Method for the decoupled control of the quadrature and the resonance frequency of a micro-mechanical rotation rate sensor by means of sigma-delta-modulation

• US 9,535,084 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2011
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg, Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg, Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Egretzberger, Markus, Kugi, Andreas, Mair, Florian, Maurer, Michael, Manoli, Yiannos, Northemann, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Paul D
• Application Number:
  US13/634,585
• Publication Number:
  US 20130197858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,119 Days
• Field of Search: 702/145
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 19/5712 the devices involving a micromechanical structure
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5726 Signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5776 Signal processing not specific to any of the devices covered by groups G01C19/5607 - G01C19/5719
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/14 by exciting one or more mechanical resonance systems

Abstract

A method for the precise measuring operating of a micro-mechanical rotation rate sensor, including at least one seismic mass, at least one drive device for driving the seismic mass in the primary mode (q₁) and at least three trimming electrode elements which are jointly associated directly or indirectly with the seismic mass. An electric trimming voltage (u₁, u₂, u₃, u₄) is set respectively between the trimming electrode elements and the seismic mass. Each of the electric trimming voltages (u₁, u₂, u₃, u₄) are adjusted in accordance with a resonance frequency variable (ũ_T, Ũ_T,0), a quadrature variable (ũ_c, Ũ_C,0) and a restoring variable (ũ_S).

Claims

1. A method for the precise measuring operation of a micro-mechanical rotation rate sensor, comprising at least one seismic mass, at least one drive device for driving the seismic mass in a primary mode (q₁) and at least four trimming electrode elements which are jointly associated directly or indirectly with the seismic mass, wherein in each case an electric trimming voltage (u₁, u₂, u₃, u₄) is applied between each of these trimming electrode elements and the seismic mass,

wherein the rotation rate sensor comprises a control arrangement to measure rotation rate, and wherein the control arrangement comprises a sigma-delta converter with which a controlled variable (y) representing the detected deflection of the seismic mass in its secondary mode (q₂) is digitized directly or at least a variable dependent thereon is digitized, and after which:

1) a resetting variable (ũ

_S) is generated as a digital variable, and

2) both a resonance frequency manipulated variable (ũ

_T), and a quadrature manipulated variable (ũ

_C) are generated as digital variables based on the digital resetting variable (ũ

_S), and

wherein each of the electric trimming voltages (u₁, u₂, u₃, u₄) is set as a function of a square root of a different sum of the digitized resonance frequency manipulated variable (ũ

_T), the quadrature manipulated variable (ũ

_C) and another resetting variable (ũ

_S).

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotation rate sensor comprises at least four trimming electrode elements which are jointly associated directly or indirectly with the seismic mass, wherein a first electric trimming voltage is applied between the first trimming electrode element and the seismic mass, a second trimming voltage is applied between the second trimming electrode element and the seismic mass, a third trimming voltage is applied between the third trimming electrode element and the seismic mass, and a fourth trimming voltage is applied between the fourth trimming electrode element and the seismic mass, wherein the first trimming voltage u₁, the second trimming voltage u₂, the third trimming voltage u₃ and the fourth trimming voltage u₄ are each set substantially with the following dependence of the resonance frequency manipulated variable ũ

_T, the quadrature manipulated variable ũ

_C and the resetting variable ũ

_S;

u₁=√

{square root over (ũ

_T−

ũ

_C+ũ

_S)}, u₂=√

{square root over (ũ

_T+ũ

_C−

ũ

_S)},

u₃=√

{square root over (ũ

_T+ũ

_C+ũ

_S)}, u₄=√

{square root over (ũ

_T−

ũ

_C−

ũ

_S)}.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the trimming electrode elements are each embodied and arranged in such a way that a capacitance C₁, C₂, C₃ and C₄ is formed between the first, second, third and fourth trimming electrode element and a respectively associated mass electrode element of the associated seismic mass, with the associated trimming voltage being applied between the trimming electrode element and the mass electrode element, as follows:

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein A_i, r_i, t_i, g_i and s_i are substantially the same in all the trimming electrode element/mass electrode element pairs.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control arrangement firstly forms a control error variable from the controlled variable (y) with predefinition of a control reference variable, wherein the controlled variable (y) represents the detected deflection of the seismic mass in the direction of its secondary mode, and wherein the control reference variable is a harmonic frequency identification signal (y_D) with the frequency ω

_s modulated with the frequency of the primary mode (ω

₁), or such a frequency identification signal is superimposed on the control reference variable, after which the control error variable formed in this way is fed to a first controller unit in which at least the resetting variable

(ũ

_S) is generated.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the resetting variable (ũ

_S) is then demodulated with two harmonic signals, phase-shifted through 90°

with respect to one another, in a first demodulator unit, as a result of which a quadrature variable and a rotation rate variable are acquired, after which a quadrature control error variable is generated from the quadrature variable as a function of a quadrature reference variable, which quadrature control error variable is fed to a quadrature controller unit which makes available the quadrature manipulated variable (ũ

_C) on the output side, and wherein the rotation rate variable or quadrature variable is demodulated in a second demodulator unit with the frequency ω

_s, as a result of which a frequency variable is acquired, after which a frequency control error variable is generated from the frequency variable as a function of a frequency reference variable, which frequency control error variable is fed to a frequency controller unit which makes available the resonance frequency manipulated variable (ũ

_T) on the output side.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control arrangement firstly forms a control error variable from the controlled variable (y) with predefinition of a control reference variable, wherein the controlled variable (y) represents the detected deflection of the seismic mass in the direction of its secondary mode, and wherein the control reference variable is a harmonic frequency identification signal (y_D) with the frequency ω

