MEMS PEIZOELECTRIC ACCELEROMETER WITH BUILT-IN SELF TEST
First Claim
1. An accelerometer comprising:
- a substrate having a proofmass and at least one coupling member, the at least one coupling member configured to mechanically couple the accelerometer to a device to be tested;
a first MEMS piezoelectric transducer mounted to one of the at least one coupling member of the substrate and configured to deform the at least one coupling member in response to a first electrical signal received by the piezoelectric transducer;
a second MEMS piezoelectric transducer mounted to one of the at least one coupling member of the substrate and configured to provide a second electrical signal in response to deformation of the at least one coupling member of the substrate; and
a self-test module configured to generate the first electrical signal and to receive the second electrical signal, the self-test module configured to compare the received second electrical signal to a reference signal and configured to generate a test result based upon the comparison.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus and associated methods relate to an accelerometer having first and second piezoelectric transducers that are electrically isolated but mechanically coupled one to another via a coupling member. The first piezoelectric transducer is configured to induce a mechanical deformation of the coupling member in response to an electrical excitation signal received by the first piezoelectric transducer. The second piezoelectric transducer is configured to generate an electrical response signal in response to mechanical deformation of the coupling member. The accelerometer has a self-test module configured to generate the electrical excitation signal and to receive the electrical response signal. The self-test module is further configured to generate a sensor test result based upon a comparison between the received electrical response signal and a reference signal. The self-test module may advantageously detect changes in an excitation/response relation due to time and/or environmental conditions, for example.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An accelerometer comprising:
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a substrate having a proofmass and at least one coupling member, the at least one coupling member configured to mechanically couple the accelerometer to a device to be tested; a first MEMS piezoelectric transducer mounted to one of the at least one coupling member of the substrate and configured to deform the at least one coupling member in response to a first electrical signal received by the piezoelectric transducer; a second MEMS piezoelectric transducer mounted to one of the at least one coupling member of the substrate and configured to provide a second electrical signal in response to deformation of the at least one coupling member of the substrate; and a self-test module configured to generate the first electrical signal and to receive the second electrical signal, the self-test module configured to compare the received second electrical signal to a reference signal and configured to generate a test result based upon the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An accelerometer comprising:
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a substrate having a proofmass and an elastically deformable coupling member; a first MEMS piezoelectric transducer configured to induce a mechanical deformation of the elastically deformable coupling member in response to an electrical excitation signal received by the first MEMS piezoelectric transducer; a second MEMS piezoelectric transducer electrically isolated from but mechanically coupled to the first piezo electric transducer via the elastically deformable coupling member, the second MEMS piezoelectric transducer configured to generate an electrical response signal in response to mechanical deformation of the elastically deformable coupling member; and a self-test module configured to generate the electrical excitation signal and to receive the electrical response signal, the self-test module further configured to generate a sensor test result based upon a comparison between the received electrical response signal and a reference signal. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification