VIBRATING STRUCTURAL GYROSCOPE WITH QUADRATURE CONTROL
First Claim
1. A method for controlling the quadrature of a vibrating structure gyroscope, comprising:
- providing a resonator assembly including an axisymmetric resonator, a plurality of drive elements operatively coupled with said resonator and adapted to sustain a resonant oscillation pattern on said axisymmetric resonator, a first of said drive elements adapted to be driven along a first drive axis, a second of said plurality of drive elements adapted to be driven along a second drive axis, and at least one sense element operatively coupled with said axisymmetric resonator, said at least one sense element being adapted to detect a rotation rate;
driving said resonator assembly along said first drive axis with said first of said drive elements and in accordance with a first drive signal;
driving said resonator assembly along said second drive axis with said second of said drive elements and in accordance with a second drive signal;
measuring a rotation rate signal while said resonator assembly is driven along said first and second drive axes;
inferring a quadrature signal from said rotation rate signal;
imposing a combined phase offset between said first and second drive signals so that said quadrature signal is maintained at a desired level.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and/or method that corrects for tuning errors in vibrating structure gyroscopes that are configured to be driven along a plurality of axes without the need for dedicated torque elements. The correction is accomplished by introducing a phase offset in the drive signal of one or more of the drive elements relative to other drive elements to minimize or reduce the quadrature signal. The tuning may be accomplished as a one time “set and forget” adjustment, as a manual adjustment performed at the discretion of the user, or as a closed loop active correction system. The technique improves the tuning of the resonator assembly, rather than merely compensating for the mistuning. Accordingly, for various embodiments of the invention, the destructive interference between the plurality of drive axes is reduced. Conservation of vibrational energy present in the resonator is thus enhanced, with less vibrational energy transferred to the support structure.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method for controlling the quadrature of a vibrating structure gyroscope, comprising:
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providing a resonator assembly including an axisymmetric resonator, a plurality of drive elements operatively coupled with said resonator and adapted to sustain a resonant oscillation pattern on said axisymmetric resonator, a first of said drive elements adapted to be driven along a first drive axis, a second of said plurality of drive elements adapted to be driven along a second drive axis, and at least one sense element operatively coupled with said axisymmetric resonator, said at least one sense element being adapted to detect a rotation rate; driving said resonator assembly along said first drive axis with said first of said drive elements and in accordance with a first drive signal; driving said resonator assembly along said second drive axis with said second of said drive elements and in accordance with a second drive signal; measuring a rotation rate signal while said resonator assembly is driven along said first and second drive axes; inferring a quadrature signal from said rotation rate signal; imposing a combined phase offset between said first and second drive signals so that said quadrature signal is maintained at a desired level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A quadrature controlled vibrating structure gyroscope, comprising:
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a resonator assembly including an axisymmetric resonator defining a central axis, a plurality of drive elements operatively coupled with said resonator, a first of said plurality of drive elements adapted to be driven along a first drive axis, a second of said plurality of drive elements adapted to be driven along a second drive axis, and at least one sense element operatively coupled with said axisymmetric resonator, said at least one sense element being adapted to detect a rotation rate signal; and a control system operatively coupled with said plurality of drive elements and adapted to sustain said resonant oscillation pattern on said axisymmetric resonator and to infer a quadrature component from said rotation rate signal, said control system being further adapted to control a combined phase offset between said first and second drive elements for control of the magnitude of said quadrature component. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A quadrature controlled vibrating structure gyroscope, comprising:
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a resonator assembly including; an axisymmetric resonator; a plurality of drive elements operatively coupled with said resonator and adapted to sustain a resonant oscillation pattern on said axisymmetric resonator, a first of said drive elements adapted to be driven along a first drive axis, a second of said plurality of drive elements adapted to be driven along a second drive axis, said second drive axis being offset with respect to said first element drive axis, and at least one sense element operatively coupled with said axisymmetric resonator, said at least one sense element being adapted to detect a rotation rate; a central microprocessor operatively coupled to said axisymmetric resonator; and a computer-readable medium operatively coupled with said central microprocessor and including instructions for control of said quadrature controlled vibrating structure gyroscope, said instructions comprising; driving said resonator assembly along said first drive axis in accordance with a first drive signal, driving said resonator assembly along said second drive axis in accordance with a second drive signal, measuring a rotation rate signal while said resonator assembly is driven along said first and second drive axes, inferring a quadrature signal from said rotation rate signal, and imposing a combined phase offset between said first and second drive signals so that said quadrature signal is maintained at a desired level. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification