A Compact Microcontroller-Based MEMS Rate Integrating Gyroscope Module with Automatic Asymmetry Calibration

Abstract

This paper presents the first microcontroller-based module-level MEMS rate integrating gyroscope (RIG) for direct angle measurement after automatic asymmetry calibration. The 5-cm prototype module integrates a vacuum-sealed donut-mass gyroscope device on analog and digital PCBs. In automatic calibration mode, the initial frequency and decay-time asymmetries are electrically tuned and reduced by >40 and >18 times, respectively. The sensing mode is enabled by built-in digital controls of vibration energy and frequency. Continuous angle measurement is confirmed with an angular random walk (ARW) of 0.6 deg/rt-h and a bias instability (BI) of 4.3 deg/h, proving comparable performances with previous FPGA-based large RIG systems. This module paves the way for RIG commercialization studies.