Method for checking a sensor value of a MEMS sensor
AssigneeRobert Bosch GmbH
InventorsChristopher Huth, Oliver Willers
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is provided for checking a sensor value of a MEMS sensor. In the process, an output signal of the MEMS sensor is detected and the sensor value is ascertained as a function of the output signal. In addition, frequency components of the output signal are examined and a determination is made as to whether the ascertained sensor value is reliable or unreliable as a function of the examination of the frequency components. If the sensor value is determined to be unreliable, the sensor value is discarded or provided with a lower weighting, or a warning it output relating to the unreliability of the sensor value or an item of information about the unreliability of the sensor value is stored.
Claims14
A method for a MEMS sensor that is an inertial sensor configured to measure a movement, a pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure, a humidity sensor configured to measure humidity, a magnetic field sensor configured to measure a magnetic field characteristic, or a gas sensor configured to measure a characteristic of gas, the MEMS sensor being configured to output an output signal representing a value of the measurement, the method comprising the following steps:
- detecting the output signal output by the MEMS sensor;
- selecting one or more respective frequency components of the output signal that correspond to one or more respective resonance frequencies of elements of the MEMS sensor;
- performing a comparison to determine whether at least one amplitude of the selected one or more respective frequency components is higher than a predefined non-zero threshold;
- responsive to a result of the comparison being that the at least one amplitude is higher than the predefined non-zero threshold, determining that the output signal is attributed at least in part to an external acoustic attack and therefore unreliable for indicating the value of the measurement;
- and
- due to the determined unreliability of the output signal due to the attribution of the output signal at least in part to the external acoustic attack:
- (i) discarding the output signal entirely as an indication of the measured characteristic, or (ii) reducing a weighting of the output signal as a whole as the indication of the measured characteristic, or (iii) outputting a warning about the unreliability of the output signal as a whole as the indication of the measured characteristic, or (iv) storing an item of information indicating the unreliability of the output signal as a whole as the indication of the measured characteristic.
A non-transitory machine-readable memory medium on which is stored a computer program that is executable by a computer and that, when executed by the computer, causes the computer to perform a method for a MEMS sensor that is an inertial sensor configured to measure a movement, a pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure, a humidity sensor configured to measure humidity, a magnetic field sensor configured to measure a magnetic field characteristic, or a gas sensor configured to measure a characteristic of gas, the MEMS sensor being configured to output an output signal representing a value of the measurement, the the method comprising the following steps:
- detecting the output signal output by the MEMS sensor;
- selecting one or more respective frequency components of the output signal that correspond to one or more respective resonance frequencies of elements of the MEMS sensor;
- performing a comparison to determine whether at least one amplitude of the selected one or more respective frequency components is higher than a predefined non-zero threshold;
- responsive to a result of the comparison being that the at least one amplitude is higher than the predefined non-zero threshold, determining that the output signal is attributed at least in part to an external acoustic attack and therefore unreliable for indicating the value of the measurement;
- and
- due to the determined unreliability of the output signal due to the attribution of the output signal at least in part to the external acoustic attack:
- (i) discarding the output signal entirely as an indication of the measured characteristic, or (ii) reducing a weighting of the output signal as a whole as the indication of the measured characteristic, or (iii) outputting a warning about the unreliability of the output signal as a whole as the indication of the measured characteristic, or (iv) storing an item of information indicating the unreliability of the output signal as a whole as the indication of the measured characteristic.
