit 1111 by integral calculation based on the acceleration information supplied from the IMU 1131 , and outputs the result to the drive control unit 1134 .

[0262] The rotational motion calculation unit 1152 detects the attitude of the main body unit 1111 by integral calculation based on the angular velocity information supplied from the IMU 1132 , and outputs the detected attitude to the drive control unit 1134 .

[0263] The image sensor position and orientation detection unit 1133 basically has the same configuration as the main body position and orientation detection unit 1132, and corresponds to the position and orientation detection unit 1082 in Fig. 39. The image sensor position and orientation detection unit 1133 includes a translational motion calculation unit 1171 and a rotational motion calculation unit 1172, and detects the position and orientation of the imaging unit 1112 (of its image sensor 1181), and outputs the results to the drive control unit 1134.

[0264] The translational motion calculation unit 1171 detects the position of the image sensor 1181 by integral calculation based on acceleration information supplied from the IMU 1182 of the imaging unit 1112 , and outputs the result to the drive control unit 1134 .

[0265] The rotational motion calculation unit 1172 detects the attitude of the image sensor 1181 by integral calculation based on angular velocity information supplied from the IMU 1182 of the imaging unit 1112 , and outputs the detected attitude to the drive control unit 1134 .

[0266] The drive control unit 1134 corresponds to the drive control unit 1083 in Figure 39, and controls the drive unit 1135 based on information on the position and orientation of the main body unit 1111 supplied from the main body position and orientation detection unit 1132 and information on the position and orientation of the image sensor 1181 of the imaging unit 1112 supplied from the image sensor position and orientation detection unit 1133.

[0267] More specifically, the drive control unit 1134 includes a control quantity target value calculation unit 1134a, which calculates a control quantity target value for maintaining the position and orientation of the image sensor 1181 in a predetermined state based on information on the position and orientation of the main body unit 1111 and information on the position and orientation of the image sensor 1181.

[0268] Then, the drive control unit 1134 generates a control signal for driving the drive unit 1135 based on the control amount target value calculated by the control amount target value calculation unit 1134a, and supplies the control signal to the drive unit 1135 to drive it.

[0269] The drive unit 1135 is configured to include actuators corresponding to the drive units 1031 (1031a-1, 1031a-2, 1031b-1, 1031b-2) in FIG. 39, and drives the position and orientation of the image sensor 1181 based on control signals from the drive control unit 1134.

[0270] The drive control unit 1134 supplies information on changes in the position and orientation of the main body unit 1111 and the image sensor 1181 to the image stabilization processing unit 1136 .

[0271] The image stabilization processing unit 1136 includes an image frame buffer 1136a, which buffers images supplied from the image sensor 1181. The image stabilization processing unit 1136 corrects the buffered image captured by the image sensor 1181 through signal processing based on the position and orientation of the main body unit 1111 and the position and orientation of the image sensor 1181, and outputs the corrected image to the output unit 1113.

[0272] The image shake correction processing by the image shake correction processing unit 1136 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

[0273] The imaging unit 1112 is composed of an image sensor 1181 and an IMU 1182. The image sensor 1181 has a configuration corresponding to the image sensor 1014 in Fig. 39 , and captures an image made up of pixel signals according to the amount of incident light, and supplies the image to the image stabilization processing unit 1136.

[0274] The IMU 1182 has a configuration corresponding to the IMU 1081 in Figure 39 and is integrated with the image sensor 1181, so it detects the acceleration and angular velocity of the image sensor 1181 and outputs them to the image sensor position and orientation detection unit 1133.

[0275] The imaging unit 1112 is configured, for example, by attaching the above-described multi-IMU 201 to the rear side of the imaging surface of the image sensor 401 in FIG.

[0276] That is, the image sensor 1181 has a configuration corresponding to the image sensor 401 in FIG. 35, and the IMU 1182 has a configuration corresponding to the multi-IMU 201.

[0277] Therefore, the IMU 1182 is also configured with a multi-IMU 201 that is capable of suppressing acoustic interference.

[0278] Therefore, in the image sensor 1181 and the IMU 1182, it is possible to detect acceleration and angular velocity using as a unit the multi-IMU 201 arranged in each unit area (unit area 401a in FIG. 35) of the image sensor 401. Note that hereinafter, the multi-IMU 201 arranged in each unit area (unit area 401a in FIG. 35) of the image sensor 401 is also referred to as an IMU unit.

