Micromechanical Spring Fork Structure for Non-Linearity Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Micromechanical rotation rate sensors face mechanical non-linearity due to direct connection of spring structures, which previous optimizations have not adequately addressed through modified substrate anchors or mass connections.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a fork with support arms on the spring beam ends anchored to a rigid micromechanical structure, forming a frame that reduces tensile and compression stresses, thereby minimizing mechanical non-linearity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If spring structures are directly connected to substrate anchor and mass structures, then device complexity is reduced, but mechanical non-linearity increases due to transmitted lateral tensile forces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a fork structure with support arms as an intermediary element between the spring beam and the substrate anchor/mass structure. This fork structure acts as a mediator that decouples the direct connection, allowing the spring structure to move while the fork absorbs and redistributes lateral tensile forces through its geometry, preventing these forces from being transmitted to the spring structure and thus maintaining mechanical linearity.
2Reliability
If fork structure with support arms is introduced to reduce lateral tensile forces, then mechanical non-linearity is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fork structure segments the connection function into multiple components: the fork body attached to the spring beam, and multiple support arms extending to different anchor points. This segmentation allows each support arm to independently handle force transmission, distributing the mechanical load and reducing lateral tensile forces on the spring structure while maintaining overall structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The fork structure with its support arms extends the connection into additional spatial dimensions. Instead of a single-point or simple line connection, the support arms create a distributed connection pattern in multiple directions, effectively using geometric arrangement in additional dimensions to cancel out lateral force components through symmetric or balanced configurations.
3Reliability
If fork structure is used to relieve spring structures, then mechanical non-linearity is reduced, but installation space requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fork structure is designed with dynamic geometry where the support arms can flex and adapt during operation. The structure allows for dynamic adjustment of force distribution paths, enabling the same fork structure to accommodate varying displacement amplitudes while maintaining optimal force cancellation, thus reducing the need for excessive installation space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes geometric parameters of the fork structure, such as support arm length, angle, and thickness, to achieve effective force cancellation with minimal space occupation. By carefully tuning these parameters, the design achieves the desired mechanical linearity improvement while constraining the overall footprint to acceptable limits for micromechanical sensor applications.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The proposed solution effectively reduces mechanical non-linearity by more than 50% in some cases, as demonstrated by simulation results, while optimizing the use of installation space and maintaining the functionality of the spring structure.
Implementation Method 1
Tensile stresses and compression stresses, which occur during direct suspension, are advantageously reduced by the fork and the frame structure formed as a result
Data Source
AI summary
A micromechanical spring structure, including a spring beam and a rigid micromechanical structure, the spring beam including a first end and an opposing second end along a main extension direction. The spring beam includes a fork having two support arms on at least one of the two ends, which is anchored to the rigid micromechanical structure, the two support arms being anchored to a surface of the rigid micromechanical structure, which extends perpendicular to the main extension direction of the spring beam.