Impact of Amplitude and Demodulation Errors on the Nonlinear Frequency Modulated Gyroscope

Abstract

This paper provides experimental results on the impact of amplitude stability and demodulation errors on the nonlinear frequency modulated gyroscope (NFMG). While non-linear operation can allow for larger displacements and reduce the impact of thermomechanical noise, nonlinearity with micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) devices is typically avoided to reduce noise aliasing. This work shows that with sufficient amplitude stability, nonlinear operation can be constructively employed. It is shown both theoretically and experimentally that demodulation errors can allow quadrature to impact the rate estimate. By addressing demodulation errors, it is conjectured that NFMG stability will be dictated by fundamental sources such as angular gain or asymmetric cross-axis damping.