Method of determining a speed of rotation of an axially symmetrical vibrating sensor, and a corresponding inertial device

• US 7,621,184 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Issued: 11/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Safran Electronics & Defense
• Original Assignee: Sagem Defense Securite (Safran SA)
• Inventors: Caron, Jean-Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Kwok; Helen C.
• Application Number:
  US11/898,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20090049910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 735/041.3, 735/041.2, 735/040.4, 735/041.6, 735/041.5, 73/13.7, 73/13.8, 73/17.7, 73/17.8
• US Class Current: 73/504.13
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5691 of essentially three-dimensional vibrators, e.g. wine glass-type vibrators

Abstract

The method of determining the speed of rotation of an axially symmetrical vibrating sensor of order 2. The method includes:

performing a first evaluation of the speed of rotation while a vibration generated by the vibrating sensor lies in a first position relative to electrodes generating the vibration;

applying a precession command so that the vibration comes successively into positions that are offset by 45°, 90°, and 135° relative to the first position;

performing evaluations of the speed of rotation while the vibration lies in the offset positions; and

taking a mean of the evaluations of the speed of rotation in the various positions of the vibration.

Claims

1. A method of determining a speed of rotation of an axially symmetrical vibrating sensor having a vibrating member associated with control electrodes and with detection electrodes for generating vibration presenting an elastic line possessing periodicity of order n and having a position that is variable as a function of the rotation of the sensor, the method comprising the steps of:

performing a first evaluation of the speed of rotation when the vibration is in a first position relative to the control electrodes and the detection electrodes;

applying a precession command using a pre-established scale factor until the vibration reaches a second position geometrically offset by π

/n relative to the first position;

performing a second evaluation of the speed of rotation while the vibration is in the second position; and

taking a mean of the evaluations of the speed of rotation in the first position and in the second position.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

applying the precession command to bring the vibration successively into offset positions that are geometrically offset by π

/2n and 3 π

/2n relative to the first position;

performing evaluations of the speed of rotation for said offset positions of the vibration; and

taking a mean of the evaluations of speed of rotation for all of the evaluations performed.

3. A method according to claim 1, including the steps of performing a number of evaluations of speed of rotation equal to at least twice the order of the periodicity of the elastic line of the sensor by successively positioning the vibration on angles that are offset from the first position by iπ

/2n where i is an integer lying in the range 1 to kn-1, and where k is itself an integer equal to or greater than 1.

4. A method according to claim 1, including a prior step of controlling the positioning of the vibration to occupy angles selected so that a corresponding detection signal has a value that is not zero.

5. A method according to claim 1, including the steps of:

performing a comparison between the precession command and a corresponding actual variation of angle; and

deducing therefrom an updated value of the scale factor.

6. A method according to claim 1, including the steps of:

measuring variations in the speed of rotation of the sensor; and

algebraically subtracting the measured variations while establishing the mean of the evaluations of speeds of rotation.

7. An inertial device comprising an axially symmetrical vibrating sensor having a vibrating member associated with control electrodes and with detection electrodes, and means for exciting the sensor so as to generate a vibration, the device including means for performing a first evaluation of the speed of rotation of the sensor while the vibration is in a first position relative to the control electrodes and the detection electrodes, means for applying a precession command using a pre-established scale factor until the vibration reaches a second position offset by π

/n relative to the first position, where n is a periodicity order of an elastic line of the sensor, means for performing a second evaluation of the speed of rotation of the sensor while the vibration is in the second position, and means for taking a mean between the evaluations of the speed of rotation of the sensor in the first position of the vibration and in the second position of the vibration.

8. A device according to claim 7, further including:

means for applying the precession command to bring the vibration into offset positions that are offset by π

/2n and 3 π

/2n relative to the first position;

means for performing evaluations of the speed of rotation for said offset positions of the vibration; and

means for taking a mean of the evaluations of speed of rotation for all of the evaluations performed.

9. A device according to claim 7, including:

means for making a comparison between the precession command and a corresponding actual angle variation; and

means for deducing an updated value of the scale factor.

10. A device according to claim 7, including:

means for measuring variations of the speed of rotation of the sensor; and

means for algebraically subtracting the measured variations while taking the mean of the evaluations of speeds of rotation.