Bias Stability Investigation of a Triaxial Navigation-Compatible Accelerometer with an Electrostatic Spring

The bias stability performance of accelerometers is essential for an inertial navigation system. The traditional pendulous accelerometer usually has a flexible connection structure, which could limit the long-term bias stability. Here, based on the main technologies employed in previous space missions of our group, we developed a terrestrial triaxial navigation-compatible accelerometer. Because there is no mechanical connection between the inertial test mass and the frame, the bias performance relies on the stability of the equivalent electrostatic spring, where further sources are analyzed to get the optimal electrostatic force scheme. To investigate the bias stability under different ranges, the vertical and horizontal measurement ranges are designed at 5 g and ±10 mg, respectively. A low-noise high-voltage levitation scheme is adopted to extend the vertical measurement range from sub-mg to more than earth’s 1-g gravity. Finally, the experimental validation results show that the 24-h bias stability of vertical and two horizontal directions come to 13.8 μg, 0.84 μg, and 0.77 μg, respectively.