Sensor with electrostatic pendular accelerometer and method of controlling such a sensor

1. A method of controlling a sensor comprising at least one electrostatic pendular accelerometer having stationary first and second electrodes that are secured to a housing and that are connected to an exciter circuit, and a third electrode that is carried by a pendulum connected to the housing so as to be movable and that is connected to a detector circuit, the method comprising the steps of:

during two successive detection stages, exciting in alternation first one and then the other of the stationary electrodes by detection pulses in order to detect a first capacitance and a second capacitance between the movable electrode and the respective stationary electrodes;

estimating a position of the pendulum from the detected capacitances;

determining a servo-control error corresponding to a difference between the estimated position and a setpoint position;

on the basis of the servo-control error, determining a command specifying whether the next detection pulse is to push or to pull the pendulum;

calculating an acceleration that is to be measured as a function of the setpoint position and of the determined command; and

during a control stage, exciting one or the other of the stationary electrodes by control pulses for servo-controlling the servo-control error to zero.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the setpoint position is modulated with a time profile that is determined in such a manner that a reaction to the determined command is proportional to a difference between an electrostatic stiffness and a mechanical stiffness between the pendulum and the housing.

3. A method according to claim 2 , wherein the reaction to the command to said modulation is canceled by adjusting a form or a duration of the detection pulses so that the electrostatic stiffness compensates the mechanical stiffness.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the setpoint position is adjusted to compensate a position estimation bias.

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the steps are repeated in periods, the stages of detecting the first and second capacitances being interchanged from one period to another.

6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the steps are separated by relaxation stages during which a switch is positioned so that a voltage of the exciter circuit is zero.

7. An accelerometer sensor for performing the method according to claim 1 , the sensor comprising at least one electrostatic pendular accelerometer having stationary first and second electrodes that are fastened to a housing and that are connected to an exciter circuit, and a third electrode that is carried by a pendulum connected to the housing so as to be movable and that is connected to a detector circuit, the sensor being characterized in that the exciter circuit has an output connected to a switch connected to the first and second electrodes, the switch having a first connection position and a second connection position for selectively connecting the first electrode or the second electrode to the exciter circuit, and in that the exciter circuit, the switch, and the detector circuit are connected to a control circuit arranged so that the first and second electrodes are excited by pulse trains in such a manner as to keep the pendulum in a setpoint position and in such a manner as to determine an acceleration to which the pendulum is subjected.

8. A sensor according to claim 7 , wherein the exciter circuit includes a digital-to-analog converter connected to the switch and controlled by the control circuit.

9. A sensor according to claim 7 , wherein the exciter circuit includes a constant voltage generator connected via a selector to an input of an amplifier/filter stage having an output forming the output of the exciter circuit.

10. A sensor according to claim 7 , wherein the detector circuit has a main amplifier stage with an input connected to the third electrode and an output connected to an input of a single analog-to-digital converter having an output connected to the control unit.

11. A sensor according to claim 10 , wherein the main amplifier stage is connected to the analog-to-digital converter via a compensator stage having a first resistor and a second resistor connected in series between the output of the main amplifier stage and the input of the analog-to-digital converter, the compensator stage having an additional amplifier and a selector both connected in parallel with the second resistor, and a digital-to-analog converter connected to the second resistor, to the additional amplifier, and to the selector, the selector and the additional amplifier being connected to the control circuit.

12. A sensor according to claim 7 , wherein the control circuit is arranged to change the position of the switch when an output voltage from the exciter circuit is zero.

13. A sensor according to claim 7 , wherein the control circuit has a first estimator for estimating the position of the pendulum, the first estimator having an input connected to the detector circuit and an output connected to a negative input of a summing circuit having an output connected to an input of a corrector having an output connected to a sequencer and to a second estimator having an output connected to an additive input of the summing circuit, and a first output supplying an estimate of the acceleration and a second output connected to a positive input of the summing circuit to supply the summing circuit with a modulated position, the corrector being arranged to determine a pulse and the sequencer being arranged to control the exciter circuit, the switch, and the detector circuit.

14. A sensor according to claim 7 , having at least two electrostatic pendular accelerometers each provided with a respective exciter circuit and detector circuit, and that share a substantially common axis.