MICROFABRICATED TUNING FORK GYROSCOPE AND ASSOCIATED THREE-AXIS INERTIAL MEASUREMENT SYSTEM TO SENSE OUT-OF-PLANE ROTATION

摘要

A micromechanical tuning fork gyroscope comprises an input axis (38) which i s out-of-plane of the structure, parallel capacitor strips (42, 43) beneath a pair of apertured, planar proof masses (10) suspended from a substrate (22) by a support structure (16), wherein the proof masses are set in opposed vibrational motion by an electrostatic comb drive (12, 14), whereby in response to an input angular rate, the proof masses (10) translate with respect to the striped capacitors (42, 43), thereby varying the capacitance between the strips and the proof masses as a function of the input rate.