[0279] The output unit 1113 outputs the image corrected by the image stabilization processing unit 1136. More specifically, the output unit 1113 includes an image recording unit 1191 and a transmission unit 1192.

[0280] The image recording unit 1191 records the image corrected by the image stabilization processing unit 1136 as data.

[0281] The transmission unit 1192 is configured by, for example, Ethernet or the like, and transmits the image corrected by the image stabilization processing unit 1136 to an external information processing device, communication terminal, or the like via a network (not shown).

[0282] The output unit 1113 may have a different configuration, for example, it may be composed of a display with a display function, and may display an image corrected by the image stabilization processing unit 1136.

[0283] Therefore, in the imaging device 1101 of Figure 40, the drive control unit 1134 controls the image sensor 1181 to maintain its position and orientation in a predetermined state using inertial navigation based on information on the position and orientation of the imaging device 1101 main body supplied from the main body position and orientation detection unit 1132 and information on the position and orientation of the image sensor 1181 supplied from the image sensor position and orientation detection unit 1133, and an intermediate output signal.

[0284] Furthermore, since there is a certain time delay between the position and orientation of the main body 1111 of the imaging device 1101 supplied by the main body position and orientation detection unit 1132 and the actual position and orientation of the image sensor 1181, the drive unit 1135 only performs feedforward control based on the position and orientation of the main body of the imaging device 1101.

[0285] However, the information on the position and orientation of the image sensor 1181 supplied by the image sensor position and orientation detection unit 1133 can be considered to be the current position and orientation of the image sensor 1181 as a result of driving by the driving unit 1135 .

[0286] Therefore, it can be said that the drive control unit 1134 simultaneously realizes feedforward control of the drive unit 1135 based on the position and orientation of the main body unit 1111 of the imaging device 1101 supplied from the main body position and orientation detection unit 1132, and feedback control of the drive unit 1135 based on the position and orientation of the image sensor 1181 supplied from the image sensor position and orientation detection unit 1133.

[0287] <Regarding image stabilization processing> With regard to the driving of the drive unit 1135 controlled by the drive control unit 1134, there is a time lag between when a control signal is supplied and when the drive unit 1135 actually starts driving, so it may not be possible to correct image stabilization caused by vibrations faster than a predetermined speed.

[0288] The image stabilization processing unit 1136 corrects image stabilization that cannot be corrected even when the drive unit 1135 is driven by signal processing based on the position and orientation of the main body unit 1111 of the imaging device 1101 supplied from the main body position and orientation detection unit 1132 via the drive control unit 1134, and the position and orientation of the image sensor 1181 supplied from the image sensor position and orientation detection unit 1133.

[0289] As described above, the imaging unit 1112 has a configuration in which the above-described multi-IMU 201 is attached for each unit area on the rear side of the imaging surface of the image sensor 401 in FIG. 35, for example.

[0290] Therefore, the IMU 1182 can output the acceleration and angular velocity for each unit area in the image sensor 1181 corresponding to the unit area 401a of the image sensor 401 in FIG.

[0291] Therefore, the image sensor position and orientation detection unit 1133 obtains information on the position and orientation of the unit area of ​​the image sensor 1181 corresponding to the unit area 401 a of the image sensor 401 in FIG.

[0292] The drive control unit 1134 acquires and stores information on the position and orientation of the unit area of ​​the image sensor 1181 corresponding to the unit area 401a of the image sensor 401 in Figure 35 supplied from the image sensor position and orientation detection unit 1133, and supplies this information to the image stabilization processing unit 1136.

[0293] Correspondingly, the image sensor 1181 outputs an image made up of pixel signals in units of unit areas, which correspond to the unit areas 401a of the image sensor 401 in FIG. 35 that make up the laminated IMU 1182, to the image stabilization processing unit 1136. Note that hereinafter, a group of pixels in a unit area on the image sensor 1181 that corresponds to the unit area 401a of the image sensor 401 in FIG. 35 will also be referred to as a pixel unit. Therefore, the IMU unit, which is the multi-IMU 201 for each unit area, and the pixel unit made up of a group of pixels in a unit area are corresponding configurations of the image sensor 1181 and the IMU 1182 in the unit area.

