Accelerometer with temperature compensation and matched force transducers

Accelerometer having a frame, a proofmass, one or more force sensitive transducers, and a strut interconnecting the transducers with the proofmass and the frame so that forces are applied to the transducers in accordance with movement of the proofmass along the sensitive axis. The transducers and the strut have similar thermal expansion properties and are arranged in such manner that they can expand together with changes in temperature independently of the frame and the proofmass without imposing any significant strain on the transducers. In certain disclosed embodiments, the transducers are formed as a unitary planar structure from a single piece of crystalline quartz material, and the strut is formed of the same material.

This invention pertains generally to inertial measuring devices and, more 
particularly, to an accelerometer in which operating errors due to 
mismatched thermal expansion rates between certain components thereof are 
eliminated. 
Crystalline quartz force transducers, sometimes referred to as force 
crystals, are well known in the art, and several examples of such 
transducers are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,856,350 and 4,970,903. The 
crystalline quartz material is employed in such transducers because of its 
piezoelectric properties and its ability to provide electrical signals 
corresponding to forces applied thereto. 
Proofmass assemblies constructed primarily of fused quartz are also well 
known in the art, and examples of such assemblies are found in U.S. Pat. 
Nos. 4,926,689 and 4,955,233. Compared with crystalline quartz, the fused 
quartz material is more easily fabricated into the components of a 
proofmass suspension (e.g., a frame, flexures, pads, etc.) and is 
therefore more suitable for use in a proofmass assembly. 
It is also well known in the art to combine crystalline quartz force 
transducers with proofmass assemblies constructed primarily of fused 
quartz to produce a transducer such as an accelerometer. However, there is 
a problem in doing so in that crystalline quartz has a thermal coefficient 
of expansion of about 8 ppm/.degree. F., whereas fused quartz has a 
thermal coefficient of expansion of about 0.31 ppm/.degree. F. Because of 
this substantial mismatch between the thermal coefficients of expansion of 
the two materials, when the accelerometer is subjected to changes in 
temperature, the force transducers will expand or contract to a greater 
extent than the proofmass and suspension assembly, applying forces to the 
transducers which may produce erroneous measurements of acceleration. 
Heretofore, there have been attempts to compensate for the mismatched 
thermal expansion rates of crystalline quartz transducers and a fused 
quartz proofmass and suspension assembly in an accelerometer, and one such 
approach is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,342 and in an article entitled 
"Superflex: A Synergistic Combination of Vibrating Beam and Quartz Flexure 
Accelerometer Technology" appearing in Navigation: Journal of the 
Institute of Navigation, Volume 34, No. 4, Winter 1987-1988, pages 
337-353. In this approach, the flexures which mount the proofmass are 
designed to permit translation of the proofmass in response to 
acceleration and rotation of the proofmass to take up differences in 
thermal expansion. For translation, the flexures must bend in an s-shaped 
curvature, and this requires that they be relatively long. This makes the 
natural frequency of proofmass relatively low so that local noise or 
surrounding vibration can cause the proofmass to resonate, resulting in an 
erroneous output signal or fracturing of the crystals or flexures. If the 
flexures are made shorter or stiffer in order to increase the natural 
frequency, there will be even larger errors resulting from the strains to 
which the flexures are subjected during assembly and operation. 
Another prior approach to compensating for the thermal expansion problem is 
found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,275. According to this approach, a beam is 
pivotally connected to the proofmass for rotational movement about a 
compensation axis which is perpendicular to both the sensitive axis and 
the hinge axis, and a pair of force transducers are connected between the 
beam and the housing on opposite sides of the pivot. Acceleration along 
the sensitive axis results in a compressive force on one of the 
transducers and a tensive force on the other. When the accelerometer is 
subjected to temperature changes, differential thermal expansion or 
contraction between the transducers and the proofmass, beam, flexure hinge 
and housing will result in forces that tend to rotate the beam about the 
pivot, rather than tensioning or compressing the transducers. However, 
when an acceleration is applied along the sensitive axis, the proofmass 
and the beam undergo a combination of rotation and translation, subjecting 
the transducers to bending moments which can produce errors in the output 
readings. 
Another accelerometer in which differences in thermal expansion are 
absorbed by rotation about an axis perpendicular to the hinge axis is 
found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,750,363 and 4,891,982. This accelerometer has a 
proofmass mounted to a housing by a pair of flexure hinges for pendulous 
movement along a sensitive axis. Force transducers are connected between 
the housing and a pair of arms which extend from opposite sides of the 
proofmass in a direction parallel to the pivot axis of the flexure hinges. 
