Accelerometer with reduced extraneous vibrations owing to improved electrode shape

• US 7,797,998 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2004
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sercel (Cggveritas)
• Original Assignee: Sercel (Cggveritas)
• Inventors: Moreau, Maurice, Menard, Jean-Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAPMAN JR, JOHN E
• Application Number:
  US11/630,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20080196500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,232 Days
• Field of Search: 735/141.8, 735/143.2
• US Class Current: 73/514.18
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/0136 Comb structures
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/0045 Improve properties related to angular swinging, e.g. control resonance frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/131 with electrostatic counterbalancing means
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 2015/0817 for pivoting movement of the mass, e.g. in-plane pendulum

Abstract

The invention relates to an accelerometer comprising a moving mass (5) and a fixed part (2), which uses variations in capacitance (3, 4) in order to detect the movement of the mass (5). The inventive accelerometer comprises a first series of electrodes (4) which are solidly connected to the mass (5) and which are interdigitated with a series of electrodes (3, 7) which are solidly connected to the fixed part (2). According to the invention, each moving electrode (4), together with an adjacent fixed electrode (3), forms a capacitance which varies according to the position of the moving mass (5). The accelerometer further comprises an electronic circuit which is used to detect the variation in at least one capacitance between the moving mass (5) and the fixed part (2), in the form of a moving mass displacement indicator. The invention is characterised in that one or more or the electrodes (3, 4) or the moving mass (5) and/or the fixed part (2) takes the form of a finger with a large base and a profile which narrows in the direction of the free end thereof. Moreover, the recurring return stress can be selected such that the mechanical power has an essentially zero power zone at the mechanical resonance frequency of the electrodes.

Claims

1. An accelerometer with moveable mass (5) and fixed part (2) using variations in capacitance (3, 4) to detect the movement of the mass (5), in which a first series of electrodes (4) solidly connected to the mass (5) is interdigitated with a series of electrodes (3, 7) solidly connected to the fixed part (2), each moveable electrode (4) forming, together with an adjacent fixed electrode (3), a variable capacitance varying as a function of the position of the moveable mass (5), the accelerometer furthermore comprising an electronic circuit that detects the variation in at least one capacitance between moveable mass (5) and fixed part (2), said electronic circuit acting as an indicator of the displacement of the moveable mass characterized in that at least one electrode (3, 4) of the moveable mass (5) and/or of the fixed part (2) each exhibit a finger shape with a wide base and with a profile narrowing in the direction of their free end, and the electronic circuit generates a repetitive electrostatic restoring force and in that the repetitive electrostatic force is specifically chosen so that a mechanical power frequency spectrum (10, 201) of said repetitive electrostatic force exhibits a zone with substantially zero power at a mechanical resonant frequency of the electrodes (4) of the moveable mass (5) and/or of the fixed part (2).

2. The accelerometer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic circuit generates an electrostatic force for restoring the moveable mass (5) to a original position of the moveable mass (5).

3. The accelerometer as claimed in claim 2, wherein the electronic circuit generates the electrostatic restoring force in a manner slaved to a measurement of displacement of the moveable mass (5).

4. The accelerometer as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electrodes (3, 4) of the moveable mass (5) and/or of the fixed part (2) exhibit at least one portion with continuous alteration of the width of their cross section.

5. The accelerometer of claim 1, wherein the electrodes (3, 4) of the moveable mass (5) and/or of the fixed part (2) exhibit at least one portion the width of whose cross section exhibits abrupt alterations.

6. The accelerometer of claim 1, wherein the electrodes (3, 4) of the moveable mass (5) and/or of the fixed part (2) exhibit at least one portion wherein the profile of said at least one portion which narrows towards the free end of the electrode is the width.

7. The accelerometer of claim 1, wherein the electrodes (3, 4) of the moveable mass (5) and/or of the fixed part (2) include a trapezoidal shape of width (L, I) decreasing towards their free end.

8. The accelerometer of claim 1, wherein the electrodes (3, 4) of the moveable mass (5) and/or of the fixed part (2) include a portion the width of whose cross section (L, I) varies in tiers of constant width, the width (L, I) changing in an abrupt manner between each tier.

9. The accelerometer of claim 1, wherein the electrodes (3, 4) of the moveable mass (5) and/or of the fixed part (2) include a portion whose width decreases progressively towards the free end of the electrode, forming at least one rounded lateral edge.

10. The accelerometer of claim 1, wherein the electrodes (3) of the fixed part (2) exhibit a shape complementary to the interstice between two adjacent electrodes (4) of the moveable mass (5).

11. The accelerometer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means of slaving implement a repeated restoring of the moveable mass in time slots (Ta), and in that the frequency transform (20) of the corresponding slot-like signal exhibits a return substantially to zero at the level of the resonant frequency of the electrodes (3, 4) of the moveable part (5) and/or of the fixed part (2).

12. The accelerometer as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that the mean duration of the slots is predetermined so that the frequency transform (20) of the slot-like signal exhibits the return substantially to zero at the level of the resonant frequency of the electrodes (3, 4) of the moveable part (5) and/or of the fixed part (2).

13. The accelerometer as claimed in claim 12, wherein the mean duration of the slots (Ta) is chosen so that a frequency transform (20) of the slots exhibits a first return to zero (1/Ta) at the level of the resonant frequency of the electrodes (4) of the moveable part (5) and/or of the fixed part (2).

14. The accelerometer of claim 1, wherein the electrostatic restoring force is implemented through time slots of mean width Ta, and in that Ta is chosen according to the relation 1/Ta=F where F is the resonant frequency of the electrodes (4) of the moveable part (5) and/or of the fixed part (2).

15. The accelerometer as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that the frequency transform of the slot-like signal exhibits the shape of a cardinal sine.

16. The accelerometer of claim 1, wherein the edges of the fingers of electrodes have a curvature which is one of zero or convex.