[0294] The image sensor 1181 of the imaging unit 1112 outputs pixel signals to the image stabilization processing unit 1136 in pixel units.

[0295] The image stabilization processing unit 1136 calculates a pixel-by-pixel motion vector from the position and orientation information of the image sensor 1181 of the unit area corresponding to the unit area 401a of the image sensor 401 in Figure 35, and performs correction processing according to the motion vector on the pixel signals of the pixel unit units supplied from the corresponding image sensor 1181, and buffers the result in the image frame buffer 1136a.

[0296] That is, the image stabilization processing unit 1136 calculates a motion vector from the position and orientation information supplied in units of pixel units, which are unit areas, and based on the calculated motion vector, applies image stabilization processing to the image in the corresponding pixel unit, repeats the buffering process, and once one frame has been buffered, outputs it to the output unit 1113.

[0297] For example, if there are N unit areas in the image sensor 1181, each consisting of an IMU unit and a pixel unit (pixel units #1 to #N and IMU units #1 to #N), the image stabilization processing unit 1136 performs processing in the procedure shown in the timing chart of Figure 41.

[0298] In addition, Figure 41 shows, from the top, the read timing of each pixel unit in the image sensor 1181, the timing at which the acceleration and angular velocity (position and attitude) of each IMU unit in the IMU 1182 is read, the timing at which correction processing is performed by the image stabilization processing unit 1136, the write timing to the image frame buffer 1136a, the accumulation timing to the image frame buffer 1136a, and the output timing of the image frame.

[0299] That is, when the synchronization signal indicating the readout of image frame synchronization signal n starts at the timing indicated by frame synchronization signal SyncFn, the unit synchronization signal indicating the readout of pixel unit #1, which is the first pixel unit, is simultaneously unit synchronization signal SyncU#1. The frame synchronization signal may have a frequency of, for example, 30 Hz, 60 Hz, or 120 Hz, and the unit synchronization signal may have a frequency of, for example, about 1 kHz to 10 kHz.

[0300] When the readout of image frame n starts in this frame synchronization signal SyncFn=unit synchronization signal SyncU#1, the pixel signal of pixel unit #1 is read out first in the image sensor 1181 and supplied to the image stabilization processing unit 1136.

[0301] At the same time, the acceleration and angular velocity of the corresponding IMU unit #1 are read out in the IMU 1182. Then, the image sensor position and orientation detection unit 1133 detects information about the position and orientation of the unit area in the image sensor 1181 that corresponds to the IMU unit #1, and supplies this information to the drive control unit 1134. Furthermore, the drive control unit 1134 supplies information about the position and orientation of the unit area in the image sensor 1181 that corresponds to the IMU unit #1 to the image stabilization processing unit 1136.

[0302] At the next timing, timing t1, the image stabilization processing unit 1136 calculates a motion vector based on the position and orientation information of the unit area corresponding to IMU unit #1, and uses the calculated motion vector to perform image stabilization processing on the pixel signal of the corresponding pixel unit #1, and stores the result in the image frame buffer 1136a.

[0303] Subsequently, in response to the unit synchronization signal SyncU#2, the pixel signal of the pixel unit #2 is read out by the image sensor 1181 and supplied to the image stabilization processing unit 1136.

[0304] At the same time, the acceleration and angular velocity of the corresponding IMU unit #2 are read out in the IMU 1182. Then, the image sensor position and orientation detection unit 1133 detects information about the position and orientation of the unit area in the image sensor 1181 that corresponds to IMU unit #2, and supplies this information to the drive control unit 1134. Furthermore, the drive control unit 1134 supplies information about the position and orientation of the unit area in the image sensor 1181 that corresponds to IMU unit #2 to the image stabilization processing unit 1136.

[0305] Then, at the next timing t2, the image stabilization processing unit 1136 calculates a motion vector based on the position and orientation information of the unit area corresponding to IMU unit #2, and uses the calculated motion vector to perform image stabilization processing on the pixel signal of the corresponding pixel unit #2, and stores it in the image frame buffer 1136a.

[0306] Thereafter, the same process is repeated up to pixel unit #N and IMU unit #N, and when one frame of image data that has been subjected to image stabilization processing is buffered in the image frame buffer 1136a, at the frame synchronization signal SyncF(n+1) = unit synchronization signal SyncU#1, which is the read timing for the next frame (n+1), the image stabilization processing unit 1136 outputs the image signal of frame n buffered in the image frame buffer 1136a to the output unit 1113.

[0307] Furthermore, when calculating the target control value for driving the drive unit 1135 that controls the position and attitude of the image sensor 1181, the position and attitude determined for each unit area, i.e., for each IMU unit, may be used so that control by the drive unit 1135 can be performed at high frequency.

[0308] Furthermore, when calculating the control quantity target value, it may be calculated using information such as an average value that is statistically determined from the position and orientation determined for each IMU unit for one frame, or it may be calculated using information on the position and orientation of a specific unit area.

[0309] <Image Capture Processing> Next, the image capture processing by the image capture device 1101 in FIG. 40 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0310] In step S401 , the IMU 1131 detects the acceleration and angular velocity of the main body 1111 and outputs them to the main body position and orientation detection unit 1132 .

[0311] In step S402, the translational motion calculation unit 1151 of the main body position and orientation detection unit 1132 detects the position of the main body 1111 by integration based on the acceleration information supplied from the IMU 1131, and outputs the result to the drive control unit 1134. The rotational motion calculation unit 1152 of the main body position and orientation detection unit 1132 detects the orientation of the main body 1111 by integration based on the angular velocity information supplied from the IMU 1132, and outputs the result to the drive control unit 1134.

[0312] In step S403, the image sensor 1181 captures an image.

[0313] In step S404, the image sensor 1181 and the IMU 1182 set an unprocessed unit area among the unit areas corresponding to the pixel unit and the IMU unit, respectively, as a unit area of ​​interest.

[0314] In step S405, the image sensor 1181 reads out pixel signals of the pixel unit corresponding to the unit area of ​​interest and outputs the signals to the image stabilization processing unit 1136.

[0315] In step S406 , the IMU 1182 detects the acceleration and angular velocity of the image sensor 1181 of the IMU unit corresponding to the unit area of ​​interest and outputs them to the image sensor position and orientation detection unit 1133 .

[0316] In step S407, the translational motion calculation unit 1171 of the image sensor position and orientation detection unit 1133 detects the position of the unit area of ​​interest of the image sensor 1181 by integration calculation based on information about the acceleration of the IMU unit corresponding to the unit area of ​​interest supplied from the IMU 1182, and outputs the result to the drive control unit 1134. The rotational motion calculation unit 1172 of the image sensor position and orientation detection unit 1133 detects the orientation of the unit area of ​​interest of the image sensor 1181 by integration calculation based on information about the angular velocity of the IMU unit corresponding to the unit area of ​​interest supplied from the IMU 1182 of the imaging unit 1112, and outputs the result to the drive control unit 1134.

[0317] The drive control unit 1134 supplies information on the position and orientation of the main body unit 1111 and information on the position and orientation of the unit area of ​​interest of the image sensor 1181 to the image stabilization processing unit 1136 .

[0318] In step S408, the image stabilization processing unit 1136 calculates a motion vector on a pixel-by-pixel basis in the unit area of ​​interest based on the position and orientation information of the main body unit 1111 and the position and orientation information of the unit area of ​​interest of the image sensor 1181, and applies image stabilization processing using the calculated motion vector on a pixel-by-pixel basis in the unit area of ​​interest.

[0319] In step S409, the image stabilization processing unit 1136 buffers the pixel signals of the unit area of ​​interest that have been subjected to the image stabilization processing in the image frame buffer 1136a.

[0320] In step S410, the image sensor 1181 and the IMU 1182 determine whether or not there are any unprocessed unit areas among the unit areas corresponding to the pixel units and the IMU units, respectively.

[0321] In step S410, if there is an unprocessed unit area, the process returns to step S404.

[0322] That is, the processes of steps S404 to S410 are repeated until the image stabilization process has been performed for all unit areas, and the image stabilization process is performed for each unit area, and the process of buffering the image in the image frame buffer 1136a is repeated.

