Patent ID: 8590377

Claim:
An inertial measurement unit, comprising a cantilevered proof mass, an electrostatic drive for putting the proof mass into a controlled trajectory, and a capacitive sensor for measuring the position and motion of the proof mass, wherein the inertial measurement unit is configured: (a) to measure lateral acceleration and rotation of the inertial measurement unit by measuring perturbations in the trajectory from a trajectory that the proof mass would travel in a fixed, non-rotating inertial frame; (b) to apply a first voltage V 1 ( t )=Vb 1 +m t to a first set of electrodes and a second voltage V 2 ( t )=Vb 2 −m t to a second set of electrodes, where m is a constant and the first and second voltages are changing at a constant rate; and (c) to measure a displacement current induced in the proof mass, which displacement current provides a signed measurement of spatial displacement of the proof mass.