architecture to a 3D version. Each has a separate design and different functionality. The 2D version has been designed to “sleep” through intense shock, like that which occurs during a launch, while the 3D version will continue to operate during this critical window. Shkel expects the two to complement each other. “The 3D gyroscope will be responsible for doing very precise measurements when a missile or a vehicle goes through this very high shock, and the amplitude-amplified 2D sensors are better suited to do very precise measurements when conditions are sort of benign,” he explains. If Shkel’s team is successful, the IMUs they are developing will eventually increase exponentially in sensitivity, shrink from the size of an apple to that of an apple seed, and thanks to photolithography, be mass-produced, reducing cost by orders of magnitude. “It’s important to have the right tools, the right people and good cleanrooms, which we have at UCI,” Shkel says. “It’s a very exciting and impactful project.”
Mechanical and aerospace engineering graduate student Daryosh Vatanparvar examines a 2D gyroscope prototype made from fused quartz. The tiny gyroscopes will be an integral part of a self-contained inertial measurement unit that can provide interference-free navigation.
The finished IMU
The flat piece is folded origami-style into any number of geometric shapes, such as cubes or pyramids – each about the size of an apple seed.
IMU (Actual size)
How the gyroscope works Dual-mass vibratory gyroscopes measure the change in rotational angle per unit of time. SENSE MASS
Sense and drive masses are made from
fused quartz, which holds energy and vibrations longer than silicon and performs better in extreme conditions.
1. When electrostatic forces excite the drive mass, it produces a vibration – similar to tapping the rim of a wine glass.
Movement
2. Due to its mechanical design, the sense mass amplifies the vibration. The vibration and rotation create the Coriolis force, causing the precession of the vibrating mass. 3. Electrodes detect the precession as a low-current electrical signal. 4. Data are read by the IMU’s microcontroller to determine the rate of rotation.
DRIVE MASS innovate | integrate | incubate | ignite
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