1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tuning fork vibrator for use in a device for correcting an error caused by hand movements or vibrations that occur during operation of a video camera, for example, a vibrating gyroscope including the vibrator, an electronic apparatus including the vibrator, and a method of manufacturing the tuning fork vibrator.
2. Description of the Related Art
Examples of conventional tuning fork vibrators are disclosed in Patent Document 1 (referred to below as Conventional Example 1) and Patent Document 2 (referred to below as Conventional Example 2).
In the tuning fork vibrator of the Conventional Example 1, as shown in FIG. 22, a tuning fork vibrator 1 includes a long plate-shaped piezoelectric member 2, in which a slit 3 is formed to extend from the first principal surface thereof to the second principal surface by cutting the piezoelectric member 2 from one end thereof so as to form two legs 4 and 5.
A tuning fork vibrator in the Conventional Example 2, as shown in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 2, includes two piezoelectric columnar vibrators arranged such that an end of each of the vibrators is fixed to a base.
The description of driving methods of conventional tuning fork vibrators is omitted.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 8-128830
Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-193458
It is difficult to manufacture the tuning fork vibrator according to the Conventional Example 1 by cutting a piezoelectric member from the first principal surface or the second principal surface using a dicing saw to form a slit between two legs. As shown in FIG. 23, a block 6 is made by bonding a plurality of piezoelectric members prior to forming slits in the thickness direction and the width direction, slits 3 are formed on the block 6 using a wire saw or a dicing saw, and the piezoelectric members 2 that are bonded together are separated.
However, this method complicates the manufacturing process by requiring initial bonding of the piezoelectric members which must be followed by the step of separating them. If an electrode is formed on the first principal surface or the second principal surface of the tuning fork vibrator, the electrode must be formed for each separated tuning fork vibrator, which further complicates the manufacturing process. If the electrodes are formed on a mother substrate prior to forming slits, the electrode-forming process must be performed prior to the slit-forming process, such that the positional accuracy of the electrodes on a leg portion deteriorates.
On the other hand, since in the tuning fork vibrator according to the Conventional Example 2, each vibrator is columnar-shaped, each vibrator is easily separated from a mother substrate using a dicing saw. Electrodes formed in advance on a front surface of the mother substrate, on which grooves are made by a dicing saw, can be separated prior to separating each vibrator with the same dicing saw. Since the separation of the electrodes and the separation of the vibrators are performed in a single process, the problems of Conventional Example 1 are eliminated.
However, in the Conventional Example 2, because the vibrator is not integral with a base, the number of parts increases which complicates the manufacturing process. In addition, when two vibrators are fixed to one base, positional displacement and unbalanced fixing strength make it difficult to achieve a well-balanced tuning fork vibrator.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds