The investigation of the detection mechanism for micromachined accelerometers with gaseous proof mass

A new mechanism of acceleration detection is discussed in this paper, on the basis of which micromachined accelerometers with gaseous proof mass can be developed. The new concept of "Gas Pendulum" is introduced to theoretically explain this mechanism. Three types of macroscopic devices utilizing this mechanism are demonstrated. The experimental results show that the accelerometer can measure acceleration up to /spl plusmn/5g, and has a resolution better than 2 /spl times/ 10/sup -4/ g. The characteristics of this method and the prospect of its application in micromachined accelerometers are also discussed.