APPARATUS FOR DRIVING GYROSCOPE SENSOR AND METHOD THEREOF

• US 20130055811A1
• Filed: 04/03/2012
• Published: 03/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Korea University of Technology and Education Industry-University Cooperation Foundation, Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Korea University of Technology and Education (Government of The Republic of Korea), Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Kim, Chang Hyun, Lee, Byeung Leul
• Granted Patent: US 8,966,977 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/504.12
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5705 using masses driven in reciprocating rotary motion about an axis
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5776 Signal processing not specific to any of the devices covered by groups G01C19/5607 - G01C19/5719

Abstract

Disclosed herein are an apparatus and a method for driving a gyroscope sensor. The apparatus for driving a gyroscope sensor includes: a detection module; a phase conversion module; an inversion module; a switch module selecting and outputting any one of the driving voltage and the inversion voltage for each axis; a driving module supplying driving voltage of a driving axis at the time of the driving and supplying inversion voltage at the time of stopping the driving; and a control unit passing the driving voltage of the driving axis by controlling the switch module according to a switching control signal at the time of the driving and passing the inversion voltage of each axis by controlling the switch module according to the switching control signal at the time of stopping the driving.

Claims

1. An apparatus for driving a gyroscope sensor, comprising:

a detection module detecting and outputting voltage corresponding to angular velocity of each axis of a gyroscope sensor;

a phase conversion module generating driving voltage corresponding to each axis by shifting a phase of voltage detected in the detection module and output therefrom;

an inversion module inverting driving voltage output from the phase conversion module and generating inversion voltage corresponding to each axis;

a switch module selecting any one of the driving voltage output from the phase conversion module and the inversion voltage output from the inversion module according to a switching control signal for each axis;

a driving module supplying driving voltage of a driving axis passing through the switch module to driving electrodes of the gyroscope sensor at the time of the driving and supplying the inversion voltage of each axis to the driving electrodes of each axis of the gyroscope sensor at the time of stopping the driving; and

a control unit passing the driving voltage of the driving axis by controlling the switch module using a switching control signal at the time of driving and passing the inversion voltage of each axis by controlling the switch module according to the switching control signal at the time of stopping the driving.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the detection module includes:

a first detection unit detecting voltage corresponding to angular velocity of a first axis of the gyroscope sensor through a first-axis detection electrode;

a second detection unit detecting voltage corresponding to angular velocity of a second axis of the gyroscope sensor through a second-axis detection electrode; and

a third detection unit detecting voltage corresponding to angular velocity of a third axis of the gyroscope sensor through the first-axis detection electrode and the second-axis detection electrode.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the first detection unit includes:

a first detection amplifier receiving, amplifying, and outputting the output voltage of the first-axis positive detection electrode of the gyroscope sensor;

a second detection amplifier receiving, amplifying, and outputting the output voltage of the first-axis negative detection electrode of the gyroscope sensor; and

a first detection subtractor subtracting the output voltage of the second detection amplifier from the output voltage of the first detection amplifier to detect and output the voltage corresponding to the angular velocity of the first axis of the gyroscope sensor.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the second detection unit includes:

a third detection amplifier receiving, amplifying, and outputting the output voltage of the second-axis positive detection electrode of the gyroscope sensor;

a fourth detection amplifier receiving, amplifying, and outputting the output voltage of the second-axis negative detection electrode of the gyroscope sensor; and

a second detection subtractor subtracting the output voltage of the fourth detection amplifier from the output voltage of the third detection amplifier to detect and output the voltage corresponding to the angular velocity of the second axis of the gyroscope sensor.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the third detection unit includes a first detection adder adding the output voltage of the first-axis positive detection electrode of the gyroscope sensor, the output voltage of the first-axis negative detection electrode, the output voltage of the second-axis positive detection electrode, and the output voltage of the second-axis negative detection electrode to detect and output voltage corresponding to angular velocity of the third axis of the gyroscope sensor.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the phase conversion module includes:

a first phase conversion unit generating first-axis driving voltage by shifting the phase of voltage output from the first detection unit;

a second phase conversion unit generating second-axis driving voltage by shifting the phase of voltage output from the second detection unit; and

a third phase conversion unit generating third-axis driving voltage by shifting the phase of voltage output from the third detection unit.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein the inversion module includes:

a first inversion unit inverting the driving voltage output from the first phase conversion unit to generate inversion voltage corresponding to the first axis;

a second inversion unit inverting the driving voltage output from the second phase conversion unit to generate inversion voltage corresponding to the second axis; and

a third inversion unit invert the driving voltage output from the third phase conversion unit to generate inversion voltage corresponding to the third axis.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the switch module includes:

a first switch unit selecting and passing any one of the driving voltage output from the first phase conversion unit and the inversion voltage output from the first inversion unit according to the switching control signal;

a second switch unit selecting and passing any one of the driving voltage output from the second phase conversion unit and the inversion voltage output from the second inversion unit according to the switching control signal; and

a third switch unit selecting and passing any one of the driving voltage output from the third phase conversion unit and the inversion voltage output from the third inversion unit according to the switching control signal.

