Uncoupling micromachined-based piezoelectric accelerometer performance from a sensor structure transfer function

A smart structure technology for autonomous gain and phase tailoring was adapted to develop a new accelerometer that possesses both an excellent low-frequency response and a high operational bandwidth. The freedom associated with the uncoupling of the gain and phase tailoring to an accelerometer-based structure transfer function can be shown to vastly expand the performance area of traditional accelerometers. We used free-fall detection to demonstrate this newly found capability with its wide applicability to portable devices and which is perceived as extremely difficult to pursue for magnetic disk drives. A micromachined accelerometer was developed to demonstrate the expanded applicability of this innovative concept that integrates smart structure technology to accelerometer design. Both theoretical derivations and experimental verification of this new class of accelerometers are detailed in this paper.