A Flexible Charge-Balanced Ratiometric Open-Loop Readout System for Capacitive Inertial Sensors

Author

Amini, Saber ; Johns, David Andrew

Author_Institution

Edward S. Rogers Sr. Dept. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., Univ. of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

Volume

62

Issue

4

fYear

2015

fDate

Apr-15

Firstpage

317

Lastpage

321

Abstract

This brief presents an open-loop readout circuit for capacitive accelerometers. It combines a ratiometric approach with charge balancing for high linearity. The charge balance is implemented with a delta-sigma loop that acts as an analog-to-digital converter for a readout signal. The system avoids the low-signal-tone power levels present in current charge-balanced implementations, making it a flexible readout technique for accelerometers with varying sensitivities and dynamic ranges.

Keywords

accelerometers; analogue-digital conversion; capacitive sensors; delta-sigma modulation; flexible electronics; inertial systems; readout electronics; analog-digital converter; capacitive accelerometer; capacitive inertial sensors; delta-sigma loop; flexible charge balanced ratiometric readout system; open-loop readout circuit; open-loop readout system; Acceleration; Accelerometers; Capacitance; Capacitors; Linearity; Noise; Sensors; Accelerometers; Capacitive sensors; accelerometers; capacitive sensors; charge balance; gyroscopes; interface circuits; ratiometric; readout circuits;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1549-7747

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TCSII.2014.2387551

Filename

7001188