Systems and methods for an inertial sensor suspension that minimizes proof mass rotation
AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.
InventorsBurgess R. Johnson, Jonathan M. Engel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for an inertial sensor suspension that minimizes proof mass rotation and translation. The system contains a microelectromechanical sensor (MEMS) device for measuring rotation along an input rotation axis. The MEMS device includes at least one substrate, at least one proof mass, and a suspension system. The suspension system includes at least one flexure connecting the at least one proof mass to a substrate and at least one anchored suspension element with a split support beam having a first split portion and a second split portion. The first split portion and the second split portion are of curved shape.
Claims18
A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device for measuring rotation along an input rotation axis, the device comprising:
- a substrate;
- at least one proof mass;
- and
- a suspension system comprising:
- at least two crossbars;
- at least one flexure connecting the at least one proof mass to one of the crossbars;
- and
- at least two anchored suspension elements comprising a split support beam having a first split portion and a second split portion, wherein the at least two anchored suspension elements are connected between the at least two crossbars and substrate anchors,
- wherein first ends of the first split portion and the second split portion are separated by a first width and second ends of the first split portion and the second split portion are separated by a second width, the first width being smaller than the second width.
A suspension element for a microelectromechanical sensor (MEMS) device, the suspension element comprising:
- a split support beam having a first split portion and a second split portion, wherein the first split portion and a second split portion are configured to resist translation along a sense axis;
- a thinned crossbar connecting the first split portion to the second split portion;
- and
- an anchor connecting the first split portion and the second split portion, wherein the split support beam is further configured to resist a rotational movement about an input rotation axis,
- wherein ends of the first split portion and the second split portion connected to the anchor are separated by a first width and ends of the first split portion and the second split portion not connected to the anchor are separated by a second width, the first width being smaller than the second width.
A microelectromechanical sensor (MEMS) device comprising:
- a substrate;
- two crossbars coupled to the substrate;
- two proof masses;
- a plurality of suspension elements configured to connect the two proof masses to the two crossbars,
- wherein at least two of the plurality of suspension elements are configured to be different in at least one of thickness, length, width, density, shape, or material in order to resist rotational movement of the at least one proof mass around the input rotation axis in response to a differential force or resist translational movement due to a common mode input force.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.