CONTINUOUS SELF-TEST OF A GYROSCOPE

The present invention relates to a microelectromechanical (MEMS) gyroscope and to a method for continuous self-testing of the (MEMS) gyroscope. The MEMS gyroscope comprises a drive loop comprising a drive element and a drive loop circuitry. The drive loop circuitry comprises a clock generating circuitry for generating from the quadrature-phase detection signal a test clock signal, an angular rate phase demodulation signal and a quadrature phase demodulation signal. The MEMS gyroscope also comprises a sense loop comprising a sense element and a sense loop circuitry for detecting angular rate and producing a force-feedback signal. The MEMS further comprises a test signal generator configured to receive from the drive loop circuitry a quadrature-phase detection signal to be used as a quadrature-phase carrier signal and the test clock signal for generating at least two test frequency signals with distinctive fundamental test frequencies and to generate a test signal in quadrature phase by modulating the quadrature-phase carrier signal with the at least two test frequency signals. A summing element is configured to sum the test signal with the force-feedback signal to form a sense feedback signal to be fed back towards the sense element. A rate phase demodulator is configured to produce a rate signal by demodulating a sense signal received from the sense loop with the angular rate phase demodulation signal and a quadrature-phase demodulator is configured to produce a quadrature-phase output signal that comprises self-test information.