Double-integrating silicon acceleration sensing device

Abstract

A double integrating silicon acceleration sensing device which is solid state and micromachined measures the acceleration of an object and determines the distance travelled by that object through its trajectory. The device comprises a hermetically sealed container. The cavity within the container is divided by a flexible silicon diaphragm into two separate cavities, one shallow and the other deep. The two cavities are filled with a fluid which is relatively incompressible over the range of operating pressure. The fluid can only transfer between the two cavities through an orifice. Two capacitor plates form a capacitor within the shallow cavity. One of the plates is secured to a central portion of the diaphragm, and the other plate is secured adjacent to and opposite of the first plate within the shallow cavity. When the accelerometer is at rest, the two plates are separated by a given distance X.sub.g. When the accelerometer experiences an acceleration, the diaphragm deflects into the deep cavity forcing fluid from the deep cavity into the shallow cavity. The gap between the two capacitor plates X.sub.g increases causing a change in the total capacitance. This capacitance value is exactly proportional to the distance travelled by the object for constant acceleration, and is approximately proportional to the distance travelled for other acceleration pulses. When capacitor plates are coupled adjacent and opposite each other in the deep cavity, in addition to capacitor plates in the shallow cavity, a differential capacitance results.