A method to improve tracking ability of drive control of MEMS gyroscopes

Abstract

Purpose A high-precision gyroscope is an important tool for accurate positioning, and the amplitude stability and frequency tracking ability of the drive control system are important and necessary conditions to ensure the precision of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) gyroscopes. To improve the precision of MEMS gyroscopes, this paper proposes a method to improve the amplitude stability and frequency tracking ability of a drive control system. Design/methodology/approach A frequency tracking loop and an amplitude control loop are proposed to improve the frequency tracking ability and amplitude stability of the drive control system for a MEMS gyroscopes. The frequency tracking loop mainly includes a phase detector, a frequency detector and a loop filter. And, the amplitude control loop mainly includes an amplitude detector, a low-pass filter and an amplitude control module. The simulation studies on the frequency tracking loop, amplitude control loop and drive control system composed of these two loops are implemented. The corresponding digital drive control algorithm is realized by the Verilog hardware description language, which is downloaded to the application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) platform to verify the performances of the proposed method. Findings The simulation experiments in Matlab/Simulink and tests on the ASIC platform verify that the designed drive control system can keep the amplitude stable and track the driving frequency in real time with high precision. Originality/value This study shows a way to design and realize a drive control system for MEMS gyroscopes to improve their tracking ability. It is helpful for improving the precision of MEMS gyroscopes.