Balanced vibratory gyroscope and amplitude control for same

• US 6,164,134 A
• Filed: 01/29/1999
• Issued: 12/26/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Cargille, Donald R.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOLLER, RICHARD ALAN
• Application Number:
  US09/239,632
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 73/504.02, 73/504.03, 73/504.04, 73/504.12, 73/504.15
• US Class Current: 73/504.02
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5719 using planar vibrating masses driven in a translation vibration along an axis
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/14 by making use of gyroscopes gyroscopes per se G01C19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 2015/084 the mass being suspended at more than one of its sides, e.g. membrane-type suspension, so as to permit multi-axis movement of the mass
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 2015/0842 the mass being of clover leaf shape

Abstract

A balanced vibratory micro-gyroscope having an electrode pattern having four inner drive electrodes and four outer sense electrodes for providing balanced push-pull control of a cloverleaf micro-gyroscope. A control circuit utilizes equal and opposite input signals to the drive electrodes and processes output signals from the sense electrodes to precisely control the drive electrodes. Capacitance is added between opposing drive and sense electrodes pattern in order to null capacitive coupling effects between adjacent drive and sense electrodes. The control circuit linearizes the force on the micro-gyroscope thereby improving performance. Advantage is taken of Coulomb'"'"'s Law to eliminate an electronic multiplier in the vibration amplitude control loop. A simplified full-wave rectifier further enhances the control circuit and operation of the micro-gyroscope. A closed negative feedback loop in the control circuit provides a corrective signal to the rate driving electrodes through rate sensing signals in order to prevent unwanted harmonic movement in the micro-gyroscope.

Claims

1. A micro-gyroscope comprising:

a. a base plate having a central hub having a passage therethrough;

b. an electrode pattern in said base plate, said electrode pattern comprising;

i. a plurality of inner electrodes spaced about said central hub and defining an outer periphery;

ii. a plurality of outer electrodes spaced about and surrounding said outer periphery of said inner electrodes, said outer electrodes being in the same plane as said inner electrodes;

iii. a continuous shield electrode in between each of said inner and outer electrodes, said shield electrode being grounded;

c. a resonator spaced from and located above said base plate, said resonator comprising;

i. a frame having a central hub having a passage therethrough;

ii. four leaves in said frame, said leaves arranged symmetrically around said central hub;

iii. a baton orthogonal to said frame, said baton attached to said central hub and said four leaves, said baton extending through said passage in said frame and through said passage in said base plate; and

d. a control circuit for balancing said micro-gyroscope and for controlling vibrations of said micro-gyroscope.

2. The micro-gyroscope of claim 1 wherein said electrode pattern further comprises:

four inner electrodes, each of said inner electrodes having an apex and a base, said apex of each inner electrode directed at said central hub in said base plate; and

four outer electrodes surrounding said four inner electrodes, each of said outer electrodes having two parallel sides, one parallel side being shorter than the other parallel side, said shorter parallel side adjacent said base of said inner electrode such that said inner and outer electrodes define a square outer periphery.

3. The micro-gyroscope of claim 2 wherein said electrode pattern is arranged on a vibration axis and an output axis, said four inner electrodes further comprise:

a first vibration drive electrode;

a second vibration drive electrode opposite said first vibration drive electrode;

a first rate drive electrode in between said first and second vibration drive electrodes; and

a second rate drive electrode opposite said first rate drive electrode; and

said four outer electrodes further comprise;

a first vibration sense electrode adjacent said base of said first vibration drive electrode;

a second vibration sense electrode adjacent said base of said second vibration drive electrode;

a first rate sense electrode adjacent said base of said first rate drive electrode; and

a second rate sense electrode adjacent said base of said second rate drive electrode;

each of said inner and outer electrodes being symmetrical about said hub of said base plate.

4. The micro-gyroscope as claimed in claim 3 wherein said control circuit further comprises a vibration drive voltage applied to said first vibration drive electrode and an equal and opposite vibration drive voltage applied to said second vibration drive electrode for causing movement of said micro-gyroscope, thereby sending AC signals to said first and second vibration sensing electrodes, said first and second vibration sensing electrodes producing signals processed as feedback to said vibration drive voltages.

5. The micro-gyroscope as claimed in claim 3 further comprising a negative feedback loop for providing a corrective signal to said first and second rate driving electrodes wherein said first and second rate sensing electrodes sense movement of said baton and send a signal to said negative feedback loop, said negative feedback loop processes said signal and provides equal and opposite signals to said rate driving electrodes for offsetting movement of said baton.

6. The micro-gyroscope as claimed in claim 3 further comprising:

means for producing a capacitance between said first rate drive electrode and said second rate sense electrode;

means for producing a capacitance between said second rate drive electrode and said first rate sense electrode;

means for producing a capacitance between said first vibration drive electrode and said second vibration sense electrode; and

means for producing a capacitance between said second vibration drive electrode and said first vibration sense electrode.

