Patent ID: 7127932

Claim:
A method for monitoring a rotation rate sensor with a vibrational gyroscope, wherein said vibration gyroscope includes a first input and a first output connected to a primary control loop and a second input and second output connected to a secondary control loop, said method comprising the steps of: supplying, from the primary control loop, an excitation signal to the first input at a natural frequency of the vibrational gyroscope; amplifying an output signal at the second output, subjecting the output signal to analog/digital conversion, and demodulating the converted output signal into an inphase component and a quadrature component; filtering the inphase and quadrature components, adding a test signal to each of the inphase and quadrature components, modulating the inphase and quadrature components including the test signal after the inphase and quadrature components including the test signal have passed through the secondary control loop, and compiling the filtered and modulated components to form a driver signal that is coupled to the second input, the test signals comprise a frequency causing side bands to be included in the driver signal, the side bands being outside of a passband of the secondary control loop; deriving a rotation rate signal from the inphase component; monitoring at least one monitored signal from each of the inphase component and the quadrature component that are passed through the secondary control loop for the presence of the test signals; and generating an error message if the amplitude of a signal derived from one of the at least one monitored signal is below a predetermined value.