Steve Clarke and Andy Hughes, Sales Managers at Silicon Sensing, show off the award-winning CRS09 gyro at Sensors Expo 2009

With a sensing element etched from a silicon wafer, it is sensitive enough to detect the Earth's rotation … and win the Queen’s approval.

Like a traditional spinning wheel gyroscope, Silicon Sensing’s CRS09 silicon MEMS gyro delivers angular rotation information to the system within which it is integrated. But, unlike such traditional technology, the CRS09 has no spinning mechanical parts - instead its sensing element is etched from a silicon wafer. 

First announced at the 2008 Sensors Expo, its sales have grown sharply over its first year of production, and this year it was recognized with the Bronze Award in the Sensors category. The CRS09 has been recognized by systems integrators as offering a top-end performance option not previously available with MEMS technology. PD&D’s staff borrowed a few moments of the company’s time to get to know a bit more about the CRS09.

PD&D Design Daily: What sets the CRS09 apart from the competition?

Silicon Sensing: Normally, to get the level of performance proven in CRS09, higher cost technology is necessary - typically fiber-optic gyros with their inevitably higher pricing. 

All Silicon Sensing's gyro products use a unique resonating ring of silicon - its construction method all but eliminates the risk of external shock and vibration affecting the gyro's performance. 

The silicon MEMS technology within the CRS09 has been re-modeled and integrated with selected, discrete-component electronics - all geared towards minimizing noise and drift parameters which are the key discriminators in any gyro system. 

Design Daily: How has the industry responded to the CRS09? What applications has it been used in?

Silicon Sensing: Minimization of noise within the CRS09 means that the gyro is sensitive enough to detect the Earth's rotation. By using this information, it is possible to detect where North is without using a magnetic compass. 

Such ability to perform 'North seeking', coupled with its ability to operate through severe shock and vibration, makes it ideally suited for navigation in severe environments where traditional means of navigation are not possible. 

An excellent example is in oil and gas exploration where it is necessary to determine the path of a borehole. One company, well known in this marketplace, pronounced themselves 'astounded' by the performance of the CRS09.

A second key group of applications in which the uptake of CRS09 has been high is that of 'platform stabilization'. Closed-loop control of platform positioning in one or more axis is needed for products such as stabilized cameras and antennas. 

To maximize performance a low-noise, low-drift gyro is essential - CRS09 fits the bill perfectly. Several major manufacturers have switched to CRS09 and are purchasing in increasing quantities.

Design Daily: How does your product “demonstrate exceptional innovation, integration, ease of use, and address real needs?”

Silicon Sensing: The silicon MEMS technology within all of Silicon Sensing's products has been recognized are world-leading for over 10 years - recognition of this is has come in many forms, including the prestigious 'Queens Award for Innovation' - awarded to UK companies who deliver leading technology across the world. 

The CRS09 takes this technology to new levels, specifically to enhance performance parameters for high-end applications. The product is simple to integrate - mount the gyro on the 'platform' using the mounting lugs and apply 5V power; its output is an analogue output proportional to rotation rate, ready for injection into the host control system. 

Customers also benefit from the many years of expertise of its engineers in the field of inertial systems. Through its previous parentage, the company can trace its ancestry back 100 years to the earliest days of gyroscope production in Sperry Gyroscope - where washing-machine size gyros were delivered to help ships navigate across the globe.  Now, Silicon Sensing's core sensing element is the size of a thumbnail.

Design Daily: Who was instrumental in the CRS09’s development?

Silicon Sensing: It would be wrong to single out individuals involved in the development of the CRS09. 

Silicon Sensing is a superb example of a Joint Venture company form between teams in the United Kingdom and in Japan, built from the complimentary skills of both cultures. 

The UK team, under the parentage of Atlantic Inertial Systems, excels in innovative MEMS research and product development. 

Their Japanese colleagues - under Sumitomo Precision products - make best use of their traditional ability to bring products into high volume production with high reliability and precision. In fact, Silicon Sensing - originally set up to offer leading-edge silicon gyro technology to the automotive and consumer markets - celebrated its 10th birthday last month (May 2009).

Design Daily: Do you see potential to repeat and receive another glass statue next year?

Silicon Sensing: You bet! New products were announced at Sensors Expo 2009 and more are in the pipeline. 

Over the previous 10 years, Silicon Sensing has continued to innovate to bring gyro products to market that are recognized for their performance in real-world conditions. 

Silicon Sensing has a large team of inertial system specialists who are able to understand and react to the demands of an ever-growing customer base. 

Silicon Sensing's current and future product designs continue to push technology boundaries to meet the challenges of price reduction and performance enhancement in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Read more on Silicon Sensing's CRS09.