High Resolution Differential Capacitance Detection Scheme for Micro Levitated Rotor Gyroscope

A differential capacitance detection circuit aiming at detection of rotating angle in a novel levitation structure is presented. To ensure the low non-linearity and high resolution, noise analysis and non-linearity simulation are conducted. In the capacitance interface, an integral charge amplifier is adopted as a front end amplifier to reduce the parasitic capacitance caused by connecting wire. For the novel differential capacitance bridge with a coupling capacitor, the noise floor and non-linearity of the detection circuit are analyzed, and the results show that the detecting circuit is capable of realizing angle detection with high angular resolution and relative low non-linearity. With a specially designed printed circuit board, the circuit is simulated by PSpice. The practical experiment shows that the detection board can achieve angular resolution as high as 0.04° with a non-linearity error 2.3%.

Capacitance Sensing and Software-Realized Lock-in Amplifier for the Electromagnetically Levitated Micro Gyroscope

In the novel prototype of micro-gyroscope structure,the new configured capacitance sensing scheme for the micro gyroscope was analyzed and the virtual instrument based detection scheme was implemented.The digital lock-in amplifier was employed in the capacitance detection to restrain the noise interference.The capacitance analysis shows that 1 fF capacitance variation corresponds to 0.1 degree of the turn angle.The differential capacitance bridge and the charge integral amplifier were used as the front signal input interface.In the implementation of digital lock-in amplifier,a new routine which warranted the exactly matching of the reference phase to signal phase was proposed.The result of the experiment shows that digital lock-in amplifier can greatly eliminate the noise in the output signal.The non linearity of the turn angle output is 2.3% and the minimum resolution of turn angle is 0.04 degrees.The application of the software demodulation in the signal detection of micro-electro-mechanical-system(MEMS)device is a new attempt,and it shows the prospective for a high-performance application.

Fabric-substrated capacitive biopotential sensors enhanced by dielectric nanoparticles

Wearable biopotential sensing devices are essential to long-term and real-time monitoring of human health.Non-contact,capacitive sensing electrodes prevent potential skin iritations,and are thus beneficial for long-term monitoring.Existing capacitive electrodes are either connected to a separate control circuit via external wires or have limited sensing capacitances,which leads to low signal qualities.This study demonstrates a stretchable capacitive sensing device with integrated electrodes and control electronics,with enhanced signal qualities.The electrodes and the control electronics are fabricated on a common fabric substrate for breathability and strain-limiting protection.The stretchable electrodes are based on an island-bridge design with a stretchability as high as-100%,and an area ratio as high as-80%.By using a dielectric calcium copper titanate(CCTO)composite as the adhesive layer,the electrode capacitance can be increased,yielding an enhanced signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)in the acquired biopotentials.This device offers a convenient and comfortable approach for long-term non-contact monitoring of biopotential signals.

A portable and low-cost parallel-plate capacitor sensor for alkali and heavy metal ions detection

A portable and low-cost design of parallel-plate capacitor sensor is proposed and investigated for detection of heavy and alkali metal ions concentration in liquid solution.The application of a thin and long-sided parallel PCB plate allows one to measure the dielectric response of each sample through capacitive sensing technique.The measurements were based on the peak output voltage corresponding to the capacitance of the output measured by an oscilloscope with metal ions concentration of the solution varying from 0 to 10 ppm and input frequency ranging from 1 kHz to 10 MHz.The ICF of Li,Na and K in chloride solution was 2.4,2.1 and 1.9 MHz,respectively.The ICF of Na and K in hydroxide solution was 1.5 MHz and 1.1 MHz,respectively,while the ICF of Pb(NO_(3))_(2)was 490 kHz.The detected ICF was applied to further construct the portable sensor system,which is simple in design,low-cost in fabrication and easy to operate.The finding of ICF of each chemical element is necessary to solve the selectivity challenge of the capacitance-based sensor,which will be appropriate for chemical,environmental and engineering applications.