Design and experimental error analysis of the 3-axis accelerometer based on PZT-tube support structure

To increase the sensitivity of the millimeter scale triaxial piezoelectric accelerometer, a tri-axis accelerometer with sensitive and support structure of three 12mm-length axial polarized PZT tubes is designed. The calculating method of spatial acceleration is provided. The output voltage amplitude-frequency characteristic curve of 3 PZT tubes during [100, 1 000]Hz acceleration and tri-axis sensitivity are achieved by numerical simulation. Three PZT tubes are deployed symmetrically around the center of the device to realize the accurate calculation of the magnitude and direction of the triaxial acceleration. A triaxial sensor sample is developed. Experimental results show that the 3-axis sensitivity values are 535, 541 and 542 mV/g, respectively. The influence degree of machining error on experimental results is analyzed systematically. The error between experimental value and simulation value is analyzed and explained. The high sensitivity sensor provides a reference for the integrated design of triaxial accelerometer's sensitivity and support structure. © 2020, Science Press. All right reserved.