A device having a processing unit and a non-transitory memory medium on which is stored a computer program that is executable by the processing unit for a MEMS sensor that is an inertial sensor configured to measure a movement, a pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure, a humidity sensor configured to measure humidity, a magnetic field sensor configured to measure a magnetic field characteristic, or a gas sensor configured to measure a characteristic of gas, the MEMS sensor being configured to output an output signal representing a value of the measurement, the computer program, when executed by the processing unit, causing the processing unit to perform the following steps:
- detecting the output signal output by the MEMS sensor;
- selecting one or more respective frequency components of the output signal that correspond to one or more respective resonance frequencies of elements of the MEMS sensor;
- performing a comparison to determine whether at least one amplitude of the selected one or more respective frequency components is higher than a predefined non-zero threshold;
- responsive to a result of the comparison being that the at least one amplitude is higher than the predefined non-zero threshold, determining that the output signal is attributed at least in part to an external acoustic attack and therefore unreliable for indicating the value of the measurement;
- and
- due to the determined unreliability of the output signal due to the attribution of the output signal at least in part to the external acoustic attack:
- (i) discarding the output signal entirely as an indication of the measured characteristic, or (ii) reducing a weighting of the output signal as a whole as the indication of the measured characteristic, or (iii) outputting a warning about the unreliability of the output signal as a whole as the indication of the measured characteristic, or (iv) storing an item of information indicating the unreliability of the output signal as a whole as the indication of the measured characteristic.
A vehicle, an airplane, a robot or a mobile user terminal having a MEMS sensor and a device having a processing unit and a non-transitory memory medium on which is stored a computer program that is executable by the processing unit and that, when executed by the processing unit, causes the processing unit to perform a method for the MEMS sensor, the MEMS sensor being an inertial sensor configured to measure a movement, a pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure, a humidity sensor configured to measure humidity, a magnetic field sensor configured to measure a magnetic field characteristic, or a gas sensor configured to measure a characteristic of gas, the MEMS sensor being configured to output an output signal representing a value of the measurement, the method comprising:
- detecting the output signal output by the MEMS sensor;
- selecting one or more respective frequency components of the output signal that correspond to one or more respective resonance frequencies of elements of the MEMS sensor;
- performing a comparison to determine whether at least one amplitude of the selected one or more respective frequency components is higher than a predefined non-zero threshold;
- responsive to a result of the comparison being that the at least one amplitude is higher than the predefined non-zero threshold, determining that the output signal is attributed at least in part to an external acoustic attack and therefore unreliable for indicating the value of the measurement;
- and
- due to the determined unreliability of the output signal due to the attribution of the output signal at least in part to the external acoustic attack:
- (i) discarding the output signal entirely as an indication of the measured characteristic, or (ii) reducing a weighting of the output signal as a whole as the indication of the measured characteristic, or (iii) outputting a warning about the unreliability of the output signal as a whole as the indication of the measured characteristic, or (iv) storing an item of information indicating the unreliability of the output signal as a whole as the indication of the measured characteristic.
A method for controlling a vehicle, an airplane, a robot or a mobile user terminal, using a MEMS sensor that is an inertial sensor configured to measure a movement, a pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure, a humidity sensor configured to measure humidity, a magnetic field sensor configured to measure a magnetic field characteristic, or a gas sensor configured to measure a characteristic of gas, the MEMS sensor being configured to output an output signal representing a value of the measurement, the method comprising the following steps:
- detecting the output signal output by the MEMS sensor;
- selecting one or more respective frequency components of the output signal that correspond to one or more respective resonance frequencies of elements of the MEMS sensor;
- performing a comparison to determine whether at least one amplitude of the selected one or more respective frequency components is higher than a predefined non-zero threshold;
- responsive to a result of the comparison being that the at least one amplitude is higher than the predefined non-zero threshold, determining that the output signal is attributed at least in part to an external acoustic attack and therefore unreliable for indicating the value of the measurement;
- and
- due to the determined unreliability of the output signal due to the attribution of the output signal at least in part to the external acoustic attack:
- (i) discarding the output signal entirely as an indication of the measured characteristic, or (ii) reducing a weighting of the output signal as a whole as the indication of the measured characteristic, or (iii) outputting a warning about the unreliability of the output signal as a whole as the indication of the measured characteristic, or (iv) storing an item of information indicating the unreliability of the output signal as a whole as the indication of the measured characteristic.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.