Methods of determining movement and devices that can be configured to function as an accelerometer, a gyroscope or a magnetometer and is comprised of a sensing element suspended by acoustic waves, and a measurement system capable of determining the position, or rotation of the sensing element without introducing any residual force on the sensing element. The acoustic suspension of the sensing element provides a virtually friction, and torque free method of constraining the sensing element, but not hindering its ability to sense accelerations, rotations or magnetic fields.

A MEMS sensor comprising preloaded suspension springs and a method for mechanically preloading suspension springs of a MEMS sensor are described. The MEMS sensor comprises a MEMS support structure; a plurality of suspension springs connected to the support structure; and, a proof mass flexibly suspended by the suspension springs; wherein at least one of the suspension springs is mechanically preloaded with a compressive force for reducing the natural frequency of said proof mass.

A servo control signal is binarized using a digital delta-sigma modulator. The digital delta-sigma modulator forms a feedback loop including a digital adder/subtractor, a digital integrator, and a one-bit quantizer to perform pulse-density modulation of the input servo control signal and output the signal as a binary value of +1 or 1.

There is provided a resonant sensor comprising: a substrate; a proof mass suspended from the substrate by one or more flexures to allow the proof mass to move relative to the frame along a sensitive axis; a first and a second resonant element connected between the frame and the proof mass; wherein the proof mass is positioned between the first and the second resonant element along the sensitive axis, and wherein the first and the second resonant elements have a substantially identical structure to one another; and drive and sensing circuitry comprising: a first electrode assembly coupled to first drive circuitry configured to drive the first resonant element in a first mode; a second electrode assembly coupled to second drive circuitry configured to drive the second resonant element in a second mode, different to the first mode; and a sensing circuit configured to determine a measure of acceleration.

A physical quantity sensor has a first movable section, a second movable section that has a rotational moment, which is generated when acceleration is applied, that is different from the first movable section, a movable section that is supported so as to be able to rock about an axis which is positioned between the first movable section and the second movable section, a first detection electrode which is arranged so as to oppose the first movable section, a second detection electrode which is arranged so as to oppose the second movable section, and a frame-form section which is arranged so as to surround at least a portion of the periphery of the movable section in planar view of the movable section and which has the same potential as the movable section.

Systems and methods are disclosed for generating temperature compensated acceleration data in analog and digital format from a torque balance accelerometer (TBA). During manufacture of the TBA, a calibration process is used for measuring a TBA scale factor and offset. After collecting scale and offset data, said data is loaded into the memory of the TBA. Field operation of the device includes: sensing a current temperature, retrieving the closest scale and offset correction factors from memory of the TBA, and performing linear interpolation to generate a temperature-compensated output for the TBA.

An accelerometer includes a planar proof mass mounted to a fixed substrate so as to be linearly moveable in an out-of-plane sensing direction in response to an applied acceleration. The proof mass includes first and second sets of moveable capacitive electrode fingers extending from the proof mass perpendicular to the sensing direction in a first in-plane direction and laterally spaced in a second in-plane direction perpendicular to the sensing direction. The moveable capacitive electrode fingers interdigitate with corresponding sets of fixed capacitive electrode fingers mounted to the substrate. The first set of fixed fingers has a thickness less than a thickness of the first set of moveable fingers; and wherein the second set of fixed fingers has a thickness greater than a thickness of the second set of moveable fingers.

An accelerometer includes a planar proof mass mounted to a fixed substrate so as to be linearly moveable in an out-of-plane sensing direction in response to an applied acceleration. The proof mass includes first and second sets of moveable capacitive electrode fingers extending from the proof mass perpendicular to the sensing direction in a first in-plane direction and laterally spaced in a second in-plane direction perpendicular to the sensing direction. The moveable capacitive electrode fingers interdigitate with corresponding sets of fixed capacitive electrode fingers mounted to the substrate. The first set of fixed fingers has a thickness less than a thickness of the first set of moveable fingers; and wherein the second set of fixed fingers has a thickness greater than a thickness of the second set of moveable fingers.

One embodiment includes a gyroscope system. The system includes a sensor system comprising a vibrating-mass and electrodes each arranged to provide one of a driving force and a force-rebalance to the vibrating-mass in each of three orthogonal axes. The system also includes a gyroscope controller that generates a drive signal provided to a first electrode of the electrodes to provide the driving force to facilitate an in-plane periodic oscillatory motion of the vibrating-mass along a first axis of the three orthogonal axes. The gyroscope controller also generates a force-rebalance signal provided to each of a second electrode and a third electrode of the plurality of electrodes associated with a respective second axis and a respective third axis of the three orthogonal axes to calculate a rotation of the gyroscope system about the respective second axis and the respective third axis of the three orthogonal axes.

A MEMS system includes a proof mass, an anchor, an amplifier, first and second sense elements and their corresponding feedback elements. The proof mass moves responsive to a stimulus. The anchor coupled to the proof mass via a spring. The amplifier receives a proof mass signal from the proof mass and amplifies the signal to generate an output signal. The first sense element is connected between the proof mass and a first input signal and the second sense element is connected between the proof mass and a second input signal. The second input signal has a polarity opposite to the first input signal. The first feedback element is connected between the proof mass and the output signal and its charges change responsive to proof mass displacement. The second feedback element is connected between the proof mass and the output signal and its charges change in response to proof mass displacement.