Method for improving the performance of micromachined devices
AssigneeL-3 Communications Corporation
InventorsEric Abbott, Randy Sprague, James Michael McLaughlin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for improving the performance of a micromachined device, preferably an angular rate microsensor, is provided. The method includes collecting data on rate bias over a selected operating phase demodulation angles for at least one tine of a microsensor and determining optimum settings for phase demodulation angles at which the rate bias hysteresis over temperature is at a minimum by applying dynamic programming.
Claims5
A method for improving performance of a micromachined device having at least one sensing element, said sensing element having a rate bias used for determining a rate bias hysteresis over temperature, said method comprising:
- determining at least two phase demodulation angles (φ1,φ2) at which said rate bias hysteresis is at a minimum according to the following steps
- (i) collecting data on rate bias over a selected operating temperature range at selected phase demodulation angles for said at least one sensing element;
- and
- (ii) selecting said at least two phase demodulation angles by applying a dynamic programming optimization method to the data collected in step (i).
A method of optimizing a cost function over an initially chosen temperature range by determining optimum phase settings, said method comprising:
- (i) choosing a pair of phase demodulation angles, φ1 and φ2, at the highest temperature;
- (ii) evaluating said cost function for said pair of phase demodulation angles;
- (iii) determining a lowest-cost path by recording the minimum cumulative cost incurred in moving backward from the highest temperature to the next highest temperature until the lowest temperature is reached;
- (iv) recording phase demodulation angles, φ1 and φ2, that lie on said lowest-cost path, at each temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.