7. The micro-gyroscope as claimed in claim 6 wherein said capacitance is etched into said electrode pattern.

8. A micro-gyroscope as claimed in claim 6 wherein said control circuit further comprises:

a precision reference voltage for providing a bias voltage to said micro-gyroscope;

a vibration axis buffer coupled to said vibration axis;

an output axis buffer coupled to said output axis;

an amplifier for providing a waveform for driving said micro-gyroscope;

an inverter for providing an opposing waveform for balanced, push-pull drive of said micro-gyroscope;

a coupler between said amplifier and said inverter for coupling said driving waveform and said opposing waveform to achieve balance said micro-gyroscope;

a capacitor at an output of said amplifier and a capacitor at an output of said inverter, said capacitors for preventing DC signal interference with said bias voltage;

a voltage divider for providing optimum voltage to said vibration drive electrodes;

a full-wave rectifier for computing an output of said amplifier;

a circuit following said full-wave rectifier for providing a difference between said output of said amplifier and said bias voltage to maintain a constant amplitude at said output of said amplifier;

a closed loop having an output, said closed loop about said output axis comprising;

summer for compensating for mechanical misalignment of said micro-gyroscope;

an inverter for providing an opposing waveform to maintain zero motion of said micro-gyroscope about said output axis;

an attenuator coupled to said rate drive electrodes for setting a scale factor for said micro-gyro-scope;

an analog multiplier for synchronously demodulating said output of said closed loop; and

a filter on said demodulated output for providing an output of said micro-gyroscope.

9. The micro-gyroscope as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control circuit further comprises DC bias points at said plurality of electrodes and a loop gain control voltage connected to said DC bias points, whereby an electrostatic force on said micro-gyroscope is linearized as a product of said bias voltage and a drive voltage.

10. The micro-gyroscope as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control circuit further comprises a full-wave rectifier comprising:

a first operational amplifier;

a second operational amplifier cascaded with said first operational amplifier, said first and second operational amplifiers having gain magnitudes for positive and negative inputs that are nominally equal; and

a variable resistor across said first operational amplifier for trimming said full-wave rectifier to achieve ideal balance.

11. A control circuit for a micro-gyroscope having a plurality of drive electrodes, a plurality of sense electrodes, and a vibrating element centered between said electrodes, said control circuit comprising:

means for producing a vibration drive voltage applied to one of said plurality of electrodes and an equal and opposite vibration drive voltage applied to another of said plurality of electrodes causing movement of said micro-gyroscope and sensed by at least two of said sense electrodes whereby said sense electrodes produce a signal;

a closed feedback loop that processes said signal to control said vibration drive voltage;

a negative feedback loop for providing a corrective signal to at least two of said driving electrodes wherein at least two of said sensing electrodes sense undesirable movements of said micro-gyroscope and produce a signal, said signal being processed by said negative feedback loop to provide equal and opposite signals to said at least two driving electrodes for offsetting said undesirable movements; and

means for producing a capacitance between opposing drive and sense electrodes in order to avoid capacitive coupling between adjacent drive and sense electrodes.

12. The control circuit as claimed in claim 11 wherein said capacitance is etched into said micro-gyroscope.

13. The control circuit as claimed in claim 11 further comprising DC bias points at said plurality of electrodes and a loop gain control voltage connected to said DC bias points, whereby an electrostatic force on said micro-gyroscope is linearized as a constant multiplied by a product of said bias voltage and a drive voltage.

14. The control circuit as claimed in claim 11 further comprising a full-wave rectifier comprising:

a first operational amplifier;

a second operational amplifier cascaded with said first operational amplifier, said first and second operational amplifiers having nominally equal gain magnitudes for positive and negative inputs; and

a variable resistor across said first operational amplifier for trimming said full-wave rectifier to achieve ideal balance.

15. An electrode pattern for a micro-gyroscope having four symmetrical leaves, said electrode pattern comprising:

four inner electrodes arranged such that they define an outer periphery; and

four outer electrodes arranged about said outer periphery of said four inner electrodes.

16. The electrode pattern as claimed in claim 15 wherein said four inner electrodes further comprise:

two opposing vibration drive electrodes and two opposing rate drive electrodes;

said four outer electrodes further comprise two opposing vibration sense electrodes and two opposing rate sense electrodes such that said vibration sense electrodes are adjacent respective vibration drive electrodes and said rate sense electrodes are adjacent respective rate drive electrodes.

17. The electrode pattern as claimed in claim 16 wherein each of said inner electrodes further comprise a triangular shaped electrode arranged such that said outer periphery has a square shape;

and

each of said outer electrodes further comprise a trapezoidal shaped electrode arranged about said outer periphery of said inner electrodes and defining a square shaped outer periphery.