_s modulated with the frequency of the primary mode (ω

₁), or such a frequency identification signal is superimposed on the control reference variable, after which the control error variable which is formed in this way is fed to a first controller unit whose output signal is then demodulated with two harmonic signals, phase-shifted through 90°

with respect to one another, in a first demodulator unit, as a result of which a quadrature variable and a rotation rate variable are acquired, after which a quadrature control error variable is generated from the quadrature variable as a function of a quadrature reference variable, which quadrature control error variable is fed to a quadrature controller unit which makes available the quadrature manipulated variable (ũ

_C) on the output side and wherein the rotation rate variable or quadrature variable is demodulated in a second demodulator unit with the frequency ω

_s, as a result of which a frequency variable is acquired, after which a frequency control error variable is generated from the frequency variable as a function of a frequency reference variable, which frequency control error variable is fed to a frequency controller unit which makes available the resonance frequency manipulated variable (ũ

_T) on the output side.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the rotation rate sensor has a resetting unit which makes available the resetting variable (ũ

_S), wherein this resetting variable (ũ

_S) has a defined constant resetting value.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the output signal of the first controller unit is digitized, and at least the first demodulator unit, the second demodulator unit, the quadrature controller unit and the frequency controller unit are embodied in a digital form, and, in addition at least one of a manipulated variable transformation unit and a resetting unit are also embodied in a digital form.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sigma-delta converter is embodied as an electro-mechanical sigma-delta converter.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the sigma-delta converter comprises a capacitance/voltage converter which is arranged upstream of the first controller unit on the input side, the first controller unit itself, a quantizer which is connected to the latter on the output side, and a digital/analog converter and a voltage/force transducer for feeding back the control process.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein in each case two trimming voltages are processed in pairs (u₁, u₄), (u₂, u₃), in each case by means of one mixer (M1, M2), in each case in pairs as a function of the digital output signal of the quantizer.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control arrangement of the rotation rate sensor, has a manipulated variable transformation unit which makes available the trimming voltages u₁, u₂, u₃ and u₄ as a function of the resonance frequency manipulated variable ũ

_T, the quadrature manipulated variable ũ

_C and the resetting variable ũ

_S, in accordance with the equations u₁=√

{square root over (ũ

_T−

ũ

_C+ũ

_S)}, u₂=√

{square root over (ũ

_T+ũ

_C−

ũ

_S)}, u₃=√

{square root over (ũ

_T+ũ

_C+ũ

_S)}, u₄=√

{square root over (ũ

_T−

ũ

_C−

ũ

_S)}.

14. A micro-mechanical rotation rate sensor, comprising at least one seismic mass, at least one drive device for driving the seismic mass in the primary mode and at least three trimming electrode elements which are jointly associated directly or indirectly with the seismic mass, wherein in each case an electric trimming voltage is applied between each of these trimming electrode elements and the seismic mass, wherein the rotation rate sensor is embodied in such a way that it is suitable for carrying out the method comprising:

a method for the precise measuring operation of a micro-mechanical rotation rate sensor, comprising at least one seismic mass, at least one drive device for driving the seismic mass in a primary mode (q₁) and at least three trimming electrode elements which are jointly associated directly or indirectly with the seismic mass, wherein in each case an electric trimming voltage (u₁, u₂, u₃, u₄) is applied between each of these trimming electrode elements and the seismic mass,

wherein the rotation rate sensor comprises a control arrangement to measure rotation rate, and wherein the control arrangement comprises a sigma-delta converter with which a controlled variable (y) representing the detected deflection of the seismic mass in its secondary mode (q₂) is digitized directly or at least a variable dependent thereon is digitized, and after which;

1) and a resetting variable (ũ

_S) is generated as a digital variable, and

2) both a resonance frequency manipulated variable (ũ

_T), and a quadrature manipulated variable (ũ

_C) are generated as digital variables based on the digital resetting variable (ũ

_S), and

wherein each of the electric trimming voltages (u₁, u₂, u₃, u₄) is set as a function of a square root of a different sum of the digitized resonance frequency manipulated variable (ũ

_T), the quadrature manipulated variable (ũ

_C) and another resetting variable (ũ

_S).

15. A method for the precise measuring operation of a micro-mechanical rotation rate sensor, comprising at least one seismic mass, at least one drive device for driving the seismic mass in a primary mode (q₁) and at least three trimming electrode elements which are jointly associated directly or indirectly with the seismic mass, wherein in each case an electric trimming voltage (u₁, u₂, u₃, u₄) is applied between each of these trimming electrode elements and the seismic mass,

wherein

each of these electric trimming voltages (u₁, u₂, u₃, u₄) is set as a function of a resonance frequency manipulated variable (ũ

_T), a quadrature manipulated variable

(ũ

_C) and a resetting variable (ũ

_S);

wherein the rotation rate sensor comprises a control arrangement to measure a rotation rate, and wherein the control arrangement comprises a sigma-delta converter with which a controlled variable (y) representing the detected deflection of the seismic mass in its secondary mode (q₂) is digitized directly or at least a variable dependent thereon is digitized, and after which the resonance frequency manipulated variable (ũ

_T), the quadrature manipulated variable (ũ

_C) and the resetting variable (ũ

_S) are generated as digital variables, and

wherein the control arrangement firstly forms a control error variable from the controlled variable (y) with predefinition of a control reference variable, wherein the controlled variable (y) represents the detected deflection of the seismic mass in the direction of its secondary mode, and wherein the control reference variable is a harmonic frequency identification signal (y_D) with the frequency ω

_s modulated with the frequency of the primary mode (ω

₁), or such a frequency identification signal is superimposed on the control reference variable, after which the control error variable formed in this way is fed to a first controller unit in which at least the resetting variable

(ũ

_S) is generated.