Low cost piezoelectric rate/acceleration sensors

A new practical and low cost method of measuring angular rates and linear accelerations has been developed in recent years. The method utilizes piezoelectric transducers mounted on a rotating structure to form a multifunction two axis gyro/accelerometer (TAGA) sensor. Each sensor can measure 2 axes of angular rate and 2 axes of linear acceleration. Two TAGA sensors are sufficient to implement a strapdown attitude/heading reference system or inertial guidance system. This paper describes the development of a low cost sensor cluster intended for short term mid-course guidance in tactical missiles or for attitude/heading control for remotely piloted vehicles. Performance range of the TAGA sensor is 1-10 deg/hr gyro bias and 0.5-5 millig accelerometer bias. Tactical missile applications require a low cost inertial system which can be stored for 5-10 years without retest or recalibration. A self-calibration concept is described which is appropriate for ground launched systems. The TAGA sensor cluster contains optional mechanisms to recalibrate scale factor, alignment, bias, and g sensitivity just prior to launch.