Resonator Accelerometer Operating at Microwave and Optical Frequencies

Anthony Petrovich

Abstract:	Resonator accelerometers operating at microwave and optical frequencies are being considered for a range of applications including high performance strategic applications. The characteristics and advantages of the Microwave Resonator Accelerometer (MRA) and Optical Resonator Accelerometer (ORA) are evaluated. The fundamental sensor for the MRA and ORA are similar consisting of a flexured proof mass responding to acceleration. The flexured mass system must provide adequate scale factor and bias stability. The MRA uses a cavity resonator to sense proof mass deflection while the ORA uses an optical cavity resonator. A comparison is made of the size, cost, and performance for these two systems of deflection measurement. Performance of the MRA and ORA is fundamentally limited by the stability of the flexured mass that responds to acceleration. To evaluate this flexured mass system, a laboratory breadboard unit that includes a proof mass supported by Sapphire flexures and a microwave resonant cavity proof mass position sensor was constructed. Testing of this breadboard unit on a dividing head at 21 positions spaced equally in angle around 360 (tumble testing) showed the stability under conditions of varying acceleration and also the levels of cross axis response in the laboratory unit. Additional testing was performed from an initial orientation followed by 180 rotation and return to the initial orientation in order to more thoroughly characterize the bias repeatability. This testing along with static stability testing provided a basic characterization of the flexured mass subassembly which is central to both MRA and ORA performance.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 49th Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1993) June 21 - 23, 1993 Royal Sonesta Hotel Cambridge, MA
Pages:	531 - 536
Cite this article:	Petrovich, Anthony, "Resonator Accelerometer Operating at Microwave and Optical Frequencies," Proceedings of the 49th Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1993), Cambridge, MA, June 1993, pp. 531-536.
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