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MMA6200 Series
4
Motorola Sensor Device Data
PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
The Motorola accelerometer is a surface-microma-
chined integrated-circuit accelerometer.
The device consists of a surface micromachined ca-
pacitive sensing cell (g-cell) and a signal conditioning
ASIC contained in a single integrated circuit package.
The sensing element is sealed hermetically at the wafer
level using a bulk micromachined
cap
wafer.
The g-cell is a mechanical structure formed from semi-
conductor materials (polysilicon) using semiconductor
processes (masking and etching). It can be modeled as
a set of beams attached to a movable central mass that
move between fixed beams. The movable beams can be
deflected from their rest position by subjecting the sys-
tem to an acceleration (Figure 2).
As the beams attached to the central mass move, the
distance from them to the fixed beams on one side will in-
crease by the same amount that the distance to the fixed
beams on the other side decreases. The change in dis-
tance is a measure of acceleration.
The g-cell plates form two back-to-back capacitors
(Figure 2). As the center plate moves with acceleration, the dis-
tance between the plates changes and each ca
p
acitor's value
will change, (C = A
ε
/D). Where A is the area of the plate,
ε
is the dielectric constant, and D is the distance between
the plates.
The ASIC uses switched capacitor techniques to mea-
sure the g-cell capacitors and extract the acceleration
data from the difference between the two capacitors. The
ASIC also signal conditions and filters (switched capaci-
tor) the signal, providing a high level output voltage that
is ratiometric and proportional to acceleration.
Figure 2. Simplified Transducer Physical Model
SPECIAL FEATURES
Filtering
These Motorola accelerometers contain an onboard
single-pole switched capacitor filter. Because the filter is
realized using switched capacitor techniques, there is no
requirement for external passive components (resistors
and capacitors) to set the cut-off frequency.
Self-Test
The sensor provides a self-test feature allowing the
verification of the mechanical and electrical integrity of
the accelerometer at any time before or after installation.
A fourth
plate
is used in the g-cell as a self-test plate.
When a logic high input to the self-test pin is applied, a
calibrated potential is applied across the self-test plate
and the moveable plate. The resulting electrostatic force
(Fe =
1
/
2
AV
2
/d
2
) causes the center plate to deflect. The
resultant deflection is measured by the accelerometer's
ASIC and a proportional output voltage results. This pro-
cedure assures both the mechanical (g-cell) and elec-
tronic sections of the accelerometer are functioning.
Motorola accelerometers include fault detection cir-
cuitry and a fault latch. Parity of the EEPROM bits be-
comes odd in number.
Self-test is disabled when EEPROM parity error oc-
curs.
Ratiometricity
Ratiometricity simply means the output offset voltage
and sensitivity will scale linearly with applied supply volt-
age. That is, as supply voltage is increased, the sensitiv-
ity and offset increase linearly; as supply voltage
decreases, offset and sensitivity decrease linearly. This is
a key feature when interfacing to a microcontroller or an
A/D converter because it provides system level cancella-
tion of supply induced errors in the analog to digital con-
version process.
Acceleration
F
Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
For More Information On This Product,
Go to: www.freescale.com
n
.