In this device, differences in thermal expansion between the transducers 
and the rest of the assembly cause the proofmass to rotate about a 
compensating axis which is perpendicular to the sensitive axis and 
intersects the axis about which the flexure hinges bend at a point between 
the flexures. 
This approach has the same disadvantage as described in the preceding 
paragraph in that acceleration applied along the sensitive axis results in 
a rotational movement of the proofmass as it pivots about the flexure 
hinges, which subjects the transducers to bending moments and results in 
erroneous output readings from some types of transducers. 
In another approach utilizing a rotating platform to absorb differences in 
thermal expansion rates, the proofmass is suspended for rotation about a 
compensation axis parallel to the hinge axis in response to differences in 
expansion. While this approach avoids the application of undesired bending 
moments to the transducers, it still requires a degree of proofmass 
movement in addition to the translation by which acceleration is measured. 
It is in general an object of the invention to provide a new and improved 
accelerometer in which operating errors due to mismatched thermal 
expansion rates are eliminated. 
Another object of the invention is to provide an accelerometer of the above 
character which overcomes the limitations and disadvantages of 
accelerometers heretofore provided. 
These and other objects are achieved in accordance with the invention by 
providing an accelerometer having a frame, a proofmass movable relative to 
the frame, one or more force sensitive transducers, and a strut 
interconnecting the transducers with the proofmass and the frame so that 
forces are applied to the transducers in accordance with movement of the 
proofmass along the sensitive axis. The transducers and the strut have 
similar thermal expansion properties and are arranged in such manner that 
they can expand together with changes in temperature independently of the 
frame and the proofmass without imposing any significant strain on the 
transducers. In certain disclosed embodiments, the transducers are formed 
as a unitary planar structure from a single piece of crystalline quartz 
material, and the strut is formed of the same material.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the accelerometer includes a proofmass assembly 
11 which is mounted in a housing 12 formed in two sections 13, 14. 
The proofmass assembly includes a generally rectangular circumferential 
support frame 16, a proofmass 17, and a pair of flexures 18 which mount 
the proofmass to the frame for pendulous movement about a hinge axis HA 
which extends in a direction perpendicular to the sensitive axis SA of the 
device. In one presently preferred embodiment, the proofmass assembly is 
fabricated as a unitary structure from a single wafer of fused quartz. The 
frame of the proofmass assembly is received between the confronting 
surfaces of the two housing sections, with the proofmass being free for 
pendulous movement along the sensitive axis within the housing. The 
housing sections are attached to the frame. 
Movement of the proofmass along the sensitive axis is monitored by a 
transducer 21 which is connected between the proofmass and the frame of 
the proofmass assembly such that forces are applied to the transducer in 
accordance with movement of the proofmass along the sensitive axis. The 
transducer is fabricated of a suitable material such as crystalline quartz 
and can be of any suitable type. One such transducer might, for example, 
have a pair of vibrating tines which are driven 180.degree. out of phase 
by an oscillator (not shown), with the tension in the tines and hence the 
frequency of vibration varying with the movement of the proofmass and the 
forces applied to the transducer. 
To prevent differences in thermal expansion between the proofmass assembly 
and the transducer from stressing the transducer and producing erroneous 
output readings, the transducer is interconnected with the proofmass and 
the frame by means of a strut 22 which has thermal expansion properties 
similar to those of the transducer. This is done in one presently 
preferred embodiment by fabricating the strut of the same material as the 
transducer, i.e. crystalline quartz. 
In FIG. 1, the transducer and the strut are shown somewhat schematically as 
elongated elements extending parallel to each other and to the sensitive 
axis. The lower ends of the transducer and the strut are connected to the 
proofmass and frame, respectively, and the upper ends are connected 
together by suitable means 23 which can, for example, simply be an 
adhesive. With the accelerometer oriented as shown in this figure, 
deflection of the proofmass in a downward direction causes a tensive force 
to be applied to the transducer, and deflection in an upward direction 
results in a compressive force. 
With the transducer and strut having similar thermal expansion properties 
and being of equal length, they are free to expand together with changes 
in temperature, independently of the frame and the proofmass and without 
imposing any significant strain on the transducer. 