9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the driving module includes:

a first driving unit supplying the driving voltage of the driving axis in the driving voltage passing through the first and third switch units to the corresponding driving electrode of the gyroscope sensor at the time of the driving and supplying the inversion voltage passing through the first and third switch unit to the corresponding driving electrode of the gyroscope sensor at the time of stopping the driving; and

a second driving unit supplying the driving voltage of the driving axis in the driving voltage passing through the second and third switch units to the corresponding driving electrode of the gyroscope sensor at the time of the driving and supplying the inversion voltage passing through the second and third switch unit to the corresponding driving electrode of the gyroscope sensor at the time of stopping the driving.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein the first driving unit includes:

a first driving adder passing or adding and outputting the first-axis driving voltage or the first-axis inversion voltage passing through the first-axis switch unit and the third-axis driving voltage or the third-axis inversion voltage passing through the third-axis switch unit, respectively;

a first driving subtractor passing the third-axis driving voltage or the third-axis inversion voltage signal passing through the third-axis switch unit, inverting and outputting the first-axis driving voltage or the first-axis inversion voltage passing through the first-axis switch unit, or outputting a signal subtracting the first-axis driving voltage or the first-axis inversion voltage passing through the first-axis switch unit from the third-axis driving voltage or the third-axis inversion voltage passing through the third-axis switch unit; and

a first driving amplifier amplifying the voltage output from the first driving adder and applying the amplified voltage to the positive driving electrode disposed on the first axis of the gyroscope sensor and amplifying the voltage output from the first driving subtractor and applying the amplified voltage to the negative driving electrode disposed on the first axis of the gyroscope sensor.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein the second driving unit includes:

a second driving adder passing or adding and outputting the second-axis driving voltage or the second-axis inversion voltage passing through the second-axis switch unit and the third-axis driving voltage or the third-axis inversion voltage passing through the third-axis switch unit, respectively;

a second driving subtractor passing the third-axis driving voltage or the third-axis inversion voltage signal passing through the third-axis switch unit, inverting and outputting the second-axis driving voltage or the second-axis inversion voltage passing through the second-axis switch unit, or outputting a signal subtracting the second-axis driving voltage or the second-axis inversion voltage passing through the second-axis switch unit from the third-axis driving voltage or the third-axis inversion voltage passing through the third-axis switch unit; and

a second driving amplifier amplifying the voltage output from the second driving adder and applying the amplified voltage to the positive driving electrode disposed on the second axis of the gyroscope sensor and amplifying the voltage output from the second driving subtractor and applying the amplified voltage to the negative driving electrode disposed on the second axis of the gyroscope sensor.

12. A method for driving a gyroscope sensor, comprising:

(A) detecting voltage corresponding to angular velocity of each axis of a gyroscope sensor through a detection electrode of a corresponding axis by a detection module;

(B) generating driving voltage corresponding to each axis by shifting a phase of voltage of each axis detected in the detection module by a phase conversion module;

(C) inverting driving voltage corresponding to each axis of the phase conversion module and generating inversion voltage corresponding to each axis by an inversion module;

(D) providing the driving voltage corresponding to a driving axis in the driving voltage output from the phase conversion module at the time of the driving to the gyroscope sensor by controlling a switch module and a driving module by a control unit; and

(E) supplying inversion voltage of each axis output from the inversion module to driving electrodes of the gyroscope sensor at the time of stopping the driving by controlling the switch module and the driving module by a control unit.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein (A) the detecting of the voltage includes:

(A-1) detecting, by a first detection unit configuring the detection module, voltage corresponding to angular velocity of a first axis of the gyroscope sensor through a first-axis detection electrode;

(A-2) detecting, by a second detection unit configuring the detection module, voltage corresponding to angular velocity of a second axis of the gyroscope sensor through a second-axis detection electrode; and

(A-3) detecting, by a third detection unit configuring the detection module, voltage corresponding to angular velocity of a third axis of the gyroscope sensor through a first-axis detection electrode and a second-axis detection electrode.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein (B) the generating of the driving voltage includes:

(B-1) shifting a phase of voltage output from the first detection unit by a first phase conversion unit configuring the phase conversion module to generate first-axis driving voltage;

(B-2) shifting a phase of voltage output from the second detection unit by a second phase conversion unit configuring the phase conversion module to generate second-axis driving voltage by; and

(B-3) shifting a phase of voltage output from the third detection unit by a third phase conversion unit configuring the phase conversion module to generate third-axis driving voltage.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein (C) the inverting of driving voltage includes:

(C-1) inverting the driving voltage output from the first phase conversion unit by a first inversion unit configuring the inversion module to generate inversion voltage corresponding to the first axis;

(C-2) inverting the driving voltage output from the second phase conversion unit by a second inversion unit configuring the inversion module to generate inversion voltage corresponding to the second axis; and

(C-3) inverting the driving voltage output from the third phase conversion unit by a third inversion unit configuring the inversion module to generate inversion voltage corresponding to the third axis.

16. The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein (D) the providing of the driving voltage includes:

(D-1) outputting, by the control unit, a switching control signal to the switch module so as to pass through the driving voltage of the driving axis at the time of the driving;

(D-2) passing, by the switch module, the driving voltage of the driving axis in the driving voltage output from the phase conversion module according to the switching control signal; and

(D-3) supplying, by the driving module, the driving voltage of the driving axis passing through the switch module to the driving electrode of the gyroscope sensor.

17. The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein (E) the supplying of the inversion voltage includes:

(E-1) outputting, by the control unit, the switching control signal to the switch module so as to pass through the inversion voltage at the time of stopping the driving;

(E-2) passing, by the switch module, the inversion voltage of each axis output from the inversion module; and

(E-3) supplying, by the driving module, the inversion voltage of each axis passing through the switch module to the driving electrode of the gyroscope sensor.