Method and apparatus for measuring scalefactor variation in a vibrating structure gyroscope

• Main Authors: FELL CHRISTOPHER P, TOWNSEND KEVIN, KAZER ANDREW
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 24.11.2005
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; MEASURING; MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; NAVIGATION; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY; PHYSICS; SURVEYING; TESTING

Apparatus for measuring variation in scalefactor from a predetermined value for a vibrating structure gyroscope has a vibrating structure (R), a fixed primary and a fixed secondary drive means ( 1, 13 ) for putting and maintaining the vibrating structure (R) in vibrating resonance, a fixed primary and a fixed secondary pick off means ( 2, 6 ) for detecting vibration of the vibrating structure (R), with the drive and pick off means ( 1, 13, 2, 6 ) being located radially around the vibrating structure (R), quadrature component and real component loop systems ( 7, 8 ), automatic gain control and phase locked loop systems ( 5, 22 ), a sin/cos pick off resolver ( 38 ) for receiving signals from the primary and secondary pick off means ( 2, 6 ) and for outputting signals to the quadrature component and real component loop systems ( 7, 8 ) and to the automatic gain control and phase locked loop systems ( 5, 22 ), a sin/cos drive resolver ( 37 ) for receiving output signals from the quadrature component and real component loop systems ( 7, 8 ) and from the automatic gain control and phase locked loop systems ( 5, 22 ) and for feeding control signals to the primary and secondary drive means ( 1, 13 ), and an angular displacement control ( 40 ) for feeding angular displacement control signals to the sin/cos drive and pick off resolvers ( 38, 37 ) to control uniform displacement of the resolved carrier and response mode drives and pick offs axes angularly around the vibrating structure (R), with respect to a central axis of the vibrating structure, at a known rate.