Development of an optical accelerometer for low-frequency vibration using the voice coil on a DVD pickup head

Abstract

In this paper, an economical and highly sensitive optical accelerometer using a commercial optical pickup head is proposed. In the proposed design, the moving part of a voice coil motor (VCM) built in the DVD pickup head is used as the seismic mass which combines with the optical system of the DVD pickup to form an accelerometer. This system not only reduces the design complexity and the manufacturing process but also obtains good measurement effect. Experimental results have shown that the accelerometer at low frequency has a sensitivity of 24.362 V/g.