Patents by Inventor Andrea Donadel

Andrea Donadel has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9146109
    Abstract: A driving device of a driving mass of a gyroscope comprises a differential read amplifier to supply first signals indicating a rate of oscillation of the driving mass; a variable-gain amplifier to supply second signals to drive the driving mass based on said first signals; a voltage elevator providing a power supply signal to the variable-gain amplifier; a controller generating a first control signal to control a gain of the variable-gain amplifier; and a first comparator, coupled to the variable-gain amplifier, generating a second control signal based on a comparison of the first control signal with a threshold, the second control signal controlling at least one among: (i) the variable-gain amplifier in such a way that the gain is increased only during the start-up phase of the gyroscope, and (ii) the voltage elevator in such a way that the power supply signal is increased only during the start-up phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Davide Magnoni, Marco Garbarino, Andrea Donadel
  • Publication number: 20140260609
    Abstract: A microelectromechanical device includes: a body; a movable mass, elastically coupled to the body and oscillatable with respect to the body according to a degree of freedom; a frequency detector, configured to detect a current oscillation frequency of the movable mass; and a forcing stage, capacitively coupled to the movable mass and configured to provide energy to the movable mass through forcing signals having a forcing frequency equal to the current oscillation frequency detected by the frequency detector, at least in a first transient operating condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Marco Garbarino, Andrea Donadel, Davide Magnoni, Carlo Valzasina
  • Patent number: 8820136
    Abstract: A microelectromechanical gyroscope includes a body and a sensing mass, which is movable with a degree of freedom in response to rotations of the body about an axis. A self-test actuator is capacitively coupled to the sensing mass for supplying a self-test signal. The capacitive coupling causes, in response to the self-test signal, electrostatic forces that are able to move the sensing mass in accordance with the degree of freedom at an actuation frequency. A sensing device detects transduction signals indicating displacements of the sensing mass in accordance with the degree of freedom. The sensing device is configured for discriminating, in the transduction signals, spectral components that are correlated to the actuation frequency and indicate the movement of the sensing mass as a result of the self-test signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Andrea Donadel, Luciano Prandi, Carlo Caminada
  • Publication number: 20140190258
    Abstract: A gyroscope includes: a mass, which is movable with respect to a supporting body; a driving loop for keeping the mass in oscillation according to a driving axis; a reading device, which supplying an output signal indicating an angular speed of the body; and a compensation device, for attenuating spurious signal components in quadrature with respect to a velocity of oscillation of the mass. The reading device includes an amplifier, which supplies a transduction signal indicating a position of the mass according to a sensing axis. The compensation device forms a control loop with the amplifier, extracts from the transduction signal an error signal representing quadrature components in the transduction signal, and supplies to the amplifier a compensation signal such as to attenuate the error signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2014
    Publication date: July 10, 2014
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Andrea Donadel, Davide Magnoni, Marco Garbarino
  • Publication number: 20140144230
    Abstract: A driving device of a driving mass of a gyroscope comprises a differential read amplifier to supply first signals indicating a rate of oscillation of the driving mass; a variable-gain amplifier to supply second signals to drive the driving mass based on said first signals; a voltage elevator providing a power supply signal to the variable-gain amplifier; a controller generating a first control signal to control a gain of the variable-gain amplifier; and a first comparator, coupled to the variable-gain amplifier, generating a second control signal based on a comparison of the first control signal with a threshold, the second control signal controlling at least one among: (i) the variable-gain amplifier in such a way that the gain is increased only during the start-up phase of the gyroscope, and (ii) the voltage elevator in such a way that the power supply signal is increased only during the start-up phase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2012
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Davide Magnoni, Marco Garbarino, Andrea Donadel
  • Publication number: 20140139029
    Abstract: A dual input single output (DISO) regulator, includes a comparator configured to receive a first and second power supply signal and to provide a first compared signal; a first switch configured to couple the first power supply source to an intermediate node, and a second switch configured to couple the second power supply source to the intermediate node; a control logic circuit, coupled to the first comparator, to the first switch, and to the second switch, and configured to receive the compared signal to control the first and the second switch in a first and second operating condition based on the compared signal. The intermediate node being biased by an intermediate power supply signal correlated to the first or second power supply signal. The DISO regulator includes a low-dropout regulator, configured to provide a regulated power supply signal based on the intermediate power supply signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Alessandro Gasparini, Andrea Donadel, Stefano Ramorini
  • Publication number: 20130239651
    Abstract: A microelectromechanical gyroscope includes a body and a sensing mass, which is movable with a degree of freedom in response to rotations of the body about an axis. A self-test actuator is capacitively coupled to the sensing mass for supplying a self-test signal. The capacitive coupling causes, in response to the self-test signal, electrostatic forces that are able to move the sensing mass in accordance with the degree of freedom at an actuation frequency. A sensing device detects transduction signals indicating displacements of the sensing mass in accordance with the degree of freedom. The sensing device is configured for discriminating, in the transduction signals, spectral components that are correlated to the actuation frequency and indicate the movement of the sensing mass as a result of the self-test signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Andrea Donadel, Luciano Prandi, Carlo Caminada
  • Patent number: 8459093
    Abstract: A microelectromechanical gyroscope includes a body and a sensing mass, which is movable with a degree of freedom in response to rotations of the body about an axis. A self-test actuator is capacitively coupled to the sensing mass for supplying a self-test signal. The capacitive coupling causes, in response to the self-test signal, electrostatic forces that are able to move the sensing mass in accordance with the degree of freedom at an actuation frequency. A sensing device detects transduction signals indicating displacements of the sensing mass in accordance with the degree of freedom. The sensing device is configured for discriminating, in the transduction signals, spectral components that are correlated to the actuation frequency and indicate the movement of the sensing mass as a result of the self-test signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Andrea Donadel, Luciano Prandi, Carlo Caminada
  • Publication number: 20130025368
    Abstract: A gyroscope, including: a body; a driving mass, mobile along a driving axis; a driving device that keeps the driving mass in oscillation according to the driving axis at a driving frequency; a sensing mass, coupled to the driving mass to move according to the driving axis and is mobile with respect to the driving mass along a sensing axis; and a reading device, which receives a sensing signal associated with the movement of the sensing mass and supplies an output signal indicating a position of the sensing mass. The reading device includes an analog-to-digital converter, which receives a voltage signal associated with the sensing signal. The voltage signal includes a useful signal component and a spurious signal component, phase-shifted with respect to one another by approximately 90°, and the analog-to-digital converter is configured for sampling the voltage signal at maximum values assumed by the useful signal component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2012
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Andrea Donadel, Andrea Visconti
  • Publication number: 20110146402
    Abstract: A microelectromechanical gyroscope includes a body and a sensing mass, which is movable with a degree of freedom in response to rotations of the body about an axis. A self-test actuator is capacitively coupled to the sensing mass for supplying a self-test signal. The capacitive coupling causes, in response to the self-test signal, electrostatic forces that are able to move the sensing mass in accordance with the degree of freedom at an actuation frequency. A sensing device detects transduction signals indicating displacements of the sensing mass in accordance with the degree of freedom. The sensing device is configured for discriminating, in the transduction signals, spectral components that are correlated to the actuation frequency and indicate the movement of the sensing mass as a result of the self-test signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Publication date: June 23, 2011
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Andrea Donadel, Luciano Prandi, Carlo Caminada