Parametrically disciplined operation of a vibratory gyroscope

• US 20060037417A1
• Filed: 07/29/2005
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology, The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology, The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Shcheglov, Kirill V., Challoner, A. Dorian, Hayworth, Ken J., Peay, Chris S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,437,253 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 74/5.400
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5684 the devices involving a micromechanical structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49009 Dynamoelectric machine
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/1229 Gyroscope control

Abstract

Parametrically disciplined operation of a symmetric nearly degenerate mode vibratory gyroscope is disclosed. A parametrically-disciplined inertial wave gyroscope having a natural oscillation frequency in the neighborhood of a sub-harmonic of an external stable clock reference is produced by driving an electrostatic bias electrode at approximately twice this sub-harmonic frequency to achieve disciplined frequency and phase operation of the resonator. A nearly symmetric parametrically-disciplined inertial wave gyroscope that can oscillate in any transverse direction and has more than one bias electrostatic electrode that can be independently driven at twice its oscillation frequency at an amplitude and phase that disciplines its damping to zero in any vibration direction. In addition, operation of a parametrically-disciplined inertial wave gyroscope is taught in which the precession rate of the driven vibration pattern is digitally disciplined to a prescribed non-zero reference value.

Claims

1. A method of operating a gyroscope, comprising:

generating a substantially fixed frequency;

driving at least a first portion of a plurality of electrostatic electrodes to excite a resonator at the substantially fixed frequency; and

sensing rotation of the resonator through a response from at least a second portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes;

wherein the substantially fixed frequency is substantially two times a natural oscillation frequency of the resonator.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein operation of the gyroscope is self-disciplined requiring no digital discipline of the substantially fixed frequency.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein operation of the gyroscope is digitally disciplined by:

comparing phase from a digital reference model referenced to the substantially fixed frequency signal; and

adjusting a bias voltage on the resonator to substantially eliminate any phase error.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the resonator can oscillate in any transverse direction and driving at least the first portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes to excite the resonator at the substantially fixed frequency comprises adjusting amplitude and phase to eliminate any damping of the resonator.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the resonator comprises an inertial wave resonator and the first portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes excite a standing wave vibration pattern in the inertial wave resonator and the response sensed from the second portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes is from movement of the standing wave vibration pattern.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the inertial wave resonator comprises a disc resonator.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the response comprises a precession rate of the standing wave vibration pattern.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the precession rate of the standing wave vibration pattern is digitally disciplined to a prescribed non-zero reference value.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein digitally disciplining the precession rate of the standing wave vibration pattern to the prescribed non-zero reference value comprises:

generating predicted sense sinusoidal components from with a digital model comprising an estimated inertial rate parameter and non-zero forcer sinusoidal component parameters to produce the prescribed non-zero reference value as the precession rate of the standing wave vibration pattern;

applying the non-zero forcer sinusoidal component parameters from the digital model to at least a third portion of the plurality of electrodes;

measuring sense component signals from at least a fourth portion of the plurality of electrodes;

comparing the predicted sense sinusoidal components with the measured sense component signals to produce a prediction error; and

updating the digital model with the prediction error to yield updates for all of the models estimated parameters including an updated inertial rate parameter.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising filtering the prediction error with a least mean squares (LMS) filter before updating the digital model.

11. A gyroscope controller, comprising:

a stable oscillator for generating a substantially fixed frequency;

a driving circuit for driving at least a first portion of a plurality of electrostatic electrodes to excite a resonator at the substantially fixed frequency; and

a sensing circuit for sensing rotation of the resonator through a response from at least a second portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes;

wherein the substantially fixed frequency is substantially two times a natural oscillation frequency of the resonator.

12. The controller of claim 11, wherein operation of the gyroscope is self-disciplined requiring no digital discipline of the substantially fixed frequency.

13. The controller of claim 11, wherein operation of the gyroscope is digitally disciplined by:

comparing phase from a digital reference model referenced to the substantially fixed frequency signal; and

adjusting a bias voltage on the resonator to substantially eliminate any phase error.

14. The controller of claim 11, wherein the resonator can oscillate in any transverse direction and driving at least the first portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes to excite the resonator at the substantially fixed frequency comprises adjusting amplitude and phase to eliminate any damping of the resonator.

15. The controller of claim 11, wherein the resonator comprises an inertial wave resonator and the first portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes excite a standing wave vibration pattern in the inertial wave resonator and the response sensed from the second portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes is from movement of the standing wave vibration pattern.

16. The controller of claim 15, wherein the inertial wave resonator comprises a disc resonator.

17. The controller of claim 15, wherein the response comprises a precession rate of the standing wave vibration pattern.

18. The controller of claim 17, wherein the precession rate of the standing wave vibration pattern is digitally disciplined to a prescribed non-zero reference value.

19. The controller of claim 18, wherein digitally disciplining the precession rate of the standing wave vibration pattern to the prescribed non-zero reference value comprises:

generating predicted sense sinusoidal components from with a digital model comprising an estimated inertial rate parameter and non-zero forcer sinusoidal component parameters to produce the prescribed non-zero reference value as the precession rate of the standing wave vibration pattern;

applying the non-zero forcer sinusoidal component parameters from the digital model to at least a third portion of the plurality of electrodes;

measuring sense component signals from at least a fourth portion of the plurality of electrodes;

comparing the predicted sense sinusoidal components with the measured sense component signals to produce a prediction error; and

updating the digital model with the prediction error to yield updates for all of the models estimated parameters including an updated inertial rate parameter.

20. The controller of claim 19, further comprising filtering the prediction error with a least mean squares (LMS) filter before updating the digital model.

21. A gyroscope controller, comprising:

means for generating a substantially fixed frequency;

means for driving at least a first portion of a plurality of electrostatic electrodes to excite a resonator at the substantially fixed frequency; and

means for sensing rotation of the resonator through a response from at least a second portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes;

wherein the substantially fixed frequency is substantially two times a natural oscillation frequency of the resonator.