INERTIAL VELOCITY SENSOR SIGNAL PROCESSING CIRCUIT AND INERTIAL VELOCITY SENSOR DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME

• US 20100126271A1
• Filed: 10/30/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Hitoshi, Inukai, Fumihito
• Application Number:
  US12/599,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20100126271A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/504.120
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/56 Turn-sensitive devices using vibrating masses, e.g. vibratory angular rate sensors based on Coriolis forces
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5607 using vibrating tuning forks double-ended tuning forks using planar vibrating masses suspended at opposite ends G01C19/5719

Abstract

An inertial velocity sensor signal processing circuit (12, 13, 14) used together with an inertial velocity sensor element (11) includes a first signal processing circuit (12, 13) which operates with a first clock (CLK1) and a second signal processing circuit (14) which operates with a second clock (CLK2) which does not synchronize with the first clock.

Claims

1. An inertial velocity sensor signal processing circuit which is used together with an inertial velocity sensor element, comprising:

a first signal processing circuit which operates with a first clock; and

a second signal processing circuit which operates with a second clock which does not synchronize with the first clock.

2. The inertial velocity sensor signal processing circuit of claim 1, wherein the first clock is supplied from a first oscillator circuit which operates based on a frequency of the inertial velocity sensor element.

3. The inertial velocity sensor signal processing circuit of claim 2, further comprising a clock input terminal to which the second clock is supplied,

wherein the second signal processing circuit receives the second clock supplied to the clock input terminal.

4. The inertial velocity sensor signal processing circuit of claim 2, further comprising a second oscillator circuit configured to supply the second clock,

wherein the second signal processing circuit receives the second clock from the second oscillator circuit.

5. An inertial velocity sensor device, comprising:

the inertial velocity sensor signal processing circuit of claim 1; and

the inertial velocity sensor element.

6. The inertial velocity sensor device of claim 5, wherein the second signal processing circuit outputs an abnormal condition detection signal when the second signal processing circuit detects an abnormal condition of the inertial velocity sensor device.

7. The inertial velocity sensor device of claim 6, further comprising an abnormal condition handling circuit controlled by the abnormal condition detection signal,

wherein the abnormal condition handling circuit operates with the second clock.

8. The inertial velocity sensor signal processing circuit of claim 1, wherein the first and second signal processing circuits are included in a same semiconductor device.

9. The inertial velocity sensor device of claim 5, wherein the first and second signal processing circuits are included in a same semiconductor device.

10. The inertial velocity sensor signal processing circuit of claim 1, wherein the first and second signal processing circuits are included in a same package.

11. The inertial velocity sensor device of claim 5, wherein the first and second signal processing circuits and the inertial velocity sensor element are included in a same package.

12. The inertial velocity sensor signal processing circuit of claim 1, wherein

the inertial velocity sensor element oscillates according to a drive signal to output an oscillation signal which corresponds to the oscillation, and outputs a sensor signal which corresponds to an inertial force applied to the inertial velocity sensor element,

the first signal processing circuit is a sensor circuit which operates in synchronization with the first clock whose frequency is based on a frequency of the oscillation signal from the inertial velocity sensor element, and

the second signal processing circuit is an abnormal condition detection circuit which operates in synchronization with the second clock whose frequency is not based on the frequency of the oscillation signal and which determines whether an operating condition of the sensor circuit is normal or abnormal to output an abnormal condition detection signal.

13. The inertial velocity sensor signal processing circuit of claim 12, wherein the abnormal condition detection circuit synchronizes with the second clock to measure a period in which the operating condition of the sensor circuit is abnormal, and outputs the abnormal condition detection signal when the period measured reaches a given abnormal condition detection period.

14. The inertial velocity sensor signal processing circuit of claim 12, further comprising a control circuit which operates in synchronization with the second clock and which controls the sensor circuit in response to the abnormal condition detection signal from the abnormal condition detection circuit.

15. The inertial velocity sensor signal processing circuit of claim 12, wherein the sensor circuit includes a drive circuit configured to control the drive signal based on the oscillation signal.

16. The inertial velocity sensor signal processing circuit of claim 15, wherein the sensor circuit includes an inertial force detection circuit which uses the first clock to detect the inertial force from the sensor signal.

17. The inertial velocity sensor signal processing circuit of claim 16, wherein

the inertial force detection circuit converts the sensor signal to a digital sensor signal in synchronization with an operation clock whose frequency is based on a frequency of the first clock, and extracts a digital signal corresponding to the inertial force from the digital sensor signal by using a digital detection signal whose frequency is based on the frequency of the first clock.

18. The inertial velocity sensor signal processing circuit of claim 16, wherein

the inertial force detection circuit extracts an analog signal corresponding to the inertial force from the sensor signal by using an analog detection signal whose frequency is based on the frequency of the oscillation signal, and converts the analog signal to a digital signal in synchronization with an operation clock whose frequency is based on the frequency of the first clock.

19. The inertial velocity sensor signal processing circuit of claim 12, further comprising an oscillator circuit which supplies the second clock.

20. The inertial velocity sensor signal processing circuit of claim 12, wherein the sensor circuit and the abnormal condition detection circuit are included in a same semiconductor circuit or a same package.

21. An inertial velocity sensor device, comprising:

the inertial velocity sensor signal processing circuit of claim 12; and

the inertial velocity sensor element.

22. The inertial velocity sensor device of claim 21, wherein the inertial velocity sensor element, the sensor circuit, and the abnormal condition detection circuit are included in a same semiconductor integrated circuit or a same package.