A Novel MEMS Quadruple Mass Gyroscope With Superior Overall Performance via Dual-Umbrella-Like Driving Architecture

Abstract

MEMS lumped mass gyroscopes, widely used in industrial applications, have not yet reached the navigation grade. This article proposes a novel MEMS quadruple mass gyroscope (QMG) that exhibits superior overall performance in terms of bias instability (BI), angle random walk (ARW), size, and robustness. This superior overall performance is achieved via a dual-umbrella-like driving architecture (DULDA). Specifically, the DULDA is used to enhance the driving displacement by 80% and the effective mass by 180% without increasing the layout area. The DULDA also allows a single driving frame to drive four proof masses for anti-phase motion simultaneously. In addition, the DULDA, combined with a coupling mechanism for the sensing mode, positions the two operating modes in the first two orders and yields a frequency split of 5.49 kHz between the operating mode and the parasitic mode. The QMG is fabricated using MEMS processes and features wafer-level vacuum packaging, with structural layer dimensions of only $3.9\times 3.1$ mm. Without any compensation, the proposed QMG achieves a BI of 0.26°/h and an ARW of 0.02°/ $\surd $ h within a full scale of ±150°/s, making a 90% reduction in BI and a 150% decrease in ARW compared with a QMG without the DULDA. Consequently, the proposed QMG, with its advanced driving architecture, offers a promising solution for angular measurement in high-end industrial applications.