[0323] Then, when the image stabilization process has been performed on all unit areas and it is determined in step S410 that there are no unprocessed unit areas, the process proceeds to step S411.

[0324] In step S 411 , the image stabilization processing unit 1136 reads out one frame of image that has been subjected to image stabilization processing and is buffered in the image frame buffer 1136 a , and outputs the image to the output unit 1113 .

[0325] In step S412, the drive control unit 1134 generates a control signal for controlling the drive unit 1135 based on the position and orientation information of the main body unit 1111 supplied from the main body position and orientation detection unit 1132 and the position and orientation information of the image sensor 1181 of the imaging unit 1112 supplied from the image sensor position and orientation detection unit 1133, and outputs the control signal to the drive unit 1135.

[0326] More specifically, the drive control unit 1134 controls the control quantity target value calculation unit 1134a to calculate a control quantity target value for the drive unit 1135 to position and position the image sensor 1181 in a predetermined state based on information on the position and attitude of the main body unit 1111 and information on the position and attitude of the image sensor 1181.

[0327] In step S413, the drive control unit 1134 generates a control signal for driving the drive unit 1135 based on the control amount target value calculated by the control amount target value calculation unit 1134a, and supplies it to the drive unit 1135 to control its driving.

[0328] In step S414, it is determined whether or not an instruction to end the image capturing process has been issued, and if an instruction to end the image capturing process has not been issued, the process returns to step S401.

[0329] That is, steps S401 to S414 are repeated until an instruction to end the image capturing process is given.

[0330] Then, in step S414, if an instruction to end the image capturing process is given, the process ends.

[0331] Through the above processing, the position and attitude of the image sensor 1181 are controlled by the drive unit 1135 based on the position and attitude information of the image sensor 1181 as well as the position and attitude information of the main body unit 1111, thereby enabling the image sensor 1181 to perform camera shake correction with high precision and at high speed.

[0332] In particular, since the IMU 1182 is provided integrated with the image sensor 1181, the position and attitude of the image sensor 1181 detected by the IMU 1182 can be properly detected, which enables the imaging device 1101 mounted on a mobile device 1100 such as a drone or vehicle to correct camera shake (shake caused by high-frequency vibrations of the motor, engine, etc.) caused by high-frequency vibrations of the drive motor, engine, etc. of the mobile device 1100.

[0333] In addition, since it is possible to correct the image captured by the image sensor 1181 through signal processing based on the position and posture information detected for each unit area, which is an image unit corresponding to the IMU unit, it is possible to correct camera shake with higher accuracy.

[0334] In the above, we have explained an example in which a motion vector is calculated based on information on the position and orientation of the main body 1111 and information on the position and orientation of the image sensor 1181 to realize image stabilization processing. However, since it is considered that the influence of high-frequency vibrations on the position and orientation of the main body 1111 is small, it is also possible to calculate a motion vector only from information on the position and orientation of the image sensor 1181, and realize image stabilization processing by signal processing.

[0335] <Number of IMU Units and Image Stabilization Accuracy> Although an example has been described above in which one image sensor 1181 is configured with N IMU units each made up of the multi-IMU 201, N may be any number as long as it is 1 or greater.

[0336] Therefore, for example, as shown in the left part of Figure 43, it may be a multi-IMU 201B1 that constitutes an IMU unit when N is 1, as shown in the center part of Figure 43, it may be a multi-IMU 201B4 that constitutes an IMU unit when N is 4, as shown in the right part of Figure 43, it may be a multi-IMU 201B16 that constitutes an IMU unit when N is 16, or it may be any number greater than that.

[0337] Furthermore, the larger the number N of multi-IMUs 201 that make up the IMU unit, the more accurate the image stabilization can be achieved, but as the number increases, the processing load and power consumption increase, and costs also increase, resulting in a trade-off between the accuracy of the image stabilization process and the processing load, power consumption, and cost. For this reason, it is desirable to determine the number of multi-IMUs based on the accuracy and cost required for the purpose.

[0338] <<5. Second Modification of Second Embodiment>> Note that, in the above, an example of the imaging unit 1112 has been described in which the image sensor 1181 and the IMU 1182 are integrated together in the same manner as the image sensor 401 and the multi-IMU 201 as shown in FIG. 35 . However, other configurations may be used as long as the image sensor 1181 and the IMU 1182 are configured in a contact state, and the position and orientation of the image sensor 1181 can be determined by the IMU 1182.

