Patent ID: 8820136

Claim:
A microelectromechanical gyroscope comprising: a driving mass configured to be driven with a driving frequency during a normal operating state; a sensing mass, elastically coupled to the driving mass and movable with respect to the driving mass according to a degree of freedom in response to rotations of the gyroscope about a sensing axis, the sensing mass including: a first mobile electrode; and a second mobile electrode; a continuous self-test actuator configured to produce a self-test signal during the normal operating state and during a rest state, the self-test actuator including: a first fixed electrode capacitively coupled to the first mobile electrode to couple the self-test actuator to the sensing mass, the first fixed electrode being configured to apply, in response to the self-test signal from the self-test actuator, electrostatic forces to move the sensing mass in accordance with the degree of freedom and at a self-test actuation frequency; and a sensing device that includes a second fixed electrode capacitively coupled to the second mobile electrode, the second fixed electrode being configured to sense transduction signals indicative of displacements of the sensing mass according to the degree of freedom, the sensing device being configured to discriminate, in the transduction signals, spectral components corresponding to the rotations of the gyroscope about the sensing axis from spectral components corresponding to the self-test actuation frequency, the spectral components being indicative of motion of the sensing mass caused by the self-test signal, the sensing device including: a first demodulator chain configured to receive the transduction signals; and a second demodulator chain configured to receive a first demodulated signal from the first demodulator chain.