Robert Boschgmbh

Andrea Visconti

Francesco Diazzi

Ruslan Khalilyulin

Guangzhao Zhang

Luca Valli

Johannes Classen

Timo Giesselmann

Wolfram Geiger

Matthias Meier

Jochen Hahn

Thomas Zebrowski

Artjom Kosov

Ishita Mukhopadhyay

Alexandru Negut

A circuit for a MEMS gyroscope having at least one mass excitable to an oscillatory motion. The circuit includes: a signal generator circuit for generating a periodic test signal, the test signal being applicable to a first MEMS-side signal input of a driver circuit and/or to a second MEMS-side signal input of a readout circuit and causing a response measurement signal, so that the phase offset between a demodulation signal and the response measurement signal can be determined on the basis of the response measurement signal. A corresponding method for operating a MEMS gyroscope is also described.

Circuit for a MEMS gyroscope and method for operating a corresponding circuit

A sensor system. The sensor system comprises a MEMS gyroscope, comprising at least: a seismic mass, which can be excited to vibrate and has at least one electrode assembly for capacitively detecting a measurement signal, a drive circuit for generating a drive voltage for exciting and maintaining a defined vibratory movement of the seismic mass, there being a parasitic capacitive coupling between the drive circuit and the at least one electrode assembly, a detection circuit for reading out the measurement signal and for generating an angular rate signal on the basis of the measurement signal, characterized by circuitry means for compensating for an offset of the angular rate signal on the basis of the drive voltage.

Sensor system and method for compensating for an offset of an angular rate signal

A readout circuit for a MEMS sensor unit. The readout circuit includes at least one circuit component which includes a cascade circuit including at least one input amplifier and at least one output amplifier. A predefined external supply voltage is available for operating the readout circuit. In the process, the input amplifier is operated with a first supply voltage which is, by comparison, less than or equal to the external supply voltage, and the output amplifier is operated with a second supply voltage which is, by comparison, greater than the external supply voltage. At least one circuit means, which makes the second supply voltage is also provided, which is, by comparison, greater than the external supply voltage, available to the output amplifier.

Readout circuit for a MEMS sensor unit

A sensor including a sensor element for acquiring a measuring signal, the measuring signal including at least one useful signal component in a useful signal frequency range and at least one interference signal component in an interference signal frequency range, and a readout circuit for converting the measuring signal into an analog electrical sensor signal. A feedback circuit is provided, which feeds back the output signal of the readout circuit to the input of the readout circuit at which the measuring signal is applied, and the total transmission function H(s) of the readout circuit and feedback circuit induces an attenuation of the analog sensor signal in the interference signal frequency range, while the analog sensor signal in the useful signal frequency range is not attenuated.

Sensor and method for reducing an interference signal component in a measuring signal from a sensor

A phase-locked loop for a driver circuit for operating a MEMS gyroscope, including a seismic mass that is excitable into oscillations. The phase-locked loop including an input interface for receiving position signals that represent the present position of the oscillating seismic mass of the MEMS gyroscope, a phase detector for ascertaining the phase and frequency of the present oscillation movement of the seismic mass, based on the received position signals, at least two oscillators that are alternatively activatable, the alternatively activatable oscillators having different energy consumptions and/or different noise properties, and at least one output interface for outputting a signal that is provided by the oscillator that is presently activated.

Phase-locked loop for a driver circuit for operating a MEMS gyroscope

A sensor system. The sensor system includes: an analog processing arrangement comprising: a drive circuit which generates an analog drive signal to drive an oscillating element of a microelectromechanical gyroscope; a detection circuit configured to generate analog rotation-rate and quadrature signals from a signal detected by the gyroscope; an analog-to-digital converter(s) configured to convert the analog rotation-rate and quadrature signals into digital rotation-rate and quadrature signals; a compensation circuit, which, in a measurement operating mode of the sensor system, compensates a quadrature effect on the analog quadrature signal using at least one quadrature compensation value; and a digital processing arrangement comprising a digital processing circuit, which, in the measurement operating mode of the sensor system, is configured to compensate a temperature-dependent quadrature-induced zero rate offset ZRO of the digital rotation-rate signal using at least one ZRO compensation value and temperature information.

Compensating a temperature-dependent quadrature-induced zero rate offset for a microelectromechanical gyroscope

A sensor system having a MEMS gyroscope. The sensor system includes a seismic mass for acquiring a measuring signal, a drive circuit, an acquisition circuit for reading out and demodulating the measuring signal, whereby a rate of rotation signal and a quadrature signal phase-shifted relative to the rate of rotation signal is generated, and a digital processing circuit for compensating an offset of the digitized rate of rotation signal using the digitized quadrature signal. The acquisition circuit and the digital processing circuit encompass a rate of rotation circuit, and a quadrature circuit for generating and processing the quadrature signal and generating a compensation signal for the offset compensation of the digitized rate of rotation signal. At least part of the quadrature circuit is operable in at least one other operating mode than the rate of rotation circuit, independently of the operating mode of the rate of rotation circuit.

