Cette thèse a été effectuée dans un contexte industriel de forte concurrence en lien avec les capteurs miniatures en silicium, destinés au gigantesque marché dit "consumer", dont l'application phare est le "Smartphone", pour laquelle les fonctionnalités accrues engendrent un besoin en matière de multi-capteurs inertiels dits 10-axes (accéléromètre 3-axes, magnétomètre 3-axes, gyromètre 3-axes et capteur de pression). Tout comme les circuits intégrés, les contraintes de coût de tels capteurs se traduisent par une exigence en termes de densité d'intégration. La technologie M&NEMS (Micro- & Nano- Electro Mechanical Systems) a été développée pour répondre à cette attente. Elle repose sur l'intégration de jauges de contraintes de dimensions nanométriques (~250 nm) avec des structures électromécaniques micrométriques, ce qui prodigue une compacité hors-pair des capteurs, ouvrant la voie à la co-intégration de multi-capteurs sur la même puce de silicium. Toutefois, la nature différente des grandeurs physiques à mesurer impose des contraintes supplémentaires, parfois opposées, ce qui rend leur co-intégration difficile. Partant de ce constat, nous avons exploré et développé, des solutions devant permettre le fonctionnement sous une même pression environnante, d'accéléromètres et de gyromètres à force de Coriolis. Cette problématique de co-intégration, s'étend au-delà du couple accéléromètre-gyromètre. Des questions inhérentes au capteur de pression ainsi qu'aux 3 axes de mesure d'un accéléromètre, sont également traitées dans cette thèse / This thesis was carried out in an industrial context of strong competition in connection with miniature silicon sensors for the huge so-called “consumer” market, where the “Smartphone” is the killer application; its increasing functionality creates a need for the so-called ‘10-axis' inertial multi-sensors (3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis magnetometer, 3-axis gyro sensor and pressure). Similarly to integrated circuits, cost constraints on such sensors translate into a requirement in terms of integration density. The M & NEMS (Micro- & Nano- Electro-Mechanical-Systems) technology has been developed to meet this expectation. It is based on the integration of nanoscale (~ 250 nm) strain gauges together with micrometric electromechanical structures, which ensure unrivaled compactness, paving the way for the co-integration of multiple inertial sensors on the same silicon chip. However, the different nature of the physical quantities to be measured imposes additional constraints, sometimes conflicting, which leads to a difficult co-integration. Based on this observation, we have explored and developed solutions to allow operation under the same ambient pressure, of accelerometers together with Coriolis force based gyroscopes. This issue of co-integration extends beyond the accelerometer-gyroscope couple. Issues inherent to the pressure sensor and to the 3-axis accelerometer measurements, are also addressed in this thesis

This thesis is focused on the design and realisation of inertial navigation unit INS. The unit is capable to measure, store and send data to a PC in real-time for a later offline processing. The first part of the thesis introduces the reader with the basic principles of accelerometers, gyroscopes and MEMS sensors. An introduction to coordinate systems and measuring errors is also included. The second and third part of the thesis deals with the analysis of the solution and the implementation of the INS unit. The fourth part of the document is dedicated to the software for the INS unit. This thesis concludes with explanation how the gathered data are processed.

"Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are integrated mechanical and electrical devices that are fabricated with features micrometers in size. MEMS are used as chemical laboratories on a chip, actuators, sensors, etc. To increase their operational capability, various MEMS sensors are being integrated into sensor systems, whose functionality may not decrease when their size decreases. However, before more advancement can be made in the sensor systems, behavior of individual sensors must be better understood. Without the basic knowledge of how and why MEMS sensors react the way they do, it is impossible to determine how MEMS sensor systems will behave. Out of the many sensors that can be included in the system, a MEMS gyroscope was selected for consideration in this paper. More specifically, the effects that suspension has on the topography of the microgyroscopes were studied. In this thesis, the folded springs that support the MEMS gyroscopes were modeled using analytical and computational methods, whose results were verified using experimentation. The analytical results correlated well with the computational and experimental results. The analytical and computational results for the deformations of the cantilever compared within 0.1%. The differences between the analytical and experimental results were on the order of 10%. Knowledge gained from these studies will help in the development of a through methodology for modeling the microgyroscope. This methodology will facilitate insertion of the microgyroscopes into the sensor systems."

