High-accuracy Motion Estimation for MEMS Devices with Capacitive Sensors

With the development of micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technologies, emerging MEMS applications such as in-situ MEMS IMU calibration, medical imaging via endomicroscopy, and feedback control for nano-positioning and laser scanning impose needs for especially accurate measurements of motion using on-chip sensors. Due to their advantages of simple fabrication and integration within system level architectures, capacitive sensors are a primary choice for motion tracking in those applications. However, challenges arise as often the capacitive sensing scheme in those applications is unconventional due to the nature of the application and/or the design and fabrication restrictions imposed, and MEMS sensors are traditionally susceptible to accuracy errors, as from nonlinear sensor behavior, gain and bias drift, feedthrough disturbances, etc. Those challenges prevent traditional sensing and estimation techniques from fulfilling the accuracy requirements of the candidate applications. The goal of this dissertation is to provide a framework for such MEMS devices to achieve high-accuracy motion estimation, and specifically to focus on innovative sensing and estimation techniques that leverage unconventional capacitive sensing schemes to improve estimation accuracy. Several research studies with this specific aim have been conducted, and the methodologies, results and findings are presented in the context of three applications. The general procedure of the study includes proposing and devising the capacitive sensing scheme, deriving a sensor model based on first principles of capacitor configuration and sensing circuit, analyzing the sensor’s characteristics in simulation with tuning of key parameters, conducting experimental investigations by constructing testbeds and identifying actuation and sensing models, formulating estimation schemes is to include identified actuation dynamics and sensor models, and validating the estimation schemes and evaluating their performance against ground truth measurements. The studies show that the proposed techniques are valid and effective, as the estimation schemes adopted either fulfill the requirements imposed or improve the overall estimation performance. Highlighted results presented in this dissertation include a scale factor calibration accuracy of 286 ppm for a MEMS gyroscope (Chapter 3), an improvement of 15.1% of angular displacement estimation accuracy by adopting a threshold sensing technique for a scanning micro-mirror (Chapter 4), and a phase shift prediction error of 0.39 degree for a electrostatic micro-scanner using shared electrodes for actuation and sensing (Chapter 5).PHDMechanical EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147568/1/davidsky_1.pd

Rotorcraft Blade Angle Calibration Methods

The most vital system of a rotorcraft is the rotor system due to its effects on the overall flight quality of the vehicle. Therefore, it is of importance to be able to accurately determine blade position during flight so that fine adjustments can be made to ensure a safe and efficient flight. In this study, a current calibration method focusing on the pitch, flap, and lead-lag blade angles is analyzed and found to have larger than acceptable error associated with the sensor calibrations. A literature review is conducted which reveals four novel methods that can potentially increase the accuracy of the sensor calibrations. An uncertainty analysis is conducted aiding in the decision of which of the four methods would best improve the calibration accuracy. The results conclude that a simpler method can be applied and calibration times can greatly be reduced while increasing the accuracy of the calibration. Finally, a new calibration method is proposed utilizing the newly chosen sensor that can be later implemented into the system

Advances in Fluid Power Systems

The main purpose of this Special Issue of “Advances in Fluid Power Systems” was to present new scientific work in the field of fluid power systems for hydraulic and pneumatic control of machines and devices used in various industries. Advances in fluid power systems are leading to the creation of new smart devices that can replace tried-and-true solutions from the past. The development work of authors from various research centres has been published. This Special Issue focuses on recent advances and smart solutions for fluid power systems in a wide range of topics, including: • Fluid power for IoT and Industry 4.0: smart fluid power technology, wireless 5G connectivity in fluid power, smart components, and sensors.• Fluid power in the renewable energy sector: hydraulic drivetrains for wind power and for wave and marine current power, and hydraulic systems for solar power. • Hybrid fluid power: hybrid transmissions, energy recovery and accumulation, and energy efficiency of hybrid drives.• Industrial and mobile fluid power: industrial fluid power solutions, mobile fluid power solutions, eand nergy efficiency solutions for fluid power systems.• Environmental aspects of fluid power: hydraulic water control technology, noise and vibration of fluid power components, safety, reliability, fault analysis, and diagnosis of fluid power systems.• Fluid power and mechatronic systems: servo-drive control systems, fluid power drives in manipulators and robots, and fluid power in autonomous solutions

