Vibration isolation of MEMS sensors for aerospace applications

Aerospace systems, such as missiles, operate in mechanically harsh environments. This is particularly difficult for guidance and control systems that rely on low-cost MEMS inertial sensors, especially MEMS gyroscopes. This environment is often characterized by a wide spectrum of vibrations, possibly of large amplitude, shock loading and high roll rates. High frequency vibrations present in these environments can couple into the sensors and cause erroneous measurements. Shock loading and high roll rates can also generate erroneous data, and can possibly damage the sensors. A multifaceted approach is being employed to solve these problems. It includes frequency selective packaging at the die, component and subsystem level, and signal processing of the data. This paper discusses the harsh operating environment present in some missiles and the methods being developed to allow the use of low-cost MEMS inertial sensors in these vehicles.