Investigation of transducer performance in coriolis vibratory gyroscopes using numerical modelling and designed experiments

As the market for high-precision sensor devices continues to expand, there are increasing demands on sensor performance to fulfil both existing and new applications. This in turn drives improvements in device design, characterisation and manufacture, often requiring multi-disciplinary research. One such device, the InnaLabs Coriolis Vibratory Gyroscope (CVG), is the focus of such research in this work.

This thesis focusses on the piezoelectric transducers at the core of this CVG system. A basic description of system-level operation is provided, and core sensor components are described in detail. A significant issue with the transducer’s solder attachment layer is investigated using designed experiments, leading to considerable improvements in quality and process simplifications. The topic of residual stresses in the soldered assembly is then investigated using the finite element technique, where the potential impacts on downstream processes (and hence final device performance) are also examined. Finally, the dynamic behaviour of the transducers in different modes is examined both experimentally and numerically, leading to increased understanding of component performance.

This work aims to expand and improve understanding of transducer behaviour within CVG systems, thereby leading to future improvements in sensor performance.