Development and experimental analysis of a micromachined Resonant Gyrocope

This thesis is concerned with the development and experimental analysis of a resonant gyroscope. Initially, this involved the development of a fabrication process suitable for the construction of metallic microstructures, employing a combination of nickel electroforming and sacrificial layer techniques to realise free-standing and self-supporting mechanical elements. This was undertaken and achieved. Simple beam elements of typically 2.7mm x 1mm x 40µm dimensions have been constructed and subject to analysis using laser doppler interferometry. This analysis tool was used to implement a fill modal analysis in order to experimentally derive dynamic parameters. The characteristic resonance frequencies of these cantilevers have been measured, with 3.14kHz, 23.79kHz, 37.94kHz and 71.22kHz being the typical frequencies of the first four resonant modes. Q-factors of 912, 532, 1490 and 752 have been measured for these modes respectively at 0.01mbar ambient pressure. Additionally the mode shapes of each resonance was derived experimentally and found to be in excellent agreement with finite element predictions. A 4mm nickel ring gyroscope structure has been constructed and analysed using both optical analysis tools and electrical techniques. Using laser doppler interferometry the first four out-of-plane modes of the ring structure were found to be typically 9.893 kHz, 11.349 kHz, 11.418 kHz and 13.904 kHz with respective Q-factors of 1151, 1659, 1573 and 1407 at 0.01 mbar ambient pressure. Although electrical measurements were found to be obscured through cross coupling between drive and detection circuitry, the in-plane operational modes of the gyroscope were sucessfully determined. The Cos2Ө and Sin2Ө operational modes were measured at 36.141 kHz and 36.346 kHz, highlighting a frequency split of 205kHz. Again all experimentally derived modal parameters were in good agreement with finite element predictions. Furthermore, using the analysis model, the angular resolution of the gyroscope has been predicted to be approximately 4.75º/s

Fixed-wing MAV attitude stability in atmospheric turbulence, part 1: Suitability of conventional sensors

Fixed-wing Micro-Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) need effective sensors that can rapidly detect turbulence induced motion perturbations. Current MAV attitude control systems rely on inertial sensors. These systems can be described as reactive; detecting the disturbance only after the aircraft has responded to the disturbing phenomena. In this part of the paper, the current state of the art in reactive attitude sensing for fixed-wing MAVs are reviewed. A scheme for classifying the range of existing and emerging sensing techniques is presented. The features and performance of the sensing approaches are discussed in the context of their application to MAV attitude control systems in turbulent environments. It is found that the use of single sensors is insufficient for MAV control in the presence of turbulence and that potential gains can be realised from multi-sensor systems. A successive paper to be published in this journal will investigate novel attitude sensors which have the potential to improve attitude control of MAVs in Turbulenc

Wireless Tagging and Actuation with Shaped Magnetoelastic Transducers.

The promise and the challenges of patterned, micro-scale magnetoelastic transducers and their integration with silicon is the focus of this thesis. As demonstrations, wireless magnetoelastic chip-scale resonant rotary motors and miniaturized magnetoelastic tags are investigated. The motors consist of a magnetoelastically-actuated stator, a silicon rotor, a “hub” structure, and DC and AC coils. Two generations are described. The first-generation motor uses a stator with a bilayer of silicon (ø8 mm x 65 µm thick) and magnetoelastic foil (Metglas™ 2826MB bulk foil, ø8 mm x 25 µm thick). The motor provides bi-directional rotation capability, and typical resonant frequencies of the clockwise and counterclockwise modes are 6.1 kHz and 7.9 kHz, respectively. The counterclockwise mode provides a rotation rate of ≈100 rpm, start torque of 30 nN∙m, a step size of 74 milli-degree and a capability for driving a 100 mg payload while a 8 Oe DC and a 6 Oe-amplitude AC magnetic field are applied. The second-generation of motors includes bilayer standing wave and traveling wave designs (ø5 mm stators) with integrated capacitive sensors for real-time position measurement and speed estimation. Clockwise and counterclockwise mode shapes with resonant frequencies of 12 kHz and 22.4 kHz, respectively, are measured for the standing wave motor. Two mode shapes (with π/2 spatial phase difference) at resonant frequencies of 30.2 kHz and 31.7 kHz are measured for the traveling wave motor. The wireless actuation capability and the hybrid integration of the bulk magnetoelastic material with silicon show promise for use in many microsystems. A lithographically patterned, frame-suspended hexagonal magnetoelastic tag design (ø1.3 mm x 27 µm thick) is also investigated. These tags provide ≈75x signal amplitude improvement compared to a non-suspended disc tag, while occupying ≈100x smaller area than typical commercial ribbon tags. Signal strength can also be boosted by taking advantage of tag signal superposition. Linear signal superposition of the response has been experimentally measured for clustered sets of frame-suspended tags that include as many as 500 units. Miniaturized tags with sufficient signal strength may enable new applications, such as distributing the tags into a network of cracks and subsequently mapping the distribution.PhDMechanical EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108961/1/juntang_1.pd

Design, Fabrication and Characterization of MEMS Gyroscopes Based on Frequency Modulation

