Principle Research on a Single Mass Six-Degree-of-Freedom Accelerometer With Six Groups of Piezoelectric Sensing Elements

This paper presents a novel six-degree-of-freedom (six-DOF) accelerometer that based on single mass structure for determination of spatial vibration characteristics, which employs six groups of piezoelectric quartzes as acceleration sensing elements. The operating principle of the proposed six-DOF accelerometer is analyzed, and its analytical model and structure model are constructed. The numerical simulation model [finite-element model (FEM)] of the proposed six-DOF accelerometer is also established, and its output sensitivity, static characteristics, dynamic natural frequency, and so on are analyzed by FEM tools (ANSYS software). There is a consistency between the analytical model and the result of numerical simulation model. The research results show that the single mass six-DOF accelerometer with six groups of piezoelectric sensing elements can accurately measure six-DOF acceleration, and has advantages of simple and rational structure, correct sensing principle and mathematic model, good linearity, high stiffness, theoretical natural frequency is >10.2 kHz, and nice manufacturability.