Gesture Recognition is a new and upcoming trend that is being widely used in wearable devices and mobile handheld devices. The sensors like Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Heart rate monitor, Barometer and Ambient Light are mostly being included within the device to detect the static or continuous motion, rotational velocity, heartbeat rate of the user, pressure and light conditions for the device respectively. Implementing algorithms to capture the readings of these sensors and implementing them in a necessary way allows a user to use the wearable devices for a wide variety of applications. One such application is controlling Drone that takes user input to determine their motion. A Drone can accept signals from a combination of computer and a radio dongle and would fly according to the accepted commands. The wearable device can detect the motion of the wearer's hand when moved left, right, up, down etc using the Gyroscope sensor. This information can be used to process and send the signals to the Drone to enable wireless and gesture-based movement control.

As a promising alternative to laboratory constrained video capture systems in studies of human movement, inertial sensors (accelerometers and gyroscopes) are recently gaining popularity. Secondary quantities such as velocity, displacement and joint angles can be calculated through integration of acceleration and angular velocities. However, it is broadly accepted that this procedure is significantly influenced by cumulative errors due to integration, arising from sensor noise, non-linearities, asymmetries, sensitivity variations and bias drifts. In this study, new methods for improving foot motion from inertial sensors are explored and assessed. / Sensor devices have been developed previously, for example, to detect postural changes that determine potential elderly fallers, and monitor a person’s gait. Recently, a gait variable known as minimum toe clearance (MTC) has been proposed to describe age-related declines in gait with better success as a predictor of falls risk. The MTC is the minimum vertical distance between the lowest point on the shoe and the ground during the mid-swing phase of the gait cycle. It is therefore of our interest to design a cost effective but accurate solution to measure toe clearance data which can then be used to identify the individuals at risk of falling. In this study, hardware, firmware and software features from off-the-shelf inertial sensors and wireless motes are evaluated and their configuration optimized for this application. A strap-down method, which consists of the minimizing of the integration drift due to cumulative errors, is evaluated off-line. Analysis revealed the necessity of band-pass filtering methods to correct systematic sensor errors that dramatically reduce the accuracy in estimating foot motion. / Cumulative errors were studied in the frequency domain, employing content of inertial sensor foot motion evaluated against a ’gold standard’ video-based device, namely the Optotrak Certus NDI. In addition, the effectiveness of applying band-pass filtering to raw inertial sensor data is assessed, under the assumption that sensor drift errors occur in the low frequency spectrum. The normalized correlation coefficient ρ of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) spectra corresponding to vertical toe acceleration from inertial sensors and from a video capture system as a function of digital band-pass filter parameters is compared. The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of the vertical toe displacement is calculated for 5 healthy subjects over a range of 4 walking speeds. The lowest RMSE and highest cross correlation achieved for the slowest walking speed of 2.5km/h was 3.06cmand 0.871 respectively, and 2.96cm and 0.952 for the fastest speed of 5.5km/h.

<p>The target tracking system of an IR (InfraRed) guided missile is constantly subjected to disturbances due to the linear and angular motion of the missile. To diminish these LOS (Line Of Sight) disturbances the seeker of the missile can be built from a free gyroscope mounted in a very low friction suspension. The ability of the spinning gyroscope to maintain its direction relative to an inertial frame is used to stabilize the seeker LOS while tracking a target. The tracking velocity of the seeker, i.e. its angular velocity, is controlled by a feedback control unit where the signal from the IR detector is used as input. The electrical driven actuator consists of a set of coils and a magnet on the gyroscope. </p><p>The purpose of this thesis is to develop a real-time model of the seeker gyroscope in an existing IR MANPAD (MAN Portable Air Defense) missile. The aim is a model that is able to simulate the real system with consideration to the tracking velocity. The model should also be integrated into a hybrid simulator environment. </p><p>With relatively good knowledge of the system and its subsystems an initial physical modelling approach was used where elementary equations and accepted relations were assembled to describe the mechanism of the subsystems. This formed the framework of the model and gave a good foundation for further modelling. By using experimentation and more detailed system knowledge the initial approach could be developed and modified. Necessary approximations were made and unknown parameters were determined through system identification methods. The model was implemented in MATLAB Simulink. To make it suitable for real-time operation Real-Time Workshop was used. </p><p>The model design was evaluated in simulations where the tracking performance could be tested for different positions of the gyroscope. The results where satisfying and showed that the model was able to reproduce the output of the system well considering the speed of the model and the approximations made. One important reason that good results can be achieved with a relatively simple model is that the seeker is limited to small rotations. The model can be tuned to operate in a smaller range and the complexity can be kept low. A weakness of the model is that the output error increases for wide angles.</p>

This project examines the level of accuracy that can be achieved in precision positioning by using built-in sensors in an Android smartphone. The project is focused in estimating the position of the phone inside a building where the GPS signal is bad or unavailable. The approach is sensor-fusion: by using data from the device’s different sensors, such as accelerometer, gyroscope and wireless adapter, the position is determined. The results show that the technique is promising for future handheld indoor navigation systems that can be used in malls, museums, large office buildings, hospitals, etc.

