Chapter 2 Accelerometer Theory Design （第二章加速度计理论与设计）.pdf

11 Chapter 2 Accelerometer Theory Design 2.1 Introduction An accelerometer is a sensor that measures the physical acceleration experienced by an object due to inertial forces or due to mechanical excitation. In aerospace applications accelerometers are used along with gyroscopes for navigation guidance and flight control. Conceptually, an accelerometer behaves as a damped mass on a spring. When the accelerometer experiences acceleration, the mass is displaced and the displacement is then measured to give the acceleration [17]. In these devices, piezoelectric, piezoresistive and capacitive techniques are commonly used to convert the mechanical motion into an electrical signal. Piezoelectric accelerometers rely on piezoceramics (e.g. lead zirconate titanate) or single crystals (e.g. quartz, tourmaline). They are unmatched in terms of their upper frequency range, low packaged weight and high temperature range. Piezoresistive accelerometers are preferred in high shock applications. Capacitive accelerometers performance is superior in low frequency range and they can be operated in servo mode to achieve high stability and linearity. 12 Modern accelerometers are often small micro electro- mechanical systems (MEMS), consisting of little more than a cantilever beam with a proof-mass (also known as seismic-mass) realized in single crystal silicon using surface micromachining or bulk micromachining processes. 2.2 Working principle of accelerometer Casing X Y