US Patent 7093478 Method for calibrating accelerometer sensitivity

A method for calibrating the sensitivity of a micromachined differential-capacitor accelerometer without applying mechanical stimulation, such as shaking. The accelerometer is fabricated with dimensional control structures so that a dimensional relationship is set-up among operational features of the device. The method includes measuring the resonant frequency of a movable mass and measuring the change in the output signal of the accelerometer as the mass is displaced by electrostatic means. The sensitivity of the accelerometer is then calculated.