Abstract
The bandwidth characteristics of a tuning fork micro-gyroscope with mechanically coupled sense mode were investigated in this paper to provide some references for mechanical bandwidth design. The concept of sense mode mechanical coupling is introduced first. Theoretical frequency response analyses were then carried out on the mechanical part of the gyroscope. Equations representing the relationships between the differential output signal and the frequency of the input angular rate were deduced in full frequency range and further simplified in low frequency range. Based on these equations, bandwidth characteristics under ideal and non-ideal conditions are discussed. Analytical results show that under ideal conditions, the bandwidth characteristics of a tuning fork micro-gyroscope are similar to those of a single mass micro-gyroscope, but under non-ideal conditions, especially when sense mass and/or stiffness are asymmetric, the bandwidth characteristics would be quite different because the in-phase mode would participate in the anti-phase vibration response. Experimental verifications were carried out on two micro-gyroscope prototypes designed in our laboratory. The deduced equations and analytical results can be used in guiding the mechanical bandwidth design of tuning fork micro-gyroscopes with mechanically coupled sense mode.
Highlights
Micro-gyroscopes have achieved a rapid development in the past several decades
This paper presents a study on the bandwidth characteristics of tuning fork micro-gyroscopes with mechanically coupled sense mode
To verify the correctness of the theoretical analyses, two tuning fork micro-gyroscope prototypes designed in our laboratory, referred to as SG-1 and SG-2, were taken into input-output amplitude-frequency tests using a virtual rate-table method [12]
Summary
Micro-gyroscopes have achieved a rapid development in the past several decades. In comparison with their conventional counterparts, micro-gyroscopes hold the advantages of small size, low cost, reduced power consumption and batch fabrication, etc. With gradually mature design and manufacturing technologies, they are widely used in various fields, such as the automotive industry, consumer electronics, aerospace navigation and military weapons. According to the number of Coriolis masses, micro-gyroscopes can be classified into three types: single mass gyroscopes, tuning fork gyroscopes and gyroscope arrays. Nowadays tuning fork gyroscopes are becoming the most popular ones. They are less complicated than gyroscope arrays and more attractive than the single mass ones because of their inherent common mode rejection capability
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