Angular rate sensor having a vibration gyroscope

• US 20060195290A1
• Filed: 06/08/2004
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Betz, Uwe, Morell, Heinz-Werner
• Granted Patent: US 7,228,251 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/145
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/56 Turn-sensitive devices using vibrating masses, e.g. vibratory angular rate sensors based on Coriolis forces

Abstract

The invention relates to an angular rate sensor having a vibration gyroscope, in which circuits are provided for operating the vibration gyroscope and for deriving an angular rate signal. Said circuits access modifiable data, whereby this data is stored in a writable non-volatile memory. Means are provided for reading out the data from the non-volatile memory after the angular rate sensor is switched on.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. A rotation rate sensor comprising a vibration gyro and a plurality of circuits used for operating the vibration gyro and emitting a rotation rate signal, the plurality of circuits including a non-volatile memory being readable and writable to and storing data including variable data, the plurality of circuits further comprising means for reading the data from the non-volatile memory after switching on the rotation rate sensor, wherein the data is subdivided into groups based on use of the data, the non-volatile memory including measures for signal protection for each of the groups, the data in each of the groups being readable and writable to independently of the data in the other ones of the groups, and a checksum is formed for the data in each of the groups and stored in the volatile memory, the checksum being usable for checking the data during reading.

11. The rotation rate sensor of claim 10, wherein said non-volatile memory comprises an EEPROM.

12. The rotation rate sensor of claim 10, wherein said non-volatile memory comprises a flash EEPROM.

13. The rotation rate sensor of claim 10, wherein one of the groups includes adjustment data for the rotation rate sensor.

14. The rotation rate sensor of claim 10, wherein one of the groups includes parameter sets for filters.

15. The rotation rate sensor of claim 10, wherein one of the groups includes value limits for self-testing of the rotation rate sensor.

16. The rotation rate sensor of claim 10, wherein a software emulation program is also stored in the non-volatile memory.