# US 11,906,693 B2 · Variable-area comb capacitor-based MEMS relative gravimeter probe and gravimeter

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- Number: US 11,906,693 B2
- Document ID: US11906693B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/253,527
- Filed: 2022-08-29
- Published: 2023-11-30
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2022-08-29
- Assignees: Huazhong University of Science and Technology
- Applicants: Huazhong University of Science and Technology
- Inventors: Wenjie Wu; Bingyang Cai; Le Gao; Yuanlei Wang; Liangcheng Tu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11906693B2

## CPC

- G01V 7/04: Electric, photoelectric, or magnetic indicating or recording means
- G01V: GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; TAGS (means for indicating the location of accidentally buried, e.g. snow-buried, persons A63B29/02)

## Abstract

A gravimeter probe includes a spring structure, a proof mass, movable comb fingers, fixed comb fingers, and an outer frame. A fixed end of the spring structure is arranged on the outer frame and a free end thereof is connected to the proof mass. The movable comb fingers are arranged on upper and lower surfaces of the proof mass, and the fixed comb fingers are correspondingly arranged on the outer frame. Each of the movable comb fingers and the fixed comb fingers has a special-shaped comb finger structure. The special-shaped comb finger structure includes a comb finger bottom portion and a comb finger top portion, and the width of the comb finger bottom portion is smaller than the width of the comb finger top portion.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A variable-area comb capacitor-based MEMS relative gravimeter probe, characterized by: comprising a spring structure, a proof mass, movable comb fingers, fixed comb fingers, and an outer frame , a fixed end of the spring structure being arranged on the outer frame and a free end thereof being connected to the proof mass , the movable comb fingers being arranged on upper and lower surfaces of the proof mass, and the fixed comb fingers being correspondingly arranged on the outer frame;
wherein each of the movable comb fingers and the fixed comb fingers has a special-shaped comb finger structure, the special-shaped comb finger structure comprises a comb finger bottom portion and a comb finger top portion, and the width of the comb finger bottom portion is smaller than the width of the comb finger top portion; the comb finger bottom portions of the movable comb fingers are fixed on the proof mass, and the comb finger bottom portions of the fixed comb fingers are fixed on the outer frame;
during operation, the spring structure is used to convert a gravitational acceleration change to be measured into a displacement change of the proof mass, and the comb finger top portions of the movable comb fingers and the comb finger top portions of the fixed comb fingers form a variable-area differential comb capacitor structure, configured to convert the displacement change into a differential capacitance signal.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The probe according to claim 1, wherein the central axes of the comb finger bottom portion and the comb finger top portion coincide.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The probe according to claim 2, wherein a spacing d0 between the comb finger top portions of each of the movable comb fingers and adjacent each of the fixed comb fingers when directly facing each other, a comb finger bottom portion width w1, and a comb finger top portion width w2 satisfy:
w2−w1=2(n−1)d0,
wherein
n
=
d
1
d
0
,
and d1 represents a spacing between the comb finger top portion of each of the fixed comb fingers and the comb finger bottom portion of adjacent each of the movable comb fingers that directly face each other when the fixed comb fingers and the movable comb fingers are arranged alternately.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The probe according to claim 2, wherein the length of the comb finger bottom portion is greater than the length of the comb finger top portion.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The probe according to claim 1, wherein materials of the spring structure, the proof mass, the movable comb fingers, the fixed comb fingers, and the outer frame are SOI.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The probe according to claim 5, wherein the thickness of each of the movable comb fingers and each of the fixed comb fingers is 50 μm to 2000 μm.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The probe according to claim 6, wherein an output ΔC of the differential comb capacitor, a spacing d0 between the comb finger top portions of each of the movable comb fingers and adjacent each of the fixed comb fingers when directly facing each other, and a thickness h of each of the movable comb fingers and each of the fixed comb fingers satisfy:
Δ
⁢
C
=
4
⁢
N
⁢
ε
⁢
h
⁢
Δ
⁢
x
d
0
,
where ε is a dielectric constant, Δx is a motion displacement of the proof mass, and N is the number of sets of array capacitor plates of the differential comb capacitor.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The probe according to claim 1, further comprising a back-end circuit module, the back-end circuit module comprising a capacitive sensing unit, a feedback control unit, and an electrostatic feedback actuator;
wherein the capacitive sensing unit is used to detect the differential capacitance signal, and to convert the differential capacitance signal into an analog voltage signal;
the feedback control unit is used to determine the amount of deviation of the proof mass from a balanced position according to the analog voltage signal, and to calculate, via a feedback adjustment output, a feedback voltage required for the proof mass to return to the balanced state;
the electrostatic feedback actuator is used to receive the feedback voltage, and to generate, according to a satisfied relationship between the feedback voltage and an electrostatic feedback force, an electrostatic feedback force for controlling the proof mass to remain at the balanced position.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The probe according to claim 8, wherein the electrostatic feedback force F and the acceleration change Δg to be measured satisfies:
F
=
-
4
⁢
N
⁢
ε
⁢
h
d
0
⁢
V
f
⁢
V
b
=
m
⁢
Δ
⁢
g
,
in the equation, m is the mass of the proof mass, Vƒ is the feedback voltage, Vb is a DC feedback bias voltage applied to the comb finger top portions of the fixed comb fingers and provided by an external power supply, N represents the number of sets of array capacitor plates of the differential comb capacitor, c is an dielectric constant, h is the thickness of each of the movable comb fingers and each of the fixed comb fingers, and d0 is a spacing between the comb finger top portions of each of the movable comb fingers and adjacent each of the fixed comb fingers when directly facing each other.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

A variable-area comb capacitor-based MEMS relative gravimeter, comprising a probe, characterized in that: said probe is the probe according to claim 1.