Systems, methods, and circuitries are provided for generating an acceleration current in response to a threshold temperature being reached. In one example, temperature based acceleration current source circuitry includes a first temperature sensitive device, a second temperature sensitive device, differential trigger circuitry, and an acceleration current source. The first temperature sensitive device is configured to generate a first signal that varies responsive to temperature changes at a first rate. The second temperature sensitive device is configured to generate a second signal that varies responsive to temperature changes at a second rate. The differential trigger circuitry is configured to generate a trigger signal based on a difference between the first signal and the second signal. The acceleration current source circuitry is configured to output an acceleration current in response to the trigger signal.

A micro-electromechanical device includes a semiconductor substrate, in which a first microstructure and a second microstructure of reference are integrated. The first microstructure and the second microstructure are arranged in the substrate so as to undergo equal strains as a result of thermal expansions of the substrate. Furthermore, the first microstructure is provided with movable parts and fixed parts with respect to the substrate, while the second microstructure has a shape that is substantially symmetrical to the first microstructure but is fixed with respect to the substrate. By subtracting the changes in electrical characteristics of the second microstructure from those of the first, variations in electrical characteristics of the first microstructure caused by changes in thermal expansion or contraction can be compensated for.

Systems and methods are disclosed for generating temperature compensated acceleration data in analog and digital format from a torque balance accelerometer (TBA). During manufacture of the TBA, a calibration process is used for measuring a TBA scale factor and offset. After collecting scale and offset data, said data is loaded into the memory of the TBA. Field operation of the device includes: sensing a current temperature, retrieving the closest scale and offset correction factors from memory of the TBA, and performing linear interpolation to generate a temperature-compensated output for the TBA.

An inertial measurement unit includes a sensor and a heat preservation system. The heat preservation system includes a heat preservation body and a heat source. The sensor is positioned on the heat preservation body. The heat source is configured to generate heat. The heat preservation body is configured to transfer the heat from the heat source to the sensor to maintain a preset temperature in a space surrounding the sensor.

A positioning apparatus includes: a reference device configured to provide a measured current motion angle of a vehicle; an inertial sensor configured to provide a current input angular rate of the vehicle and associated with at least one inertial sensor behavior parameter dependent on inertial sensor temperature; a temperature sensor configured to provide an input temperature variation of the inertial sensor on a time interval; and a digital estimator configured to recursively computing an estimated current motion angle of the vehicle and at least one previously estimated inertial sensor behavior parameter as function of: the measured current motion angle, a previously estimated motion angle, the current input angular rate, and the input temperature variation.

A physical quantity sensor includes an acceleration sensor having an acceleration sensor element and a package accommodating the acceleration sensor element, a support member having a first surface and supporting the acceleration sensor on the first surface, and an IC chip to which a second surface facing the first surface of the support member is attached, in which, in a plan view from a stacking direction of the acceleration sensor and the support member, in a case where an area of a region surrounded by an outer edge of the package is S1 and an area of the first surface is S2, S1S2 is satisfied.

A magnetic circuit assembly for an accelerometer includes an excitation ring that includes a base portion defining oppositely facing first and second sides, a ring portion extending from the second side of the base portion to define a ring recess, a first metallic inlay recessed into the first side of the base portion in which the first metallic inlay includes a material different than that of the base portion, a second metallic inlay recessed into the second side of the base portion in which the second metallic inlay includes a material different than that of the base portion, and a magnet received within the ring recess and attached to the second metallic inlay.

Described herein are methods and systems for configuring a motion sensor assembly to compensate for a temperature gradient. First and second sensors of the same type are arranged as opposing pairs with respect to a first axis that may be defined by a temperature gradient caused by at least one thermal element. Combining the output measurements of the first sensor and the second sensor allows effects of the temperature gradient on sensor measurements of the first sensor and the second sensor to be compensated.

A control device connected to an inertial sensor having temperature characteristics, the control device including a memory for storing temperature compensation information, and update history information, an update determination circuit for determining the necessity of a temperature compensation information update based on a signal that is based on an output signal of a temperature sensor and the update history information, a rest determination circuit for determining whether the inertial sensor is at rest, and an updating circuit for updating the temperature compensation information based on the determination of the update determination circuit, the determination of the rest determination circuit, a signal based on an output signal of the inertial sensor, and the signal based on the output signal of the temperature sensor.

A failure determination circuit includes a switching circuit that receives a signal including an output voltage from a temperature sensor and a first reference voltage and outputs the signal in a time division manner, an A/D conversion circuit that A/D converts an output of the switching circuit, and a first determination circuit, and the first determination circuit determines a failure of the temperature sensor based on a signal based on a first digital signal obtained by A/D converting an output voltage from the temperature sensor by the A/D conversion circuit, a signal based on a second digital signal obtained by A/D converting the first reference voltage by the A/D conversion circuit, and temperature characteristics data based on a change in characteristics of the temperature sensor due to temperature and a change in characteristics of the first reference voltage due to temperature.