In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the proofmass assembly 26 includes a generally 
circular circumferential support frame 27, a proofmass comprising a 
pendulum 28 and a pair of masses 29 attached to the pendulum, and a pair 
of flexures 31 which mount the pendulum to the frame for movement about a 
hinge axis HA which extends in a direction perpendicular to the sensitive 
axis SA. As in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the frame, pendulum and flexures 
are fabricated as a unitary structure from a single wafer of fused quartz. 
The masses also are fabricated of fused quartz, or a material having 
compatible thermal expansion properties, and are affixed to the surfaces 
of the pendulum. The frame is received between the confronting surfaces of 
housing sections 32, 33, and the frame and the housing sections are 
affixed together. 
Movement of the proofmass along the sensitive axis is monitored by a 
transducer assembly 36. This assembly includes a pair of transducers 37, 
38, each of which has a quadrilateral frame 39 with a pair of vibrating 
tines 41 extending between opposing corners thereof. Each frame consists 
of four links 42, with end pieces 43 at the corners to which the tines are 
connected and force receiving pads 44, 46 at the intermediate corners. The 
transducers are positioned back-to-back, with the tines in the two 
transducers parallel to each other and pad 44 at the junction of and 
common to the two transducers. The transducer assembly is fabricated as a 
unitary structure from a single wafer of crystalline quartz material. 
Transducers of this general type are described in greater detail in U.S. 
Pat. Nos. 4,856,350 and 4,970,903, but not the back-to-back arrangement or 
the fabrication of two such transducers from the same piece of material. 
Transducer assembly 36 extends through a slotted opening 47 in pendulum 28, 
with the plane of the transducer assembly parallel to sensitive axis SA. 
The pendulum is connected to the common pad 44 of the transducers by a lug 
48 which is received in a slot 49 in the pad, and the outer pads 46 of the 
transducers are connected to frame 27 by a strut 51. The outer portions of 
the strut are affixed to the outer pads, and the central portion of the 
strut is affixed to the frame by a connector 52. The connector has a lug 
(not shown) which is received in a slot 53 in the strut, and a slot 54 in 
which the portion of the frame adjacent to opening 47 is received. The 
connector is secured to the strut and to the frame by suitable means such 
as an adhesive. 
Deflection of the proofmass in either direction along the sensitive axis 
applies a compressive force between the pads of one transducer and a 
tensive force between the pads of the other. The quadrilateral frames 
apply an increased tensive force to the tines of the transducer which is 
compressed and decrease the tension of the tines in the other, thereby 
increasing the vibrational frequency of one transducer and decreasing the 
frequency of the other. 
Strut 51 is fabricated of the same material as transducer assembly 36 
(crystalline quartz) or a material having similar thermal expansion 
properties. As in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the strut and the transducer 
assembly are free to expand together with changes in temperature, 
independently of the frame and the proofmass assembly and without imposing 
any significant strain on the transducers. 
When the difference between the frequencies of the two transducers is 
utilized in determining acceleration, the scale factor is effectively 
doubled, and errors due to causes which make both frequencies change in 
the same direction (e.g., changes in temperature) are eliminated. This 
common mode rejection is enhanced significantly by the close matching of 
the transducers which is obtained by fabricating them from the same wafer. 
In an alternate embodiment which is similar to that of FIG. 2, the 
proofmass assembly frame 27 is connected to the outer pads 46 of the 
transducers by a strut which extends in a direction perpendicular to the 
transducer assembly rather than being parallel to it. The strut has a 
central slot which fits over the frame, with the outer portions of the 
strut being affixed to the outer pads of the transducers. The connection 
between the strut and the frame is strengthened by a fillet with crossed 
slots in which the adjacent portions of the strut and the frame are 
received. The fillet is affixed to the strut and frame with an adhesive. 
As in the other embodiments, the strut is fabricated of the same material 
as the transducers (crystalline quartz) or a material having similar 
thermal expansion properties. Here again, the strut and the transducer 
assembly are free to expand together with changes in temperature, 
independently of the frame and the proofmass assembly and without imposing 
any significant strain on the transducers. 
Operation and use of the alternate embodiment are similar to that of the 
embodiment of FIG. 2, with an additional advantage in that with the strut 
being perpendicular to the transducer assembly, the effect of bending 
moments on the strut are reduced since the strut is stiffer in the 
perpendicular direction. 
It is apparent from the foregoing that a new and improved accelerometer has 
been provided. While only certain presently preferred embodiments have 
been described in detail, as will be apparent to those familiar with the 
art, certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from 
the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.