Low-power sensing for vestibular prostheses

Biaxial Angular Acceleration Sensor with Rotational-Symmetric Spiral Channels and MEMS Piezoresistive Cantilevers

Angular acceleration sensors are attracting attention as sensors for monitoring rotational vibration. Many angular acceleration sensors have been developed; however, multiaxis measurement is still in a challenging stage. In this study, we propose a biaxial angular acceleration sensor with two uniaxial sensor units arranged orthogonally. The sensor units consist of two rotational-symmetric spiral channels and microelectromechanical system (MEMS) piezoresistive cantilevers. The cantilever is placed to interrupt the flow at the junctions of parallelly aligned spirals in each channel. When two cantilevers are used as the resistance of the bridge circuit in the two-gauge method, the rotational-symmetric spiral channels enhance the sensitivity in the target axis, while the nontarget axis sensitivities are canceled. The fabricated device responds with approximately constant sensitivity from 1 to 15 Hz, with a value of 3.86 × 10^-5/(rad/s²), which is equal to the theoretical value. The nontarget axis sensitivity is approximately 1/400 of the target axis sensitivity. In addition, we demonstrate that each unit responds according to the tilt angle when the device is tilted along the two corresponding rotational axis planes. Thus, it is concluded that the developed device realizes biaxial angular acceleration measurement with low crosstalk.

A dual-axis single-proof-mass angular accelerometer for a vestibular prosthesis

A dual-axis single-proof-mass angular accelerometer has been developed for a vestibular prosthesis. Designed to sense head rotations both in the yaw and the pitch planes, the output of the inertial sensor may be coded as amplitude or rate modulated biphasic current pulses to stimulate vestibular nerves. Fabricated with a high aspect ratio commercial process, a sensor with small form factor (1.4 mm × 0.8 mm) is achieved with a scale factor of 95.5 μV/rad/sec2 and 145.8 μV/rad/sec2 in the yaw and the pitch planes, respectively. Superior linear acceleration rejection was demonstrated for both rotating axis, and an overall power consumption of 296 μW was estimated including sensor and interface circuit.

Bio-inspired micro-fluidic angular-rate sensor for vestibular prostheses

This paper presents an alternative approach for angular-rate sensing based on the way that the natural vestibular semicircular canals operate, whereby the inertial mass of a fluid is used to deform a sensing structure upon rotation. The presented gyro has been fabricated in a commercially available MEMS process, which allows for microfluidic channels to be implemented in etched glass layers, which sandwich a bulk-micromachined silicon substrate, containing the sensing structures. Measured results obtained from a proof-of-concept device indicate an angular rate sensitivity of less than 1 °/s, which is similar to that of the natural vestibular system. By avoiding the use of a continually-excited vibrating mass, as is practiced in today's state-of-the-art gyroscopes, an ultra-low power consumption of 300 μW is obtained, thus making it suitable for implantation.