[0339] For example, as shown in FIG. 44, a configuration may be adopted in which a standalone IMU 1182 is provided in contact with the side surface of an image sensor 1181.

[0340] 44 also shows a configuration example in which the drive unit 1135 is also integrated around the image sensor 1181. That is, as shown in Fig. 44, the imaging unit 1112 may be configured such that the image sensor 1181, IMU 1182, and drive unit 1135 are integrated together, and for example, a package structure of the imaging element in which these are integrated may be formed.

[0341] Furthermore, the imaging unit 1112 may be configured by further integrating the image sensor 401 and the multi-IMU 201 described with reference to FIG. 35 with a driving unit 1135, and for example, a package structure of an imaging element integrating these may be formed.

[0342] <<6. Example of Execution by Software>> The above-described series of processes can be executed by hardware, but can also be executed by software. When the series of processes is executed by software, the program constituting the software is installed from a recording medium into a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware, or into, for example, a general-purpose computer that can execute various functions by installing various programs.

[0343] Fig. 45 shows an example of the configuration of a general-purpose computer. This personal computer has a built-in CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11001. An input / output interface 11005 is connected to the CPU 11001 via a bus 11004. A ROM (Read Only Memory) 11002 and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 11003 are connected to the bus 11004.

[0344] The input / output interface 11005 is connected to an input unit 11006 including input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse through which a user inputs operation commands, an output unit 11007 that outputs a processing operation screen and images of processing results to a display device, a storage unit 11008 including a hard disk drive or the like that stores programs and various data, and a communication unit 11009 including a LAN (Local Area Network) adapter or the like that executes communication processing via a network typified by the Internet. Also connected is a drive 11010 that reads and writes data from / to a removable storage medium 11011 such as a magnetic disk (including a flexible disk), an optical disk (including a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) and a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)), a magneto-optical disk (including an MD (Mini Disc)), or a semiconductor memory.

[0345] The CPU 11001 executes various processes in accordance with a program stored in a ROM 11002 or a program read from a removable storage medium 11011 such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory and installed in a storage unit 11008, and loaded from the storage unit 11008 into a RAM 11003. The RAM 11003 also stores data necessary for the CPU 11001 to execute various processes as appropriate.

[0346] In a computer configured as described above, the CPU 11001 performs the above-described series of processes by, for example, loading a program stored in the memory unit 11008 into the RAM 11003 via the input / output interface 11005 and the bus 11004 and executing it.

[0347] The program executed by the computer (CPU 11001) can be provided by being recorded on a removable storage medium 11011 such as a package medium, for example. The program can also be provided via a wired or wireless transmission medium such as a local area network, the Internet, or digital satellite broadcasting.

[0348] In a computer, a program can be installed in the storage unit 11008 via the input / output interface 11005 by inserting the removable storage medium 11011 into the drive 11010. The program can also be received by the communication unit 11009 via a wired or wireless transmission medium and installed in the storage unit 11008. Alternatively, the program can be installed in advance in the ROM 11002 or the storage unit 11008.

[0349] The program executed by the computer may be a program that processes in chronological order according to the order described in this specification, or may be a program that processes in parallel or at the required timing, such as when called.

[0350] It should be noted that the CPU 11001 in FIG. 45 realizes the functions of the drive control unit 1134 and the camera shake correction processing unit 1136 in FIG.

[0351] In this specification, a system refers to a collection of multiple components (devices, modules (components), etc.), regardless of whether all of the components are housed in the same housing. Therefore, multiple devices housed in separate housings and connected via a network, and a single device housed in a single housing with multiple modules, are both systems.

[0352] Furthermore, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure.