Conventional amplitude modulated (AM) open loop MEMS gyroscopes experience a significant performance trade-off between having a large bandwidth or high sensitivity. It is impossible to improve both metrics at the same time without increasing the mass of the gyroscope or introducing a closed loop (force feedback) system into the device design. Introducing a closed loop system or increasing the proof mass on the other hand will surge power consumption. Consequently, it is difficult to maintain consistently high performance while scaling down the device size. Furthermore, bias stability, bias repeatability, reliability, nonlinearity and other performance metrics remain primary concerns as designers look to expand MEMS gyroscopes into areas like space, military and navigation applications. Industries and academics carried out extensive research to address these limitations in conventional AM MEMS gyroscope design. This research primarily aims to improve MEMS gyroscope performance by integrating a frequency modulated (FM) readout system into the design using a cantilever beam and microplate design. The FM resonance sensing approach has been demonstrated to provide better performance than the traditional AM sensing method in similar applications (e.g., Atomic Force Microscope). The cantilever beam MEMS gyroscope is specifically designed to minimize error sources that corrupt the Coriolis signal such as operating temperature, vibration and packaging stress. Operating temperature imposes enormous challenges to gyroscope design, introducing a thermal noise and drift that degrades device performance. The cantilever beam mass gyroscope system is free on one side and can therefore minimize noise caused by both thermal effects and packaging stress. The cantilever beam design is also robust to vibrations (it can reject vibrations by sensing the orthogonally arranged secondary gyroscope) and minimizes cross-axis sensitivity. By alleviating the negative impacts of operating environment in MEMS gyroscope design, reliable, robust and high-performance angular rate measurements can be realized, leading to a wide range of applications including dynamic vehicle control, navigation/guidance systems, and IOT applications. The FM sensing approach was also investigated using a traditional crab-leg design. Tested under the same conditions, the crab-leg design provided a direct point of comparison for assessing the performance of the cantilever beam gyroscope. To verify the feasibility of the FM detection method, these gyroscopes were fabricated using commercially available MIDIS™ process (Teledyne Dalsa Inc.), which provides 2 μm capacitive gaps and 30 μm structural layer thickness. The process employs 12 masks and hermetically sealed (10mTorr) packaging to ensure a higher quality factor. The cantilever beam gyroscope is designed such that the driving and sensing mode resonant frequency is 40.8 KHz with 0.01% mismatch. Experimental results demonstrated that the natural frequency of the first two modes shift linearly with the angular speed and demonstrate high transducer sensitivity. Both the cantilever beam and crab-leg gyroscopes showed a linear dynamic range up to 1500 deg/s, which was limited by the experimental test setup. However, we also noted that the cantilever beam design has several advantages over traditional crab-leg devices, including simpler dynamics and control, bias stability and bias repeatability. Furthermore, the single-port sensing method implemented in this research improves the electronic performance and therefore enhances sensitivity by eliminating the need to measure vibrations via a secondary mode. The single-port detection mechanism could also simplify the IC architecture. Rate table characterization at both high (110 oC) and low (22 oC) temperatures showed minimal changes in sensitivity performance even in the absence of temperature compensation mechanism and active control, verifying the improved robustness of the design concept. Due to significant die area reduction, the cantilever design can feasibly address high-volume consumer market demand for low cost, and high-volume production using a silicon wafer for the structural part. The results of this work introduce and demonstrate a new paradigm in MEMS gyroscope design, where thermal and vibration rejection capability is achieved solely by the mechanical system, negating the need for active control and compensation strategies

Murskainlaitosten kunnonvalvontasovellukset

Effective use of machinery and maintenance planning requires improving of situational awareness and knowing the condition of the machinery. In mineral and aggregate industry, the maintenance is traditionally performed according to fixed time intervals or when the machines break down. One implemented solution for improving situational awareness is different kind of remote monitoring solutions. Knowing the condition of the machines improves the up-time and helps to prevent unexpected failures of the machines that work in difficult conditions. There are various condition monitoring products and services on the market, but they may not fulfil directly all of the requirements of this industry. It may therefore be a risk that the condition monitoring may not be comprehensive enough, if they are implemented with those commercial services. The goal of this work is divided in three research questions. The focus of the work is on the first one. The question number one is associated with searching of condition monitoring applications, which are application specific for mineral and aggregate industry. In this context, this work reviews different condition monitoring methods, but the actual measurements are implemented by using vibration sensors. The found application specific condition monitoring methods are tested by designing and implementing measurement setup. The measurement setup is installed on a mobile crushing unit – Metso Lokotrack LT106. The measurement setup includes measuring of machine orientation, monitoring of a frame bearing of the crusher and monitoring vibration of machine’s main conveyor. The used data-analysis methods are calculating the machine frame orientation by using the measured direction of gravity, monitoring of vibration root-mean-square velocity, envelope analysis of bearing high-frequency vibration and analysis of vibration frequency spectrum. The second research question estimates the minimum hardware requirements for the measurements, so that the desired phenomena can be reliably detected. The third question is to assess the economic feasibility of the selected measurements. Based on the results of this work, the current single point measurement of unit orientation is insufficient solution. Elastic frame may twist too much during use of the machine, and the operator may not notice it. On the other hand, inclination of the machine may change excessively during the use, if the ground under the machine sinks. In case of the crusher frame bearing, the result of envelope analysis indicates developing faults in a rolling element and inner race of the bearing. In turn, monitoring of the vibration root-mean-square velocity of the main conveyor does detect excessive vibration during the monitoring period, which is quite expected result, because the conveyor is accurately designed by using Finite element method. Based on the results, the orientation of the machine would be worthwhile to implement as commercial product, as well as the crusher bearing condition monitoring