Wang Y.P., Hsu R-Q., Wu C.W.
National Chiao Tung University, TW
Keywords: high G, inertial shock sensor, MEMS, proof mass, spring
Inertial sensors have been extensively utilized in science and industry. For high G (>300G) applications, reaction times for conventional mechanical type shock sensors are not fast enough. In some cases the shock sensor structures disintegrate(>5000G). Designing a shock sensor that has a faster reaction time than conventional sensors and a mechanism that is sufficiently robust to survive the impact when a vehicle collides with a hard target is the major goal of this study. Thus, a MEMS high-G inertial shock sensor that has two advantages is presented. Silicon was first chosen as the structure material, as its Young’s modulus approaching 190 Gpa, which is close to that of steel (210 Gpa). Moreover, silicon has virtually no mechanical hysteresis, and, thus, is an ideal material for sensors and actuators. Second, the MEMS process favors production of miniature mechanisms that are always demanding in the application. Trimmer proposed a unique model that demonstrated reducing the scale of a structure, will decrease the time required for displacing a fixed point. Thus, the reaction time of a small inertial shock sensor can be decreased.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 3, Nanotechnology 2008: Microsystems, Photonics, Sensors, Fluidics, Modeling, and Simulation – Technical Proceedings of the 2008 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Trade Show, Volume 3
Published: June 1, 2008
Pages: 565 - 568
Industry sectors: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing | Sensors, MEMS, Electronics
Topic: Informatics, Modeling & Simulation
ISBN: 978-1-4200-8505-1