[0353] The present disclosure may also be configured as follows. <1> An optical detection device comprising: a photodetection element that detects light; and an angular velocity sensor that detects the angular velocity of the photodetection element, wherein the angular velocity sensor has a backside resonator between the photodetection element and a substrate on which it is mounted and that absorbs vibrations of the angular velocity sensor. <2> The optical detection device according to <1>, wherein the angular velocity sensor is composed of one oscillator that detects the angular velocity in three dimensions, and the three-dimensional angular velocity is detected from the one oscillator. <3> The optical detection device according to <1>, wherein the angular velocity sensor is composed of three oscillators that detect the angular velocity in one dimension for each of three orthogonal dimensions, and the three-dimensional angular velocity is detected from the three oscillators. <4> The optical detection device according to <3>, wherein the three oscillators in the angular velocity sensor are arranged in a predetermined positional relationship. <5> The optical detection device according to <4>, wherein of the three oscillators in the angular velocity sensor, at least two oscillators that detect the angular velocity in orthogonal dimensions are arranged orthogonal to each other. <6> The optical detection device according to <4>, wherein a predetermined number of the angular velocity sensors are arranged in a two-dimensional array. <7> The optical detection device according to <6>, wherein the predetermined number of the angular velocity sensors arranged in the two-dimensional array are all arranged in the same direction. <8> The optical detection device according to <6>, wherein the predetermined number of the angular velocity sensors arranged in the two-dimensional array are arranged such that every other one of the angular velocity sensors is rotated 90 degrees in each direction. <9> The optical detection device according to <6>, further including an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration of the optical detection element, wherein the acceleration sensor is composed of one vibrator that detects the acceleration in three dimensions, and the three-dimensional acceleration is detected from the one vibrator. <10> The optical detection device according to <6>, further including an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration of the optical detection element, wherein the acceleration sensor is composed of three vibrators that detect the acceleration in one dimension for each of three orthogonal dimensions, and the three-dimensional acceleration is detected from the three vibrators. <11> The light detection device according to <10>, wherein the three vibrators in the acceleration sensor are arranged in a predetermined positional relationship.<12> The optical detection device according to <11>, wherein at least two of the three vibrators in the acceleration sensor, which detect acceleration in orthogonal dimensions, are arranged orthogonally. <13> The optical detection device according to <12>, wherein a predetermined number of the acceleration sensors are arranged in a two-dimensional array. <14> The optical detection device according to <13>, wherein the predetermined number of acceleration sensors arranged in the two-dimensional array are all arranged in the same direction. <15> The optical detection device according to <13>, wherein the predetermined number of acceleration sensors arranged in the two-dimensional array are arranged such that every other one of the acceleration sensors is rotated 90 degrees in each dimensional direction. <16> The optical detection device according to <13>, wherein, when comparing the acceleration and the angular velocity in a device in which the optical detection device is mounted, emphasis is placed on the detection of acceleration, the area in which the acceleration sensors are arranged is made larger than the area in which the angular velocity sensors are arranged. <17> The optical detection device according to <16>, wherein weights constituting the vibrators constituting the acceleration sensors are made significantly heavier. <18> The optical detection device according to <13>, wherein, when a device in which the optical detection device is installed places importance on detecting the angular velocity in a comparison between the acceleration and the angular velocity, the area in which the angular velocity sensors are arranged is made larger than the area in which the acceleration sensors are arranged. <19> The optical detection device according to <18>, wherein a larger number of angular velocity sensors are arranged. <20> The optical detection device according to <3>, wherein, when a device in which the optical detection device is installed places importance on each dimension of the three-dimensional angular velocity, the optical detection device according to <3>, wherein, of the transducers that detect the angular velocity of one of the three types of dimensions constituting the angular velocity sensor, a larger number of transducers that detect the angular velocity of the one-dimensional angular velocity of the dimension with higher importance are arranged, and a smaller number of transducers that detect the angular velocity of the one-dimensional angular velocity of the dimension with lower importance are arranged. <21> The optical detection device according to <1>, wherein the optical detection element is an RGB camera, a depth sensor, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging, Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), or a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor.

