Lumped parameter analytic modeling and behavioral simulation of a 3-DOF MEMS gyro-accelerometer

A new analytical model of a 3-degree-of-freedom(3-DOF) gyro-accelerometer system consisting of a 1-DOF drive and 2-DOF sense modes is presented. The model constructs lumped differential equations associated with each DOF of the system by vector analysis. The coupled differential equations thus established are solved analytically for their responses in both the time and frequency domains. Considering these frequency response equations, novel device design concepts are derived by forcing the sense phase to zero, which leads to a certain relationship between the structural frequencies, thereby causing minimization of the damping effect on the performance of the system. Furthermore, the feasibility of the present gyro-accelerometer structure is studied using a unique discriminatory scheme for the detection of both gyro action and linear acceleration at their events. This scheme combines the formulated settled transient solution of the gyro-accelerometer with the processes of synchronous demodulation and filtration, which leads to the in-phase and quadrature components of the system’s output signal. These two components can be utilized in the detection of angular motion and linear acceleration. The obtained analytical results are validated by simulation in a MATLAB/Simulink environment, and it is found that the results are in excellent agreement with each other.