Inertial Sensors with Reduced Sensitivity to Quadrature Errors and Micromachining Inaccuracies

• US 20110030474A1
• Filed: 08/04/2009
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Kuang, Jinbo, Geen, John A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,266,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/504.16
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5712 the devices involving a micromechanical structure

Abstract

Inertial sensors with reduced sensitivity to quadrature errors and micromachining inaccuracies include a gyroscope incorporating two specially-configured single-axis gyroscopes for sensing rotations about two orthogonal axes (the axes of sensitivity) in the device plane, where each single-axis gyroscope includes a resonator having two rotationally-dithered shuttles interconnected by a fork and each shuttle is configured to tilt out-of-plane along a tilt axis perpendicular to the axis of sensitivity and includes corresponding Coriolis sensing electrodes positioned along an axis perpendicular to the tilt axis (i.e., parallel to the axis of sensitivity). The two single-axis gyroscopes may be interconnected, e.g., by one or more in-phase or anti-phase couplings interconnecting the forks and/or the shuttles.

Claims

1. A MEMS gyroscope comprising:

a first resonator configured for sensing rotation about a first axis (e.g., x axis) in a device plane, the first resonator including a first pair of shuttles suspended by a first plurality of suspension flexures and interconnected by a first fork, the first plurality of suspension flexures configured to allow the first pair of shuttles to be rotationally dithered in the device plane and to tilt out-of-plane about respective tilt axes (e.g., axes y1 and y2) perpendicular to the first axis;

a second resonator configured for sensing rotation about a second axis (e.g., y axis) normal to the first axis in the device plane, the second resonator including a second pair of shuttles suspended by a second plurality of suspension flexures and interconnected by a second fork, the second plurality of suspension flexures configured to allow the second pair of shuttles to be rotationally dithered in the device plane and to tilt out-of-plane about a tilt axis perpendicular to the second axis (e.g., axis x2);

a first set of Coriolis sensing electrodes underlying the first pair of shuttles and positioned along an axis (e.g., axis x1) parallel to the first axis to sense tilting of the first pair of shuttles about their respective tilt axes (e.g., axes y1 and y2); and

a second set of Coriolis sensing electrodes underlying the second pair of shuttles and positioned along the first resonator tilt axes (e.g., axes y1 and y2) to sense tilting of the second pair of shuttles about their tilt axis (e.g., axis x2).

2. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 1, wherein the first resonator and the second resonator operate in-phase with one another.

3. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 1, wherein the first resonator and the second resonator operate in anti-phase with one another.

4. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 1, wherein the suspension flexures include at least one elongated member and at least one shorter member, and wherein each shuttle'"'"'s suspension flexures are arranged such that the elongated members are parallel to the shuttle'"'"'s tilt axis.

5. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 4, wherein each shuttle is suspended within its outer periphery.

6. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 5, wherein each shuttle is suspended by two suspension flexures and a central anchor.

7. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 4, wherein each shuttle is suspended outside of its outer periphery.

8. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 7, wherein each shuttle is suspended by four suspension flexures.

9. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 1, wherein the first fork and the second fork are substantially the same.

10. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 1, wherein the first fork and the second fork are different.

11. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 10, wherein the first fork is a closed-loop fork and wherein the second fork is a split fork.

12. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one coupling interconnecting the first and second resonators so that the resonators operate in a phase-locked manner.

13. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 12, wherein the resonators operate in-phase with one another, and wherein the at least one coupling is an in-phase coupling.

14. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 13, wherein the in-phase coupling includes an elongated bar that is non-compliant to bending in the device plane in order to couple translations along its length and is compliant to bending out-of-plane so that tilt motions of each resonator do not effectively couple into the other.

15. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 14, wherein the ratio of the torsional stiffness of the suspension flexures about the tilt axes to the angular stiffness of the bar coupling and forks is between around 100 to 1000.

16. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 12, wherein the resonators operate in anti-phase with one another, and wherein the at least one coupling is an anti-phase coupling.

17. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 12, wherein the at least one coupling includes a coupling connecting the first fork and the second fork.

18. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 12, wherein the at least one coupling includes:

a first coupling connecting a first shuttle of the first resonator and a first shuttle of the second resonator; and

a second coupling connecting a second shuttle of the first resonator and a second shuttle of the second resonator.

19. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

a plurality of drivers configured for rotationally dithering the shuttles;

a plurality of velocity sensing electrodes configured for sensing rotationally dithered motion of the shuttles

a plurality of in-phase adjusting electrodes underlying the shuttles; and

a plurality of quadrature adjusting electrodes underlying the shuttles.

20. A MEMS gyroscope comprising:

a resonator shuttle configured for sensing rotation about an axis of sensitivity in a device plane; and

a set of suspension flexures configured to allow the shuttle to be rotationally dithered in the device plane and to tilt out-of-plane about a tilt axis perpendicular to the axis of sensitivity, wherein the suspension flexures include at least one elongated member and at least one shorter member, and wherein the suspension flexures are arranged such that the elongated members are parallel to the tilt axis.

21. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 20, further comprising:

a set of Coriolis sensing electrodes underlying the shuttle and positioned along an axis perpendicular to the tilt axis to sense tilting of the shuttle about the tilt axis.

22. A MEMS gyroscope comprising:

a first resonator configured for resonating in a device plane and sensing rotation about a first axis in the device plane;

a second resonator configured for resonating in the device plane and sensing rotation about a second axis orthogonal to the first axis in the device plane; and

at least one coupling interconnecting the first and second resonators, the at least one coupling configured to lock the resonance of the first and second resonators and to substantially prevent transfer of out-of-plane movements of each resonator to the other resonator.

23. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 22, wherein each resonator includes two shuttles interconnected by a fork, and wherein the at least one coupling interconnects the forks.

24. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 22, wherein each resonator includes two shuttles interconnected by a fork, and wherein the at least one coupling includes:

a first coupling connecting a first shuttle of the first resonator and a first shuttle of the second resonator; and

a second coupling connecting a second shuttle of the first resonator and a second shuttle of the second resonator.

25. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 22, wherein the resonators operate in-phase with one another, and wherein the at least one coupling is an in-phase coupling.

26. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 25, wherein the in-phase coupling includes an elongated bar that is non-compliant to bending in the device plane in order to couple translations along its length and is compliant to bending out-of-plane so that tilt motions of each resonator do not effectively couple into the other.

27. A MEMS gyroscope according to claim 22, wherein the resonators operate in anti-phase with one another, and wherein the coupling is an anti-phase coupling.