[0354] DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 201, 201A to 201K Multi-IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), 221 MEMS, 221A Acceleration sensor, 221G Angular velocity sensor, 223 Signal processing circuit, 301 MEMS layer, 302 Anchor, 303, 303s Backside resonator, 303a, 303as Fixing section, 303b, 303bs Damper section, 303c, 303cs Table section, 401 Image sensor, 1100 Mobile device, 1101 Imaging device, 1111 Main body section, 1112 Imaging section, 1113 Output section, 1131 IMU, 1132 Main body position and orientation detection section, 1133 Image sensor position and orientation detection section, 1134 Drive control section, 1135 Drive section, 1136 camera shake correction processing unit, 1151 translational motion calculation unit, 1152 rotational motion calculation unit, 1171 translational motion calculation unit, 1172 rotational motion calculation unit, 1181 image sensor, 1182 IMU, 1191 image recording unit, 1192 transmission unit

Claims

1. A photodetection device comprising: a photodetection element that detects light; and an angular velocity sensor that detects the angular velocity of said photodetection element, wherein said angular velocity sensor has a backside resonator between itself and a substrate on which it is mounted that absorbs vibrations of said angular velocity sensor.

2. The optical detection device according to claim 1, wherein the angular velocity sensor is composed of a single vibrator that detects the angular velocity in three dimensions, and the angular velocity in three dimensions is detected from the single vibrator.

3. The optical detection device according to claim 1, wherein the angular velocity sensor is composed of three vibrators that detect the angular velocity in one dimension for each of three orthogonal dimensions, and the angular velocity in three dimensions is detected from the three vibrators.

4. The optical detection device according to claim 3, wherein the three vibrators in the angular velocity sensor are arranged in a predetermined positional relationship.

5. The optical detection device according to claim 4, wherein at least two of the three vibrators in the angular velocity sensor that detect the angular velocity in orthogonal dimensions are arranged orthogonally.

6. The optical detection device according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined number of angular velocity sensors are arranged in a two-dimensional array.

7. The optical detection device according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined number of angular velocity sensors arranged in the two-dimensional array are all arranged in the same direction.

8. The optical detection device according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined number of angular velocity sensors arranged in the two-dimensional array are arranged in such a manner that every other one of the angular velocity sensors is rotated by 90 degrees in each direction.

9. The optical detection device according to claim 6, further comprising an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration of the optical detection element, the acceleration sensor being composed of a single vibrator that detects the acceleration in three dimensions, and the acceleration in three dimensions is detected from the single vibrator.

10. The optical detection device according to claim 6, further comprising an acceleration sensor for detecting the acceleration of the optical detection element, the acceleration sensor being composed of three vibrators for detecting the acceleration in one dimension for each of three orthogonal dimensions, and detecting the acceleration in three dimensions from the three vibrators.

11. The optical detection device according to claim 10, wherein the three vibrators in the acceleration sensor are arranged in a predetermined positional relationship.

12. The optical detection device according to claim 11, wherein at least two of the three vibrators in the acceleration sensor that detect the acceleration in orthogonal dimensions are arranged orthogonally.

13. The optical detection device according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined number of acceleration sensors are arranged in a two-dimensional array.

14. The optical detection device according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined number of acceleration sensors arranged in the two-dimensional array are all arranged in the same direction.

15. The optical detection device according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined number of acceleration sensors arranged in the two-dimensional array are arranged in such a manner that every other one of the acceleration sensors is rotated by 90 degrees in each direction.

16. The optical detection device according to claim 13, wherein, when the detection of acceleration is emphasized in comparing the acceleration and the angular velocity in the equipment in which the optical detection device is mounted, the area in which the acceleration sensor is arranged is made larger than the area in which the angular velocity sensor is arranged.

17. The optical detection device according to claim 16, wherein the weight constituting the vibrator constituting the acceleration sensor is made large.

18. The optical detection device according to claim 13, wherein, when the detection of the angular velocity is emphasized in comparing the acceleration and the angular velocity in the equipment in which the optical detection device is mounted, the area in which the angular velocity sensor is disposed is made larger than the area in which the acceleration sensor is disposed.

19. The optical detection device according to claim 18, wherein a greater number of the angular velocity sensors are arranged.

20. The optical detection device according to claim 3, wherein, in the equipment in which the optical detection device is mounted, when the importance of each dimension of the three-dimensional angular velocity differs, among the vibrators that detect the angular velocity in one dimension of the three types of dimensions that make up the angular velocity sensor, a greater number of vibrators that detect the angular velocity in the one dimension of the higher importance are arranged, and a fewer number of vibrators that detect the angular velocity in the one dimension of the lower importance are arranged.

21. The light detection device according to claim 1, wherein the light detection element is an RGB camera, a depth sensor, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging, Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), or a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor.

Images