Sensor system, method for operating a sensor system

A sensor array. The sensor array includes a gyroscope device, including: a MEMS gyroscope including a seismic mass which is excitable to carry out oscillations; a driver circuit for exciting and maintaining an oscillating movement of the seismic mass; and a sensing unit. The sensor array further includes a control unit for selecting one of at least two different predefined operating modes of the gyroscope device, at least one sensing operating mode, in which rotation rate sensor signals are detected and/or preprocessed, and at least one stand-by operating mode, in which no rotation rate sensor signals are detected and/or preprocessed, being predefined as operating modes. The sensor array further includes a further sensor device for detecting further sensor signals; and a digital data processing unit for the rotation rate sensor signals and the further sensor signals.

Sensor array and method for operating a sensor array

A rotation rate sensor, including at least: one oscillating mass, deflectable in a drive direction and in a detection direction oriented perpendicularly to the drive direction; one drive circuit for prompting a defined oscillatory movement of the oscillating mass in the drive direction; one circuit for detecting a measuring signal, which corresponds to the deflection of the oscillating mass in the detection direction; and one read-out circuit for reading out and pre-processing the measuring signal. The read-out circuit includes a demodulator, with which a useful signal and a quadrature signal are extractable from the measuring signal. The read-out circuit includes a sigma-delta A/D converter. An offset voltage is feedable to the sigma-delta A/D converter, which is selected in such a way that tonal artifacts in the frequency spectrum of the digitized useful signal are shifted into a frequency range outside of the bandwidths of the useful signal to be expected.

Rotation rate sensor and method for operating a rotation rate sensor

A micromechanical sensor, including a micromechanical chip having a first micromechanical structure, a first evaluation chip, having a first application-specific integrated circuit, and a second evaluation chip having a second application-specific integrated circuit. The first evaluation chip and the micromechanical chip are situated in a stacked manner, the micromechanical chip being directly electrically conductively connected with the first evaluation chip and the first evaluation chip being directly electrically conductively connected with the second evaluation chip. The first application-specific integrated circuit primarily includes analog circuit elements and the second application-specific circuit primarily includes digital circuit elements.

Micromechanical sensor

A method for operating a capacitive MEMS sensor. The method includes: supplying a defined electrical potential on a deflectably mounted, seismic mass of the MEMS sensor; capacitively inducing a vibrational motion of the seismic mass with the aid of a clocked electrical control voltage; compensating for fluctuations in the supplied electrical potential on the seismic mass caused by the clocked electrical control voltage, by selectively charging and/or discharging an electrical storage element connected to the seismic mass in accordance with the frequency of the clocked electrical control voltage.

Method for operating a capacitive MEMS sensor, and capacitive MEMS sensor

Recalibrating a micromechanical sensor. The sensor is assigned a signal processing device for correcting the sensor signal on the basis of at least one previously determined initial trim value that is selected such that, given a defined sensor excitation, a production-related deviation of the sensor signal from a target sensor signal is compensated. The method for recalibrating the sensor includes: applying a defined electrical test excitation signal to the sensor structure, acquiring the corresponding sensor response signal, ascertaining a trim correction value for the at least one initial trim value on the basis of a previously determined relation between the sensor response signal and the trim correction value, and determining at least one current trim value for correcting the sensor signal, the determination of the at least one current trim value taking place on the basis of the at least one initial trim value and the ascertained trim correction value.

Method for recalibrating a micromechanical sensor, and recalibrateable sensor

A readout circuit for a MEMS gyroscope having a seismic mass. The readout circuit includes: an analog amplitude-/phase-locked loop for monitoring the vibrating motion of the seismic mass and for generating a driver signal to excite and maintain a defined vibrating motion of the seismic mass, a selectively activatable sensing front end for providing measured values of the MEMS gyroscope, a selectively activatable phase-locked loop for providing a demodulation clock signal for the sensing front end, and an energy-management unit, which is designed to set a sensing operating mode for the MEMS gyroscope, in which measured values are acquired with the aid of the sensing front end, or to set a standby operating mode for the MEMS gyroscope, in which no measured values are acquired, the energy-management unit activating the sensing front end and the phase-locked loop in the sensing operating mode and deactivates them in the standby operating mode.

Readout circuit for a MEMS gyroscope and method for operating such a readout circuit

Apparatuses and methods are described for processing the sensor signal of a sensor component, a noise signal that is generated as a function of specific properties of an interference signal component of the sensor signal and/or of specific properties of a temperature signal of a temperature sensor being mixed into a useful signal component of the sensor signal.

Apparatuses and methods for processing a sensor signal

A method and a device for processing signals, including a demodulator demodulating a modulated signal during a first time interval in such a way that a quadrature signal is generated, the quadrature signal is stored in a memory unit of the device, the demodulator demodulating the modulated signal in such a way that an in-phase signal is generated during a second time interval and an output signal for describing a rotation of the gyroscope about a defined sensing axis is generated from the in-phase signal.

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Munich, Germany

Andrea Visconti