Development of a test rig for MEMS-based gyroscopic motion sensors in human applications

Abstract

This paper describes the development of a test rig for MEMS gyroscopes. The purpose of the test rig is testing and verification of various gyroscopes that are intended for human motion analysis. The test rig will be a tool to test functionality and help in the selection process of appropriate MEMS-gyroscopes. Human movement pattern differs from mechanical motion and thus puts specific demands on the test equipment and verification procedures. The main function of the test rig is to rotate the gyroscope and measure the precision in the sensor signal response in different situations. This includes detection of different movement patterns and performances in different environment conditions (e.g. temperature, vibrations, etc). Several components can be tested at the same time in the test rig. Among the things that can be evaluated is the performance of the components, comparisons between different individual components or batches, aging processes of components and verification of the component performance for comparison of the specifications from the manufacturer. There are several different pre-programmed test-programs available but the test rig can also be manually operated. The data from the tests are stored and can be analyzed and processed afterwards. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.