The target tracking system of an IR (InfraRed) guided missile is constantly subjected to disturbances due to the linear and angular motion of the missile. To diminish these LOS (Line Of Sight) disturbances the seeker of the missile can be built from a free gyroscope mounted in a very low friction suspension. The ability of the spinning gyroscope to maintain its direction relative to an inertial frame is used to stabilize the seeker LOS while tracking a target. The tracking velocity of the seeker, i.e. its angular velocity, is controlled by a feedback control unit where the signal from the IR detector is used as input. The electrical driven actuator consists of a set of coils and a magnet on the gyroscope. The purpose of this thesis is to develop a real-time model of the seeker gyroscope in an existing IR MANPAD (MAN Portable Air Defense) missile. The aim is a model that is able to simulate the real system with consideration to the tracking velocity. The model should also be integrated into a hybrid simulator environment. With relatively good knowledge of the system and its subsystems an initial physical modelling approach was used where elementary equations and accepted relations were assembled to describe the mechanism of the subsystems. This formed the framework of the model and gave a good foundation for further modelling. By using experimentation and more detailed system knowledge the initial approach could be developed and modified. Necessary approximations were made and unknown parameters were determined through system identification methods. The model was implemented in MATLAB Simulink. To make it suitable for real-time operation Real-Time Workshop was used. The model design was evaluated in simulations where the tracking performance could be tested for different positions of the gyroscope. The results where satisfying and showed that the model was able to reproduce the output of the system well considering the speed of the model and the approximations made. One important reason that good results can be achieved with a relatively simple model is that the seeker is limited to small rotations. The model can be tuned to operate in a smaller range and the complexity can be kept low. A weakness of the model is that the output error increases for wide angles.

This thesis reports the development and analysis of high performance CMOS readout electronics for increasing the performance of MEMS gyroscopes developed at Middle East Technical University (METU). These readout electronics are based on unity gain buffers implemented with source followers. High impedance node biasing problem present in capacitive interfaces is solved with the implementation of a transistor operating in the subthreshold region. A generalized fully differential gyroscope model with force feedback electrodes has been developed in order to simulate the capacitive interfaces with the model of the gyroscope. This model is simplified for the single ended gyroscopes fabricated at METU, and simulations of resonance characteristics are done. Three gyroscope interfaces are designed by considering the problems faced in previous interface architectures. The first design is implemented using a single ended source follower biased with a subthreshold transistor. From the simulations, it is observed that biasing impedances up to several gigaohms can be achieved. The second design is the fully differential version of the first design with the addition of a self biasing scheme. In another interface, the second design is modified with an instrumentation amplifier which is used for fully differential to single ended conversion. All of these interfaces are fabricated in a standard 0.6 &micro / m CMOS process. Fabricated interfaces are characterized by measuring their ac responses, noise response and transient characteristics for a sinusoidal input. It is observed that, biasing impedances up to 60 gigaohms can be obtained with subthreshold transistors. Self biasing architecture eliminates the need for biasing the source of the subthreshold transistor to set the output dc point to 0 V. Single ended SOG gyroscopes are characterized with the single ended capacitive interfaces, and a 45 dB gain improvement is observed with the addition of capacitive interface to the drive mode. Minimum resolvable capacitance change and displacement that can be measured are found to be 58.31 zF and 38.87 Fermi, respectively. The scale factor of the gyroscope is found to be 1.97 mV/(&deg / /sec) with a nonlinearity of only 0.001% in &plusmn / 100 &deg / /sec measurement range. The bias instability and angle random walk of the gyroscope are determined using Allan variance method as 2.158 &deg / /&amp / #8730 / hr and 124.7 &deg / /hr, respectively.

This thesis, for the first time in the literature, presents the effect of quadrature error compensation on the performance of a fully decoupled MEMS gyroscope and provides experimental data on the sources of quadrature error. Dedicated quadrature error cancellation electrodes operating with only differential DC potentials are designed. Gyroscopes with intentionally placed imperfections are fabricated with SOG based SOI process which provides higher yield and uniformity compared to SOG process. Tests show that the fully closed loop system with quadrature cancellation operates as expected. Gyroscope performance is improved up to 7.8 times for bias instability, 10 times for angle random walk (ARW) and 800 times for output offset with quadrature cancellation. The actual improvement is higher since some sensors cannot be operated without quadrature cancellation and they are not included in improvement calculations. The best obtained performance is bias instability of 0.39