Vibration compensation for sensors

• US 6,498,996 B1
• Filed: 08/04/1999
• Issued: 12/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honeywell Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Vallot, Lawrence C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff, Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SUAREZ, FELIX E
• Application Number:
  US09/366,926
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: 702/56, 702/103-106, 702/116, 73/13.7, 73/13.8, 735/142.9, 736/02, 700/280
• US Class Current: 702/104
• 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 21/165 combined with non-inertial navigation instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/188 for accumulated errors, e.g. by coupling inertial systems with absolute positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/005 initial alignment, calibration or starting-up of inertial devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 21/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus or devices covered by the preceding groups

Abstract

Vibration induced errors in sensors are predicted based on a measurement of vibration power spectra. Accelerometer samples are used to estimate vibration power spectral densities. A calibration procedure using suitable vibration stimulus provides the ability to estimate sensitivity coefficients to be used to compensate for the vibration induced error. The vibration power spectrum estimates are combined with previously obtained calibration coefficients to generate real time vibration-induced error corrections. Vibration bias sensitivity coefficients are estimated in a controlled environment to ensure their accuracy to compensate the sensor in real-time applications using acceleration measurement devices such as accelerometers mounted to a rigid sensor assembly shared with the sensor to be compensated. Vibration bias estimates are then used to correct the outputs of the sensors(s) being compensated for vibration-induced error.

Claims

1. A method of reducing the effect of vibration-induced errors in a sensor (124), the method comprising:

receiving from a calibration procedure a set of calibration sensitivity coefficients relating vibration power levels at various frequencies to errors of the particular sensor (124);

obtaining high data rate vibration samples from a further sensor (126);

estimating vibration power spectral density (130); and

combining the estimates with the calibration coefficients to generate real time vibration-induced error correction (134) for the sensor (124).

2. The method of claim 1 wherein estimating vibration power spectral density further comprises computing vibration power values in multiple frequency bins.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the previously determined calibration coefficients are determined in a factory vibration stimulus calibration procedure.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the previously determined calibration coefficients are determined with respect to the actual sensors being corrected.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the previously determined calibration coefficients are determined with respect to a family of sensors.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the family of sensors comprises sensors manufactured in a same batch.

7. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing a computer to perform the method of claim 1.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the vibration power spectral density is estimated in one axis.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the vibration power spectral density is estimated in three axes.

10. A computer implemented method of compensating for vibration induced error in sensors, the method comprising:

receiving from a calibration procedure a set of sensitivity coefficients relating vibration power levels at various frequencies to a bias-like error of a particular sensor;

buffering vibration samples from a further sensor in at least one axis of vibration;

computing a power spectral density for such buffered vibration samples;

computing vibration power values in multiple frequency bins;

combining the vibration power values with the sensitivity coefficients to obtain estimated vibration induced errors.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the frequency bins are equal in frequency range.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the frequency bins are smaller in frequency range about one or more predetermined frequencies.

13. The method of claim 10 applied to multiple axes of vibration.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the vibration power values in the multiple frequency bins are representative of the mean-squared vibration level in each bin.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the vibration samples are obtained via band pass filters corresponding to the multiple frequency bins.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the predetermined vibration sensitivity coefficients are determined in a factory vibration stimulus calibration procedure.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the predetermined vibration sensitivity coefficients are determined via comparison of measurements unaffected by vibration to those obtained from the sensor which is affected by vibration in real time.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the sensors comprise a gyroscope and an accelerometer, and wherein the measurements unaffected by vibration comprise GPS position measurements.

19. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing a computer system to perform the method of claim 10.

20. A method of calculating correction coefficients for a particular inertial sensor comprising:

for each j of a plurality of M test conditions having N<

M different dominant vibration frequencies,

subjecting the sensor to a reference acceleration corresponding to the jth test condition;

measuring acceleration of the sensor from the sensor output;

computing vibration power in selected frequency bins corresponding to the measured acceleration;

providing a difference in measured acceleration from a reference acceleration;

combining the measured acceleration and the difference to obtain vibration sensitivity coefficients for the jth test condition.

21. A system that provides vibration calibration coefficients for a sensor affected by vibration, the system comprising:

means for receiving measured acceleration from an output of the sensor for a plurality of test conditions having different dominant vibration frequencies;

means for computing vibration power resulting from each of the test conditions in selected frequency bins;

means for providing a difference in measured acceleration from a reference acceleration corresponding to each of the test conditions; and

means for combining the measured acceleration and the difference from each of the test conditions to obtain vibration sensitivity coefficients for all of the frequency bins.

22. The system of claim 21 and further comprising means for ensuring that the sensor is subjected to the measured acceleration.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein the accelerometer comprises an accelerometer for each axis of vibration.

25. The system of claim 22 wherein the sensor comprises a vibratory mechanism.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the sensor comprises a gyros.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the sensor further comprises an accelerometer for which compensation values are also provided by the compensation module.

28. The system of claim 22 wherein the sensor comprises an inertial sensor.

29. The system of claim 28 and further comprising a rigid assembly for mounting the inertial sensor and the accelerometer.

23. A system for compensating for vibration induced sensor (120) error, the system comprising:

an accelerometer (126);

an estimator (130) coupled to the accelerometer (126) for producing a power spectral density;

a compensation module (134) for combining the power spectral density and a plurality of calibration sensitivity coefficients (140) relating vibration power levels at various frequencies to a bias-like error of a particular sensor to provide a compensation value for the sensor output.

30. A system for compensating for vibration induced error in a sensor, the system comprising:

means holding a set of sensitivity coefficients relating vibration power levels at various frequencies to a bias-like error associated with the particular sensor;

means for buffering vibration samples in at least one axis of vibration;

means for computing a power spectral density for such buffered vibration samples;

means for computing vibration power values in multiple frequency bins;

means for combining the vibration power values with the sensitivity coefficients to obtain estimated vibration induced errors for the sensor.