Patent ID: 8544325
Filing Date: 2013-10-01
Classification: G01P,G01V

Abstract:
1. A capacitive displacement transducer for use in a broadband weak-motion inertial sensor having a frame, a movable inertial mass, a forcing transducer for keeping the inertial mass stationary with respect to the frame during operation and a flexure for suspending the movable mass in the frame, the capacitive displacement transducer comprising: a fixed conductive plate operatively connectable to the frame in the broadband weak-motion inertial sensor; and a movable conductive plate operatively connectable to the inertial mass, the movable conductive plate being arranged substantially parallel to the fixed conductive plate, being separated by a gap, and experiencing viscous damping when in motion with respect to the fixed conductive plate, at least one of the fixed conductive plate and the movable conductive plate has a plurality of apertures yielding a conductive plate with apertures and a second conductive plate, the conductive plate with apertures having a capacitively effective area and a total area, wherein the capacitively effective area of the conductive plate with apertures comprises a subset of the total area that overlaps and is physically near, as defined by the gap, the second conductive plate, and wherein each aperture of the plurality of apertures has a dimension and an arrangement, relative to other apertures, that are selected based at least in part on an algorithm that defines how to minimize the viscous damping while providing a high spatial efficiency defined as a ratio of the capacitively effective area to the total area.