Tactical grade MEMS vibrating ring gyroscope with high shock reliability

This study presents a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) vibrating ring gyroscope (VRG), which can survive high shocks and then maintains the level of performance required for tactical navigation. The mechanical structure was designed using a combination of mathematical analysis and the finite element method. The high-aspect-ratio structures were then manufactured through an efficient fabrication process using a silicon-on-aluminum patterned glass (SOPG) wafer. To demonstrate the high shock resistance of the fabricated VRG, a shock of 15,000 g was applied by a gas-gun, and its performance parameters were measured. The VRG, which has an operating frequency of 17 kHz, demonstrated performance satisfying the tactical grade requirements, i.e., bias instability, scale factor accuracy, and angular random walk less than 1 degrees/h, 50 ppm, and 0.1 degrees/h(12), respectively. The test results show that the proposed VRG can be used effectively in tactical navigation systems, especially when both performance and high shock reliability are crucial, such as in guided munitions. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.