Inertial sensor sampling with combined sense axes

A sensor system comprising:

• a transducer configured to sense a physical stimulus along a first axis and a second axis, the second axis being orthogonal to the first axis, the transducer including:
• a movable mass configured to react to the physical stimulus;
• first and second electrodes that are immovable relative to the movable mass, the first and second electrodes being configured as a first differential electrode pair for detecting a first displacement of the movable mass along the first axis in response to the physical stimulus;
• and
• third and fourth electrodes that are immovable relative to the movable mass, the third and fourth electrodes being configured as a second differential electrode pair for detecting a second displacement of the movable mass along the second axis in response to the physical stimulus;
• and
• an excitation circuit selectively connectable to the first, second, third, and fourth electrodes and configured to provide an excitation voltage, wherein:
• during a first sensing period, a first terminal of the excitation circuit is coupled to the first and third electrodes and a second terminal of the excitation circuit is coupled to the second and fourth electrodes in a first connection configuration;
• and
• during a second sensing period, the first terminal of the excitation circuit is coupled to the first and fourth electrodes and the second terminal of the excitation circuit is coupled to the second and third electrodes in a second connection configuration;
• wherein the transducer is configured to produce a first composite output signal, the first composite output signal representing the first displacement of the movable mass along the first axis combined with the second displacement of the movable mass along the second axis during the first sensing period;
• wherein the transducer is configured to produce a second composite output signal representing the first displacement of the movable mass along the first axis combined with the second displacement of the movable mass along the second axis during the second sensing period;
• wherein the sensor system further comprises a measuring circuit electrically coupled with the transducer for measuring the first composite output signal from the transducer responsive to the excitation voltage during the first sensing period and for measuring the second composite output signal from the transducer responsive to the excitation voltage during the second sensing period;
• wherein the measuring circuit comprises an extraction circuit configured to concurrently utilize the first and second composite output signals to extract a first sense signal indicative of the first displacement of the movable mass along the first axis and to extract a second sense signal indicative of the second displacement of the movable mass along the second axis;
• wherein the transducer is further configured to sense the physical stimulus along a third axis, the third axis being orthogonal to each of the first and second axes:
• wherein the transducer further includes:
• fifth and sixth electrodes that are immovable relative to the movable mass, the fifth and sixth electrodes being configured as a third differential electrode pair for detecting a third displacement of the movable mass along the third axis in response to the physical stimulus;
• wherein the excitation circuit is further selectively connectable to the fifth and sixth electrodes to provide the excitation voltage, wherein:
• during the first sensing period, the first terminal is additionally coupled to the fifth electrode and the second terminal is additionally coupled to the sixth electrode in the first connection configuration;
• during the second sensing period, the first terminal is additionally coupled to the fifth electrode and the second terminal is additionally coupled to the sixth electrode in the second connection configuration;
• during a third sensing period, the first terminal is coupled to the first, third, and sixth electrodes, and the second terminal is coupled to the second, fourth, and fifth electrodes in a third connection configuration;
• and
• during a fourth sensing period, the first terminal is coupled to the first, fourth, and sixth electrodes, and the second terminal is coupled to second, third, and fifth electrodes in a fourth connection configuration;
• wherein the transducer is configured to produce a corresponding one of the first composite output signal, the second composite output signal, a third composite output signal, and a fourth composite output signal, each of which represents the first displacement of the movable mass along the first axis, combined with the second displacement of the movable mass along the second axis, and combined with the third displacement of the movable mass along the third axis during each of the first, second, third, and fourth sensing periods;
• and
• wherein the extraction circuit is further configured to concurrently utilize the first, second, third, and fourth composite output signals to extract the first and second sense signals, and to further extract a third sense signal indicative of the third displacement of the movable mass along the third axis.