Accelerometer Sensors

High-Performance MEMS Acceleration Sensors

Safran produces high-performance, tactical grade accelerometer sensors. These sensors can track the position and inclination of vehicles, drill bits, drones, and any other moving object that you need to measure in real time. The accelerometer sensors can measure the acceleration of any object you mount them to, with an accuracy of 0.1 degrees of error or better.

Industry

How MEMs Accelerometers Work

It is common to use 3 accelerometers within a system in order to measure the movement in all directions. Each accelerometer will measure the acceleration in its respective direction and output a voltage to indicate the amount of acceleration.

A microscopic spring shifts when the device accelerates and that motion changes an electrical property such as capacitance. Electronics (e.g. the ASIC chip inside the ceramic package) measure those tiny changes and translate them into a voltage or digital value that represents acceleration along one or more axes.

The components of a mems accelerometer include 3 silicon layers and 2 stationary electrodes sandwiched around a seismic mass. Whenever acceleration occurs, the mass moves relative to the stationary electrodes, generating a change in capacitance. That change is then converted into an output voltage which is proportional to the applied acceleration.

Paired with gyroscopes, accelerometers will help provide the full picture of motion in any application.

Hardened MEMS Accelerometers

Safran accelerometer sensors are built to last. Every accelerometer undergoes tough qualification tests. They endure over 500 hours at 150°C and 60 thermal cycles from -40°C to +150°C —proving their strength in extreme heat and rapid temperature changes, whether they are being used deep underground for directional drilling, or at freezing high altitudes on an aircraft.

They also survive 500 shocks at 1000 g and 12,000 shocks at 100 g, demonstrating resilience against the intense vibration and movement of any application. Finally, each sensor passes 20 gRMS random vibration tests, ensuring stable, accurate performance.