A hinge for a microelectromechanical system includes a fixed part and a part movable relative to the fixed part along at least an out-of-plane direction, the hinge being intended to suspend the moving part from the fixed part. The hinge includes a first rigid part, a second part fixed to the first part at one end and intended to be anchored to the fixed part or the moving part. The second part deforms in bending in a first direction, two third parts are fixed to the first part and are anchored to the moving part or the fixed part, and the third parts deform in bending along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) sensing apparatus, including a laser arrangement configured to generate a light beam, a first waveguide configured to receive and output the light beam, and a second waveguide aligned endface to endface with the first waveguide. The second waveguide may be configured to receive at least a portion of the light beam from the first waveguide via optical coupling through the aligned endfaces. Either the first or second waveguide may be configured to be moveable in response to an inertial change of the apparatus, wherein movement of the first or second waveguide causes a corresponding change in light intensity of the portion of the light beam, the change in light intensity indicating a measure of the inertial change. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

A MEMS type inertial sensor comprising a support structure having at least a first seismic body and a second seismic body connected thereto by resilient means in order to be movable in a suspension plane, transducers for maintaining the seismic bodies in vibration and for determining movements of the seismic bodies in the suspension plane, and a control unit connected to the transducers by electrical conductor means. The transducers comprise at least one electrode secured to the first seismic body and at least one electrode secured to the second seismic body, the two electrodes being arranged to enable relative movements of the seismic bodies relative to each other in the suspension plane to be measured directly.

The present invention discloses a three-axis accelerometer. The three-axis accelerometer comprises: a substrate; at least one anchor block fixedly disposed on the substrate; a first X-axis electrode, a second X-axis electrode, a first Y-axis electrode, a second Y-axis electrode, a first Z-axis electrode and a second Z-axis electrode all fixedly disposed on the substrate; a framework suspended above the substrate and comprising a first beam column, a second beam column disposed opposite to the first beam column and at least one connecting beam connecting the first beam column and the second beam column; a proof mass suspended above the substrate; and at least one elastic connection component configured to elastically connect to the at least anchor block, the connecting beam, and the proof mass. The three-axis accelerometer can realize high-precision acceleration detection on three axes with only one proof mass, and in particular, can provide a fully differential detection signal for the Z axis, thereby greatly improving detection precision.

A multi-axis, single mass acceleration sensor includes a three-dimensional frame, a test mass, a plurality of transducers, and a plurality of struts. The test mass may have three principal axes disposed within and spaced apart from the frame. The transducers are mechanically coupled to the frame. The struts are configured to couple to the central mass at each of the three principal axes, respectively, and to couple with respective sets of the transducers, thereby suspending the test mass within the frame. The sensor is thus responsive to translational motion in multiple independent directions and to rotational motion about multiple independent axes.

A combined MicroElectroMechanical structure (MEMS) includes a first piezoelectric membrane having one or more first electrodes, the first piezoelectric membrane being affixed between a first holder and a second holder; and a second piezoelectric membrane having an inertial mass and one or more second electrodes, the second piezoelectric membrane being affixed between the second holder and a third holder.

A hermetically-sealed multi-directional single-proof-mass accelophone that demonstrates a high sensitivity to micro-gravity level accelerations in a wide operational bandwidth by utilizing nano-scale transductions gaps and vacuum packaging. Stable operation of the wafer-level-packaged sensor is validated over a wide operational bandwidth greater than 10 kHz. Developing a noise-matched custom interface IC should enable a sensor noise performance near the Brownian noise floor of below 10 μg/√Hz. The sensor can be applied in detection of vital mechano-acoustic signals emanating from the body and can be easily incorporated in existing wearable health monitoring devices for multi-faceted health monitoring using a single integrated sensor.

A combined MicroElectroMechanical structure (MEMS) includes a first piezoelectric membrane having one or more first electrodes, the first piezoelectric membrane being affixed between a first holder and a second holder; and a second piezoelectric membrane having an inertial mass and one or more second electrodes, the second piezoelectric membrane being affixed between the second holder and a third holder.

A three-axis accelerometer includes a single, integrated mass including at least one lateral (x-y) proof mass and at least one vertical (z) proof mass. The vertical proof mass is arranged as a teeter-totter mass, which is located within the lateral proof mass. The vertical proof mass is mechanically coupled to the lateral proof mass with one or more torsional springs, and the lateral proof mass is mechanically coupled to one or more anchors with one or more lateral springs. The at least one vertical proof mass may be symmetrically positioned about one or more axes of the three-axis accelerometer, so that the 3-axis accelerometer has in-plane symmetry. The three-axis accelerometer may be less susceptible for mechanical cross-talk or noise and may provide a smaller packaged solution for sensing acceleration in three directions.

An acceleration vector is detected in a kept-still state of a measurement target portion such as thighs of a target person to which an inertial sensor is attached, and further, another acceleration vector is detected in a state in which the target person is allowed to carry out exercise such that a posture of the measurement target portion is caused to change in a direction around a Yb axis with a Yb-axis direction of the measurement target portion maintained in a direction that perpendicularly intersects a vertical direction, direction in a sensor coordinate system the Yb-axis direction of the measurement target portion corresponds to is identified on the basis of a cross product vector of the acceleration vector and another acceleration vector.