Dual mode gyroscope

• US 10,234,288 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2015
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Analog Devices International Unlimited Company (Analog Devices, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Analog Devices Global Unlimited Company (Analog Devices, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tallur, Siddharth, Bhave, Sunil Ashok
• Primary Examiner(s): Saint Surin, J M
• Application Number:
  US14/853,265
• Publication Number:
  US 20170074656A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,282 Days
• Field of Search: 7350413
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5677 of essentially two-dimensional vibrators, e.g. ring-shaped vibrators
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5684 the devices involving a micromechanical structure
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5698 using acoustic waves, e.g. surface acoustic wave gyros

Abstract

A BAW gyroscope is configured to operate with two pairs of orthogonal modes instead of a single pair in order to mitigate the impact of changes in gaps (e.g., introduced from external stresses such as thermal gradients, external shocks, mechanical stress/torque, etc.). Specifically, the BAW gyroscope resonator is configured to be simultaneously driven to resonate with a two disparate resonant modes (referred to herein as the “fundamental” mode and the “compound” mode), with the same set of drive electrodes used to drive both resonant modes (i.e., all of the drive electrodes are used to drive the two drive modes). When the sensor experiences external rotation, energy couples from the driven modes of vibration to two corresponding orthogonal sense modes via the Coriolis force. The same set of sense electrodes is used to sense both sense modes (i.e., all of the sense electrodes are used to sense the two sense modes). The fundamental mode is differential with respect to the electrodes, while the compound mode is seen as common-mode with respect to the electrodes. Thus, differential gap change will impact offset of rate measured with the fundamental mode only, while common-mode gap change will impact offset of rate measured with the compound mode only.

Claims

1. A bulk acoustic wave gyroscope comprising:

a resonator;

a set of drive electrodes including a pair of opposed drive electrodes;

a set of sense electrodes including a pair of opposed sense electrodes; and

a gyroscope control circuit configured to provide drive signals to the set of drive electrodes to drive the resonator to resonate with two disparate drive modes including a fundamental mode and a compound mode, receive sense signals from the pair of opposed sense electrodes to sense two orthogonal sense modes of the resonator including a sensed fundamental mode and a sensed compound mode, and produce a gyroscope rate output signal based on a weighted sum of the sensed fundamental and compound modes,

wherein the gyroscope control circuit is configured to sense a differential sensed signal across the pair of opposed sense electrodes at a fundamental mode frequency, and to sense a same polarity sensed signal at the pair of opposed sense electrodes at a compound mode frequency.

2. A gyroscope according to claim 1, wherein all of the drive electrodes are used to drive both the fundamental mode and the compound mode, and wherein all of the sense electrodes are used to sense both of the sensed modes.

3. A gyroscope according to claim 1, wherein the resonator is a ring-shaped resonator.

4. A gyroscope according to claim 1, wherein the drive electrodes are arranged to drive the drive modes along at least one drive axis, and wherein the sense electrodes are arranged to sense the sense modes along at least one sense axis that is 45 degrees offset from the at least one drive axis.

5. A gyroscope according to claim 1, wherein the fundamental mode frequency and the compound mode frequency are different.

6. A gyroscope according to claim 1, wherein the fundamental mode frequency and the compound mode frequency are the same.

7. A gyroscope according to claim 1, wherein the fundamental mode and the compound mode are N=2 modes.

8. A gyroscope according to claim 1, wherein the fundamental mode and the compound mode are N=3 modes.

9. A gyroscope according to claim 1, wherein the gyroscope control circuit comprises:

a fundamental mode driver configured to apply a differential signal across the pair of opposed drive electrodes at the fundamental mode frequency;

a compound mode driver configured to apply a same polarity signal to the pair of opposed drive electrodes at the compound mode frequency;

a fundamental mode sense circuit configured to demodulate sensed fundamental mode signals at the fundamental mode frequency;

a compound mode sense circuit configured to demodulate sensed compound mode signals at the compound mode frequency; and

a rate output circuit configured to produce the gyroscope rate output signal based on a weighted sum of the demodulated signals.

10. A gyroscope according to claim 9, wherein the pair of opposed drive electrodes is a first pair of opposed drive electrodes and the set of drive electrodes further comprises a second pair of opposed drive electrodes, and wherein

the fundamental mode driver comprises a first output coupled to a first electrode of the second pair of opposed drive electrodes and a second output coupled to a second electrode of the second pair of opposed drive electrodes, and wherein the compound mode driver comprises an output coupled to the first and second electrodes of the second pair of opposed drive electrodes.

11. A gyroscope according to claim 9, wherein the fundamental mode sense circuit comprises a differential trans-impedance amplifier having a first input coupled to a first electrode of the pair of opposed sense electrodes and a second input coupled to a second electrode of the pair of opposed sense electrodes and further comprises a demodulator coupled to receive an output of the differential trans-impedance amplifier, and wherein

the compound mode sense circuit comprises a single-ended amplifier having an input coupled to the first and second electrodes of the pair of opposed sense electrodes and a demodulator coupled to receive an output of the single-ended amplifier.

12. A method for operating a bulk acoustic wave gyroscope having a resonator, a set of drive electrodes including a pair of opposed drive electrodes, and a set of sense electrodes including a pair of opposed sense electrodes, the method comprising:

applying a differential signal across the pair of opposed drive electrodes to drive the resonator to resonate with a fundamental mode;

applying a signal with a same polarity to the pair of opposed drive electrodes to drive the resonator to resonate with a compound mode;

receiving sense signals from the set of sense electrodes and sensing from the received sense signals two orthogonal sense modes of the resonator including a sensed fundamental mode and a sensed compound mode; and

producing a gyroscope rate output signal based on a weighted sum of the sensed fundamental and compound modes.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein:

the differential signal has a fundamental mode frequency and the signal with the same polarity has a compound mode frequency;

sensing the two orthogonal sense modes comprises demodulating sensed fundamental mode signals at the fundamental mode frequency and demodulating sensed compound mode signals at the compound mode frequency; and

producing the gyroscope rate output signal comprises producing the gyroscope rate output signal based on a weighted sum of the demodulated signals.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the fundamental mode frequency and the compound mode frequency are different.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein the fundamental mode frequency and the compound mode frequency are the same.

16. A gyroscope comprising:

a resonator;

a set of drive electrodes including a pair of opposed drive electrodes;

a set of sense electrodes including a pair of opposed sense electrodes; and

a gyroscope control circuit configured to provide a differential signal across the pair of opposed drive electrodes to drive the resonator to resonate with a first drive mode at a first frequency, provide a signal with a same polarity to the pair of opposed drive electrodes to drive the resonator to resonate with a second drive mode at a second frequency, receive sense signals from the set of sense electrodes to sense a first sensed mode and a second sensed mode of the resonator, and produce a gyroscope rate output signal based on a weighted sum of received sense signals representing the first sensed mode and received sensed signals representing the second sensed mode.

17. A gyroscope according to claim 16, wherein the resonator is a ring-shaped resonator.

18. A gyroscope according to claim 16, wherein the set of drive electrodes are arranged to drive the drive modes along at least one drive axis, and wherein the set of sense electrodes are arranged to sense the sense modes along at least one sense axis that is 45 degrees offset from the at least one drive axis.

19. A gyroscope according to claim 16, wherein the gyroscope control circuit is further configured to demodulate received sense signals at the first frequency and the second frequency, and to produce the gyroscope rate output signal based on a weighted sum of the demodulated signals.