Method and apparatus for signal extraction in an electronic sensor

• US 20040078159A1
• Filed: 10/18/2002
• Published: 04/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rober, Stephen J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,789,029 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/76
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/00 Gyroscopes; Turn-sensitive devices using vibrating masses; Turn-sensitive devices without moving masses; Measuring angular rate using gyroscopic effects

Abstract

A method for extracting components from signals in an electronic sensor (50) having a sensing element (52). The sensing element (52) generates a first signal (60) and a second signal (62). The method comprises the steps of: receiving the first signal (60) from the sensing element (52), the first signal (60) having a frequency at an event; sampling the second signal (62) from the sensing element (52) based on the frequency of the event, the second signal (62) having a plurality of components, one of the plurality of components being a first component of interest (112, 114); generating a synchronized second signal (100) in a time domain, the second signal (62) having the plurality of components; generating complex data (110) in a frequency domain from the synchronized second signal (100) in the time domain; and determining the first component of interest (112, 114) from the complex data (110). There is also a system in an electronic sensor (50) according to the above-described methods.

Claims

1. A method for extracting components from signals in an electronic sensor having a sensing element, the sensing element generating a first signal and a second signal, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the first signal from the sensing element, the first signal having a frequency at an event;

sampling the second signal from the sensing element based on the frequency of the event, the second signal having a plurality of components, one of the plurality of components being a first component of interest;

generating a synchronized second signal in a time domain, the second signal having the plurality of components;

generating complex data in a frequency domain from the synchronized second signal in the time domain; and

determining the first component of interest from the complex data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of components further includes a second component of interest, the method further comprising the step of determining the second component of interest from the complex data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the first signal from the sensing element includes receiving the first signal in a phase locked loop.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sampling the second signal from the sensing element includes sampling the second signal by an analog-to-digital converter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sampling the second signal from the sensing element includes sampling the second signal at a multiple of the frequency of the event.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating complex data in the frequency domain from the synchronized second signal in the time domain includes generating complex data through the use of a Fourier Transform.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic sensor is a gyroscope, the sensing element having at least a pair of movable proof masses, the first signal and second signal being indicative of oscillatory movement of the proof masses, and the first component of interest being an angular rate of the sensing element.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of determining a reported component of interest from the first component of interest, the reported component of interest being determined based on a predetermined offset of the first component of interest.

9. A method for extracting an angular rate in a gyroscope sensor having a sensing element with a pair of proof masses, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first signal from the sensing element, the first signal representative of a first movement of the proof masses in a first plane;

receiving a second signal from the sensing element, the second signal representative of a second movement of the proof masses in a second plane;

sampling the second signal from the sensing element based on the frequency of the first signal;

generating a synchronized second signal in a time domain, the synchronized second signal including a plurality of components, one of the plurality of components being the angular rate;

generating complex data in a frequency domain from the synchronized second signal in the time domain, the complex data including the plurality of components; and

determining the angular rate from the complex data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of components further includes a quadrature component, the method further comprising the step of determining the quadrature component from the complex data.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of receiving the first signal from the sensing element includes receiving the first signal in a phase locked loop.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of sampling the second signal from the sensing element includes sampling the second signal by an analog-to-digital converter.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of sampling the second signal from the sensing element includes sampling the second signal at a multiple of the frequency of the first signal.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of generating complex data in the frequency domain from the synchronized second signal in the time domain includes generating complex data through the use of a Fourier Transform.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the angular rate determined from the complex data is a calculated angular rate, the method further comprising the step of determining a reported angular rate from the calculated angular rate based on a predetermined offset.

16. A system in an electronic sensor for extracting components of interest from signals, the system comprising:

a sensor element that reports a first signal and a second signal, the first signal having a frequency at an event;

a phase locked loop for receiving the first signal and determining the frequency of the event;

a signal sampler for receiving the second signal and generating a synchronized second signal in a time domain, the signal sampler capable of sampling the second signal based on the frequency of the event determined by the phase locked loop;

a spectrum analyzer for receiving the synchronized second signal in the time domain and generating complex data in a frequency domain; and

a decoder for receiving the complex data in the frequency domain and generating a first component of interest, the first component of interest being a component of the complex data in the frequency domain.

17. The system of claim 16, the electronic sensor is a gyroscope, the sensor element having at least a pair of movable proof masses, the first signal and second signal being indicative of oscillatory movement of the proof masses, and the first component of interest being an angular rate of the sensing element.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the decoder further generates a second component of interest, the second component of interest being a quadrature of the proof masses.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the signal sampler is an analog-to-digital converter.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein signal sampler is further capable of sampling the second signal based on a multiple of the frequency of the event determined by the phase locked loop.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the spectrum analyzer is capable of generating the complex data in the frequency domain using a Fourier Transform.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the system further includes a scaling unit that is capable of generating a reported component of interest from the first component of interest based on a predetermined offset.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the spectrum analyzer and the decoder are implemented in a digital signal processor.