SBIR Phase I: High Precision MEMS Gyroscopes for Gyrocompassing

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将开发一种基于匹配谐振音叉架构的导航级芯片级、低成本、坚固耐用的MEMS陀螺仪传感器。相比之下，目前的导航级陀螺仪是机械的、光纤或环形激光系统，它们非常笨重、昂贵，而且随着时间的推移容易出现故障。第一阶段项目的目标是通过增加对设备中各种损耗机制的理解和解决，来证明概念设计的可行性。具体目标包括展示(a)建筑设计缩放和优化(b)改进机械质量因子和(c)开发温度补偿和管理方法的效果。在第一阶段，我们将探讨这些技术领域，以证明设计的可行性和商业潜力，以达到导航级的性能。该项目的广泛影响/商业潜力将使制造高可靠性，芯片级MEMS陀螺仪适用于能够陀螺仪罗盘的惯性系统。这项研究将极大地影响商业、军事和国土安全市场设备的发展。陀螺仪的具体应用包括用于石油/天然气勘探、建筑行业、国防系统和导航系统的高精度高级测量工具。此外，这项基础技术可以为微型机器人、小型无人机系统和个人导航等尺寸、重量、成本和功率至关重要的新兴惯性导航市场带来机会。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a navigation grade chip-scale, low cost, rugged MEMS gyroscope sensor based on a matched resonance tuning fork architecture. In contrast, present day navigation grade gyroscopes are mechanical, fiber optic or ring laser systems that are very bulky, expensive and prone to failure over time. The goal of the Phase I project is to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept design by increasing the understanding of and addressing the various loss mechanisms in the device. The specific objectives include demonstrating the effect of (a) architecture design scaling and optimization (b) improvements to the mechanical quality factor and (c) development of methods for temperature compensation and management. In Phase I, these technical areas will be explored in order to demonstrate feasibility and the commercial potential of the design to achieve navigation grade performance.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will enable the manufacturing of high reliability, chip scale MEMS gyroscopes suitable for inertial systems capable of gyrocompassing. The research will greatly impact the development of devices for commercial, military, and homeland security markets. Specific gyrocompassing applications include high accuracy advanced survey tools for oil/gas exploration, and construction industries, defense systems, and navigation systems. In addition, this fundamental technology could enable new emerging inertial based navigation market opportunities where size, weight, cost and power are extremely critical factors such as micro-robots, small unmanned aerial systems and personal navigation.