Dual-axes capacitive inclinometer/low-g accelerometer for automotive applications

Abstract

This paper reports a dual-axes capacitive inclinometer/low-g accelerometer based on a novel feedback operation concept. The device consists of a sensor die and an ASIC, housed in a dual-in-line transfer moulded package for surface mounting. The sensor is fabricated by bulk micromachining of silicon and triple stack anodic bonding and is primarily an accelerometer sensitive to the Earth's gravitational field. Through the dedicated ASIC, the device can be programmed to operate either as a low-g accelerometer or as an inclinometer. The device is designed to have a programmable range up to /spl plusmn/2 g for the accelerometer and up to /spl plusmn/40/spl deg/ for the inclinometer, and a resolution of 0.61 mg and 0.1/spl deg/, respectively.