The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Richard D Elliott

Marc Steven Weinberg

Jonathan Jay Bernstein

Anthony S Kourepenis

Jeffrey T Borenstein

Paul A Ward

James Alan Bickford

Gregory A Kirkos

Thomas F Marinis

Michael F McManus

Peter G Sherman

Mirela G Bancu

Jeffery W Warren

Matthew S Bottkol

Shan Mohiuddin

John E Pritchett

Charles H Lange

Michael Y Feng

Steven Daley

A micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) inertial measurement system facilitates accurate location and/or attitude measurements via passive thermal management of MEMS inertial sensors. Accuracy of the system is also improved by subjecting the inertial sensors to programmed single-axis gimbal motion, and by performing coarse and fine adjustments to the attitude estimates obtained by the system based on the programmed motion and on the passive thermal management of the sensors.

Inertial measurement systems, and methods of use and manufacture thereof

A sensor includes a proof mass suspended by a suspension beam, the suspension beam having a thickness less than a thickness of the proof mass.

High performance sensors and methods for forming the same

A tuning fork gyroscope design where at least one proof mass is supported above a substrate. At least one drive electrode is also supported above the substrate adjacent the proof mass. Typically, the proof mass and the drive electrode include interleaved electrode fingers. A sense plate or shield electrode on the substrate beneath the proof mass extends completely under the extent of the electrode fingers of proof mass.

Tuning fork gyroscopes, accelerometers, and other sensors with improved scale factor

A force compensated comb drive for a microelectromechanical system includes a MEMS mechanism for providing an output signal representative of a physical quantity; a comb drive for actuating the MEMS mechanism; a comb drive circuit for providing a drive signal to the comb drive for developing a predetermined displacement applied by the comb drive to the MEMS mechanism; an automatic gain control responsive to a change in the force to provide a correction signal to the comb drive circuit to maintain the predetermined motion; and a compensation device responsive to the correction signal for adjusting the output signal of the MEMS mechanism to compensate for errors in the output signal due to a change in the predetermined force.

Force compensated comb drive

Apparatus is used in sensing a measured input. The apparatus includes a capacitor with a capacitance that varies non-linearly in response to the measured input, and a circuitry that derives, from the capacitance, a signal that varies substantially linearly with the measured input. The capacitor includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a gap defined by a space between the electrode. The circuitry includes an amplifier with a first input terminal in electrical communication with the first electrode, a second input terminal, and an output terminal in electrical communication with the second electrode. The capacitance of the capacitor varies as an inverse of the gap of the capacitor, the gap of the capacitor varies in response to changes in the measured input, and the signal is derived from an output of the amplifier.

Apparatus for and method of sensing a measured input

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Stoneham, MA, United States of America

Richard D Elliott