MEMS Inertial Sensors

This chapter summarizes Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) inertial sensors and their application to navigation solutions, with the goal of providing a practical introduction for those readers unfamiliar with MEMS. A MEMS accelerometer (“accel”) converts an applied force into an electrical output proportional to acceleration, just as a traditional electromechanical sensor would. As with MEMS accelerometers, the type of MEMS gyro is determined by its transduction principle, each with specific advantages and disadvantages. The chapter provides an overview of common gyroscope types. The typical MEMS inertial measurement units contains, at minimum, a 3-axis accelerometer and a 3-axis gyroscope. Some considerations specific to selecting and applying MEMS sensors are described. MEMS inertial sensors offer a new source of position, orientation, and motion data to navigation solutions. MEMS sensors provide an enticing option for the navigation engineer, particularly for applications in the GNSS-denied environment.