Summary
The research is focused on the theoretical feasibility study of a microelectromechanical (MEMS) resonant accelerometer with tunable sensitivity and self-calibration abilities. The device incorporates a proof mass and a vibrating beam-type sensing element interacting with the mass through fringing electrostatic fields. The suggested novel architecture and operational principle allow achievement of tunable and switchable inertial force transmission between the proof mass and the sensing beam. This unique ability to switch off the inertial input potentially allows monitoring of the baseline sensor frequency at zero acceleration, reducing the integration drift, bias errors, and in situ calibration of the sensor. In this work, a mechanical nonlinear lumped model of the generic device is analyzed and verified using full-scale multi-physics finite elements analysis. The tunability of the device and its self-calibration abilities along with the compensation of the scale factor thermal sensitivity are demonstrated using the model.
