Sensor system and method for compensating for an offset of an angular rate signal

A method for compensating for an offset of an angular rate signal that has been detected and generated using a sensor system including a MEMS gyroscope, the MEMS gyroscope including:

• a seismic mass, which can be excited to vibrate and has at least one electrode assembly for capacitively detecting a measurement signal,
• a drive circuit configured to generate a drive voltage for exciting and maintaining a defined vibratory movement of the seismic mass, there being a parasitic capacitive coupling between the drive circuit and the at least one electrode assembly, and
• a detection circuit configured to read out the measurement signal and to generate an angular rate signal based on the measurement signal,
• wherein the method includes:
• providing the sensor system;
• compensating for the offset based on the drive voltage;
• and
• a digital processing circuit configured to compensate for an offset of an angular rate signal in digitalized form based on the drive voltage in digitalized form.

A sensor system including a MEMS gyroscope, comprising:

• a seismic mass, which can be excited to vibrate and has at least one electrode assembly for capacitively detecting a measurement signal;
• a drive circuit configured to generate a drive voltage or exciting and maintaining a defined vibratory movement of the seismic mass, there being a parasitic capacitive coupling between the drive circuit and the at least one electrode assembly,
• a detection circuit configured to read out the measurement signal and to generate an angular rate signal based on the measurement signal;
• a circuit configured to compensate for an offset of the angular rate signal based the drive voltage;
• and
• at least one temperature sensor configured to detect temperature information,
• wherein the digital processing circuit is configured to apply a compensation offset to the digitalized angular rate signal, and the digital processing circuit is configured to generate the compensation offset by linking the digitalized temperature information T and the digitalized drive voltage V_Act in accordance with a predetermined functional relationship,
• wherein the digital processing circuit is configured to compensate for the offset of the digitalized angular rate signal additionally based on the temperature information in digitized form,
• wherein the digital processing circuit is configured to apply a compensation offset, Rate_Offset, to the digitalized angular rate signal, the compensation offset being expressed as:
• Rate_Offset=(c0+c1*T+c2*T2)*V_Act,
• where c0, c1, and c2 are coefficients determined in advance.

A method for compensating for an offset of an angular rate signal that has been detected and generated using a sensor system including a MEMS gyroscope, the MEMS gyroscope including:

• a seismic mass, which can be excited to vibrate and has at least one electrode assembly for capacitively detecting a measurement signal,
• a drive circuit configured to generate a drive voltage for exciting and maintaining a defined vibratory movement of the seismic mass, there being a parasitic capacitive coupling between the drive circuit and the at least one electrode assembly, and
• a detection circuit configured to read out the measurement signal and to generate an angular rate signal based on the measurement signal,
• wherein the method includes:
• providing the sensor system;
• and
• compensating for the offset based on the drive voltage,
• wherein a compensation offset, Rate_Offset, is applied to the digitalized angular rate signal, and the compensation offset, Rate_Offset, is generated by linking the digitalized temperature information, T, and the drive voltage in digitalized form V_Act in accordance with a predetermined functional relationship,
• wherein temperature information is detected and digitalized and is used for compensating for the offset of an angular rate signal in digitalized form,
• wherein the compensation offset, Rate_Offset, is determined as:
• Rate_Offset=(c0+c1*T+c2*T2)*V_Act,
• where c0, c1, and c2 are coefficients determined in advance.