An example system comprising: a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) vibrating beam accelerometer (VBA) comprising: a proof mass; and a first resonator mechanically coupled to the proof mass; a first electrode configured to apply a force to the proof mass.

A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometer sensor has a mobile mass and a sensing capacitor. To self-test the sensor, a test signal having a variably controlled excitation voltage and a fixed pulse width is applied to the sensing capacitor. The leading and trailing edges of the test signal are aligned to coincide with reset phases of a sensing circuit coupled to the sensing capacitor. The variably controlled excitation voltage of the test signal is configured to cause an electrostatic force which produces a desired physical displacement of the mobile mass. During a read phase of the sensing circuit, a variation in capacitance of sensing capacitor due to the actual physical displacement of the mobile mass is sensed for comparison to the desired physical displacement.

An inertial sensor such as a MEMS accelerometer or gyroscope has a proof mass that is driven by a self-test signal, with the response of the proof mass to the self-test signal being used to determine whether the sensor is within specification. The self-test signal is provided as a non-periodic self-test pattern that does not correlate with noise such as environmental vibrations that are also experienced by the proof mass during the self-test procedure. The sense output signal corresponding to the proof mass is correlated with the non-periodic self-test signal, such that an output correlation value corresponds only to the proof mass response to the applied self-test signal.

A MEMS device includes a first MEMS sensor associated with a first spatial plane and a second MEMS sensor is associated with a spatial second plane not co-planar with the first spatial plane, wherein the first MEMS sensor is configured to provide a first interrupt and a first data in response to a physical perturbation, wherein the second MEMS sensor is configured to provide a second interrupt and second data in response to the physical perturbation, and a controller configured to receive the first interrupt at a first time and the second interrupt at a second time different from the first time, wherein the controller is configured to determine a latency between the first time and the second time, and wherein the controller is configured to determine motion data in response to the first data, to the second data, and to the latency.

A MEMS device includes a first MEMS sensor associated with a first spatial plane and a second MEMS sensor is associated with a spatial second plane not co-planar with the first spatial plane, wherein the first MEMS sensor is configured to provide a first interrupt and a first data in response to a physical perturbation, wherein the second MEMS sensor is configured to provide a second interrupt and second data in response to the physical perturbation, and a controller configured to receive the first interrupt at a first time and the second interrupt at a second time different from the first time, wherein the controller is configured to determine a latency between the first time and the second time, and wherein the controller is configured to determine motion data in response to the first data, to the second data, and to the latency.

An example system comprising: a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) vibrating beam accelerometer (VBA) comprising: a proof mass; and a first resonator mechanically coupled to the proof mass; a first electrode configured to apply a force to the proof mass.

A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometer sensor has a mobile mass and a sensing capacitor. To self-test the sensor, a test signal is applied to the sensing capacitor during a reset phase of a sensing circuit coupled to the sensing capacitor. The test signal is configured to cause an electrostatic force which produces a physical displacement of the mobile mass corresponding to a desired acceleration value. Then, during a read phase of the sensing circuit, a variation in capacitance of sensing capacitor due to the physical displacement of the mobile mass is sensed. This sensed variation in capacitance is converted to a sensed acceleration value. A comparison of the sensed acceleration value to the desired acceleration value provides an indication of an error in operation of the MEMS accelerometer sensor if the sensed acceleration value and desired acceleration value are not substantially equal.

A MEMS accelerometer includes proof masses that move in-phase in response to a sensed linear acceleration. Self-test drive circuitry imparts an out-of-phase movement onto the proof masses. The motion of the proof masses in response to the linear acceleration and the self-test movement is sensed as a sense signal on common sense electrodes. Processing circuitry extracts from a linear acceleration signal corresponding to the in-phase movement due to linear acceleration and a self-test signal corresponding to the out-of-phase movement due to the self-test drive signal.

A MEMS accelerometer includes proof masses that move in-phase in response to a sensed linear acceleration. Self-test drive circuitry imparts an out-of-phase movement onto the proof masses. The motion of the proof masses in response to the linear acceleration and the self-test movement is sensed as a sense signal on common sense electrodes. Processing circuitry extracts from a linear acceleration signal corresponding to the in-phase movement due to linear acceleration and a self-test signal corresponding to the out-of-phase movement due to the self-test drive signal.

A MEMS accelerometer includes proof masses that move in-phase in response to a sensed linear acceleration. Self-test drive circuitry imparts an out-of-phase movement onto the proof masses. The motion of the proof masses in response to the linear acceleration and the self-test movement is sensed as a sense signal on common sense electrodes. Processing circuitry extracts from a linear acceleration signal corresponding to the in-phase movement due to linear acceleration and a self-test signal corresponding to the out-of-phase movement due to the self-test drive signal.