Micromachined inertial devices are presented having multiple linearly-moving masses coupled together by couplers that move in a linear fashion when the coupled masses exhibit linear anti-phase motion. Some of the described couplers are flexural and provide two degrees of freedom of motion of the coupled masses. Some such couplers are positioned between the coupled masses. Using multiple couplers which are arranged to move in linearly opposite directions during linear anti-phase motion of the coupled masses provides momentum-balanced operation.

One example includes a resonator gyroscope. The resonator gyroscope includes a sensing system comprising a plurality of electrodes arranged about a sensitive axis and configured to electrostatically force a resonator into a substantially periodic motion based on a plurality of forcer signals applied to the plurality of electrodes, and configured to provide an indication of rotation about a sensitive axis of the resonator gyroscope. The resonator gyroscope further includes a controller configured to generate the plurality of forcer signals to provide the substantially periodic motion of the resonator concurrently in each of a plurality of separate vibration pattern modes to measure the rotation of the resonator gyroscope about the sensitive axis in response to a plurality of pickoff signals associated with the substantially periodic motion.

One example includes a resonator gyroscope. The resonator gyroscope includes a sensing system comprising a plurality of electrodes arranged about a sensitive axis and configured to electrostatically force a resonator into a substantially periodic motion based on a plurality of forcer signals applied to the plurality of electrodes, and configured to provide an indication of rotation about a sensitive axis of the resonator gyroscope. The resonator gyroscope further includes a controller configured to generate the plurality of forcer signals to provide the substantially periodic motion of the resonator concurrently in each of a plurality of separate vibration pattern modes to measure the rotation of the resonator gyroscope about the sensitive axis in response to a plurality of pickoff signals associated with the substantially periodic motion.

A method is proposed for controlling the precession of a gyroscope (1) comprising a support (2) and a resonator (3), the support (2) being mobile in a platform coordinate system and stationary in a measurement coordinate system, the method comprising the generation (101) of a first control signal suitable for rotating the resonator (3) with respect to the support (2) in two opposite directions of rotation during a first period, the method being characterized by the following steps:

reception (104) of data (Tpm) on relative positioning between the measurement coordinate system and the platform coordinate system,

calculation (105) of a second control signal to be generated during a second period on the basis of the first control signal and the relative-positioning data, the second control signal being chosen in such a way as to minimize an average of accumulated angular errors in the angular measurements acquired by the gyroscope during the entirety of the first and second period, the angular errors being expressed in the platform coordinate system.

In some implementations, a control system for a resonating element comprises: a resonating element being driven by an oscillating drive signal and configured to generate a sense signal proportional to an amplitude of motion; a phase comparator coupled to the resonating element and to an oscillating drive signal, the phase comparator configured to compare the sense signal and the oscillating drive signal and to generate an error signal proportional to the phase difference; an oscillator coupled to the phase comparator and configured for generating the oscillating drive signal, the oscillator configured to receive the error signal and to adjust a phase of the oscillating signal based on the error signal; and an automatic gain control coupled to the resonating element and the oscillator, the automatic gain control configured to adjust the gain of the oscillating drive signal based on the signal generated by the resonating element.

In some implementations, a control system for a resonating element comprises: a resonating element being driven by an oscillating drive signal and configured to generate a sense signal proportional to an amplitude of motion; a phase comparator coupled to the resonating element and to an oscillating drive signal, the phase comparator configured to compare the sense signal and the oscillating drive signal and to generate an error signal proportional to the phase difference; an oscillator coupled to the phase comparator and configured for generating the oscillating drive signal, the oscillator configured to receive the error signal and to adjust a phase of the oscillating signal based on the error signal; and an automatic gain control coupled to the resonating element and the oscillator, the automatic gain control configured to adjust the gain of the oscillating drive signal based on the signal generated by the resonating element.

The present invention is concerned with a method of calibrating a vibrating gyroscope. The method comprises exciting a vibration along an excitation axis of a resonant structure wherein the excitation axis is positioned at a first angular position, sensing the vibration of the resonant structure on a first sensing axis of the resonant structure while the excitation axis is positioned at the first angular position, generating a first sensing signal indicative of the sensed vibration of the resonant structure on the first sensing axis, rotating the excitation axis in a continuous manner around the resonant structure to a second angular position, sensing the vibration of the resonant structure on a second sensing axis of the resonant structure while the excitation axis is positioned at the second angular position, generating a second sensing signal indicative of the sensed vibration of the resonant structure on the second sensing axis and adding the first sensing signal to the second sensing signal in order to derive a bias of the gyroscope.

The present invention is concerned with a method of calibrating a vibrating gyroscope. The method comprises exciting a vibration along an excitation axis of a resonant structure wherein the excitation axis is positioned at a first angular position, sensing the vibration of the resonant structure on a first sensing axis of the resonant structure while the excitation axis is positioned at the first angular position, generating a first sensing signal indicative of the sensed vibration of the resonant structure on the first sensing axis, rotating the excitation axis in a continuous manner around the resonant structure to a second angular position, sensing the vibration of the resonant structure on a second sensing axis of the resonant structure while the excitation axis is positioned at the second angular position, generating a second sensing signal indicative of the sensed vibration of the resonant structure on the second sensing axis and adding the first sensing signal to the second sensing signal in order to derive a bias of the gyroscope.

In some implementations, a control system for a resonating element comprises: a resonating element being driven by an oscillating drive signal and configured to generate a sense signal proportional to an amplitude of motion; a phase comparator coupled to the resonating element and to an oscillating drive signal, the phase comparator configured to compare the sense signal and the oscillating drive signal and to generate an error signal proportional to the phase difference; an oscillator coupled to the phase comparator and configured for generating the oscillating drive signal, the oscillator configured to receive the error signal and to adjust a phase of the oscillating signal based on the error signal; and an automatic gain control coupled to the resonating element and the oscillator, the automatic gain control configured to adjust the gain of the oscillating drive signal based on the signal generated by the resonating element.

In some implementations, a control system for a resonating element comprises: a resonating element being driven by an oscillating drive signal and configured to generate a sense signal proportional to an amplitude of motion; a phase comparator coupled to the resonating element and to an oscillating drive signal, the phase comparator configured to compare the sense signal and the oscillating drive signal and to generate an error signal proportional to the phase difference; an oscillator coupled to the phase comparator and configured for generating the oscillating drive signal, the oscillator configured to receive the error signal and to adjust a phase of the oscillating signal based on the error signal; and an automatic gain control coupled to the resonating element and the oscillator, the automatic gain control configured to adjust the gain of the oscillating drive signal based on the signal generated by the resonating element.