MEMS Vibrating Ring Gyroscope with Worm-Shaped Support Springs for Space Applications

Abstract

Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices have gained tremendous attention in the field of smart electronics applications. A MEMS vibrating gyroscope is a rotational inertial sensor that is exhaustively used in many applications, from GPS, household, smart appliances, and space applications. The reliability of MEMS devices for space applications is a big concern. The devices need to be robust in harsh environments. This paper reports a double-ring MEMS vibrating ring gyroscope with sixteen worm-shaped support springs. The inclusion of the two rings with sixteen worm-shaped springs enhances the sensitivity of the gyroscope. The design symmetry and the worm-shaped springs increase the robustness, mode matching, and gyroscopic sensitivity against harsh environments. The design modeling of the gyroscope is investigated using the ANSYSTM software. The design of the vibrating ring gyroscope incorporates two 10 µm thick rings with an outer ring radius of 1000 µm and an inner ring radius of 750 µm. Both rings are attached with sixteen worm-shaped springs, and a centrally placed anchor supports the whole structure with a radius of 260 µm. The proposed gyroscope operates in two identical wine glass modes. The first targeted resonant mode was recorded at 29.07 kHz, and the second mode of the same shape was recorded at 29.35 kHz. There is a low-mode mismatch of 0.38 kHz observed between the two resonant frequencies, which can be resolved with tuning electrodes. The initial modeling results show a good prospect for the design of a vibrating gyroscope for space applications.

Keywords

• MEMS
• vibratory ring gyroscope
• mode matching
• space applications
• worm-shaped
• IMU