Effects of Electrode Structures on the Sensing Characteristics of Capacitive Accelerometers

In this study, COMSOL Multiphysics (R) (version 6.0) finite element software was used to simulate a sophisticated single-axis accelerometer with different electrode pairs. The first variable in the simulation was the number of electrode pairs in the original accelerometer, which ranged from one to 21, while keeping the mass block length constant. The second variable involved reducing the number of electrode pairs while simultaneously shortening the mass block length. The acceleration levels used in the simulation were 25, 50, and 75g, with no changes made to the thickness of the spring element or the external fixed and movable comb electrodes. In our analysis, we focused on evaluating the impact of these parameter variations on several key indicators: the induced displacement, voltage, and maximum von Mises stress within the accelerometer structure. By systematically varying the acceleration level and electrode configuration of the accelerometer, we aimed to understand how these changes affected the performance characteristics of the designed devices. This approach enables us to gain deeper insights into the structural behavior of the accelerometer under different operating conditions, providing valuable data for optimizing its design and functionality in practical applications.