Sensor having a resonance structure, especially an acceleration or rotation rate sensor, and a device for carrying out a self-test

US6564637B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• EADS Deutschland GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Josef Schalk · Riedlingen, DE
• Erwin Stenzel · Deisenhofen, DE
• Karin Bauer · Oberhaching, DE
• Rainer Freitag · Owen, DE
• Roland Hilser · Kirchheim unter Teck, DE
• Ralf Voss · Starnberg, DE
• Matthias Aikele · Munich, DE
• Helmut Seidel · Starnberg, DE
• Ulrich Prechtel · Munich, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: May 15, 2001
• Grant date: May 20, 2003
• Expiry date: May 15, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01P21/00
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A self-testing sensor (especially to measure an angular rate or acceleration) includes a resonant structure, an actor unit configured to excite the structure to a first periodic vibration, a piezoresistive element configured to generate an output signal that depends on the measured quantity, and an isolator configured to isolate a test signal component from the output signal, whereby the test signal component is generated by a second periodic vibration of the structure superposed on the first vibration. A device for self-testing a sensor includes an isolator configured to isolate a test signal component superposed on a useful signal component from the periodic output signal of the sensor, and it includes a comparator configured to compare the test signal component with a predefined value or a test signal fed to the sensor. For the self-test, a second periodic vibration is superposed on a first vibration of the structure, and an output signal containing information on the measured quantity is determined. A test signal component contained in the output signal is monitored.