MEMS device quadrature shift cancellation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10060757-B2
Application number	US-201313857377-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2013
Priority date	Apr 5, 2012
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

This document provides apparatus and methods for cancelation of quadrature error from a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) device, such as a MEMS gyroscope. In certain examples, a quadrature correction apparatus can include a drive charge-to-voltage (C2V) converter configured to provide drive information of a proof mass of a MEMS gyroscope, a sense C2V converter configured to provide sense information of the proof mass, a phase-shift module configured to provide phase shift information of the drive information, a drive demodulator configured to receive the drive information and the phase shift information and to provide demodulated drive information, a sense demodulator configured to receive the sense information and the phase shift information and to provide demodulated sense information, and wherein the quadrature correction apparatus is configured to provide corrected sense information using the demodulated drive information and the demodulated sense information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A quadrature correction apparatus comprising:
a drive charge-to-voltage (C2V) converter configured to provide drive information of a proof mass of a MEMS gyroscope;
a sense C2V converter configured to provide sense information of the proof mass;
a phase-shift circuit configured to provide phase shift information of the drive information;
a drive demodulator configured to receive the drive information and the phase shift information and to provide demodulated drive information;
a sense demodulator configured to receive the sense information and the phase shift information and to provide demodulated sense information;
a summing node configured to receive the demodulated sense information from the sense demodulator; and
a correction amplifier configured to receive the demodulated drive information from the drive demodulator and provide amplified demodulated drive information to the summing node,
wherein the quadrature correction apparatus is configured to provide corrected sense information using the demodulated drive information and the demodulated sense information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the summing node is configured to provide the corrected sense information using the demodulated drive information from the sense demodulator and the demodulated sense information from the correction amplifier.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the quadrature correction apparatus is configured to provide the corrected sense information using the amplified demodulated drive information and the demodulated sense information.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , including an analog-to-digital converter configured to receive the corrected sense information and to provide a digital representation of the corrected sense information.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the drive demodulator includes a first analog-to-digital converter configured to receive the demodulated drive information and to provide a digital representation of the demodulated drive information.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the drive demodulator includes a correction amplifier configured to adjust a level of the digital representation of the demodulated drive information to provide a correction signal to cancel the quadrature error of the sensed information.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the sense demodulator includes a second analog-to-digital converter configured to receive the demodulated sense information and to provide a digital representation of the demodulated sense information.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the summing node is configured to provide the corrected sense information using the demodulated drive information and the demodulated sense information,
the summing node includes a digital summing node configured to combine the digital representation of the demodulated drive information and the digital representation of the demodulated sense information to cancel quadrature error of the demodulated sense information, and to provide a digital, corrected sense information.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sense information represents a rate of motion of the MEMS gyroscope.

10. A method comprising:
providing drive information of a proof mass of a MEMS gyroscope using a drive charge-to-voltage (C2V) converter;
providing sense information of the proof mass using a sense C2V converter;
providing phase shift information of the drive information using the drive information and a phase-shift module;
demodulating the drive information using a drive demodulator and the phase shift information to provide demodulated drive information;
demodulating the sense information using a sense demodulator and the phase shift information to provide demodulated sense information;
canceling quadrature error of the sense information to provide a corrected sense signal using the demodulated drive information and the demodulated sense information; and
adjusting a level of the demodulated drive information using s correction amplifier.

11. The method of claim 10 , including converting the corrected sense signal using an analog-to-digital converter to provide a digital representation of the corrected sense signal.

12. The method of claim 10 , including providing a digital representation of the demodulated drive information using the demodulated drive information and a first analog-to-digital converter.

13. The method of claim 12 , including adjusting a level of the digital representation of the demodulated drive information using a correction amplifier.

14. The method of claim 13 , including providing a digital representation of the demodulated sense information using the demodulated sense information and a second analog-to-digital converter.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the canceling quadrature error includes digitally summing the digital representation of the demodulated drive information and the digital representation of the demodulated sense information to provide a digital, corrected sense information.

16. A system comprising:
a MEMS device including a proof mass; and
a control circuit configured to provide sense information of the proof mass, the control circuit including:
a drive charge-to voltage (C2V) converter configured to couple to the proof mass and to provide drive information of the proof mass;
a sense C2V converter configured to receive a sense signal from the proof mass and to provide sense information of the proof mass;
a phase-shift circuit configured to provide phase shift information using the drive information;
a drive demodulator configured to receive phase shift information and the drive information and to provide a demodulated drive signal;
a sense demodulator configured to the phase shift information and the sense information to provide a demodulated sense signal;
a summing node configured to cancel quadrature error of the sense information and to provide a corrected sense signal using a sum of the demodulated drive signal and the demodulated sense signal; and
a correction amplifier configured to adjust a level of the demodulated drive signal to provide a correction signal to cancel quadrature error of the sense information.

17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising:
an analog-to-digital converter configured to receive the corrected sense signal and to provide a digital representation of the corrected sense signal.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein:
the drive demodulator includes a analog-to-digital converter configured to receive the demodulated drive signal and to provide a digital representation of the demodulated drive signal; and
the correction amplifier includes a digital correction amplifier configured to adjust a level of the digital representation of the demodulated drive signal to provide a digital correction signal to cancel the quadrature error of the sensed information.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the drive demodulator includes a first analog-to-digital converter, the sense demodulator includes a second analog-to-digital converter configured to receive the demodulated sense signal and to provide a digital representation of the demodulated sense signal.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the summing node includes a digital summing node configured to combine the digital representation of the demodulated drive signal and the digital representation of the demodulated sense signal to cancel quadrature error of the demodulated sense signal, and to provide a digital, corrected sense signal.

Assignees

• Fairchild Semiconductor

Inventors

• Opris Ion
• Tao Hai
• Lee Shungneng

Classifications

• G01C19/5776

  Signal processing not specific to any of the devices covered by groups G01C19/5607 - G01C19/5719 · CPC title

• G01C19/5726 Primary

  Signal processing · CPC title

• G01C25/00 Primary

  Manufacturing, calibrating, cleaning, or repairing instruments or devices referred to in the other groups of this subclass (testing, calibrating or compensating compasses G01C17/38) · CPC title

• B81B7/00

  Microstructural systems {; Auxiliary parts of microstructural devices or systems} · CPC title

• G01C19/56 Primary

  Turn-sensitive devices using vibrating masses, e.g. vibratory angular rate sensors based on Coriolis forces · CPC title