How does a RLG work?
Here’s how a RLG can measure rotation about its sensitive axis: The input laser beam is split into two beams that travel the same path but in opposite directions: one clockwise and the other counter-clockwise. The beams are recombined and sent to the output detector.
What is the purpose of a ring laser gyroscope?
The ring laser gyroscope’s function is to find the orientation of an object in inertial space at any time. Regular gyroscopes do this by a method similar to the way the human ear detects motion. Sensors detect motion through referencing disturbances to another body in an inertial frame.
Who invented ring laser gyroscope?
Clifford Heer
In Chapter 11 we defined the ring laser gyroscope (RLG) as an active resonator optical gyro. Clifford Heer conceived the RLG in 1961 [1]; he saw that the properties of the laser, recently invented by Schawlow and Townes, could be exploited to measure rotation.
How does a mechanical gyroscope work?
A mechanical gyroscope essentially consists of a spinning mass that rotates around its axis. If a gyroscope is installed on gimbals that allow the mass to navigate freely in the three directions of space, its spinning axis will remain oriented in the same direction, even if it changes direction.
Can a gyroscope defy gravity?
Gyroscopes can be very perplexing objects because they move in peculiar ways and even seem to defy gravity. These special properties make gyroscopes extremely important in everything from your bicycle to the advanced navigation system on the space shuttle.
What is aircraft gyro?
Directional gyros, also called heading indicators or direction indicators, are the fastest moving component in a piston-powered aircraft. They can spin at up to 24,000 rpm, and are among a plane’s most critical systems. At a glance, the directional gyro looks like a compass.
What is north finding?
North-finding techniques involve detecting and calculating the azimuth angle, thus determining north using various kinds of sensors. North identification can be accomplished through the use of a digital magnetic compass.
What are the advantages of using a RLG gyroscope?
The advantage of using an RLG is that there are no moving parts (apart from the dither motor assembly, see further description below and laser-lock), compared to the conventional spinning gyroscope. This means there is no friction, which in turn means there will be no inherent drift terms.
How does a ring laser gyroscope work?
Ring laser gyroscope A ring laser gyroscope (RLG) consists of a ring laser having two independent counter-propagating resonant modes over the same path; the difference in phase is used to detect rotation. It operates on the principle of the Sagnac effect which shifts the nulls of the internal standing wave pattern in response to angular rotation.
What is the gg1320 digital ring laser gyroscope?
It is an affordable high performance inertial sensor with the electronics, power supply and sense element packaged into an easy-to-use compact unit. The user supplies an input voltage and under rotation, the GG1320 provides a compensated rotation output.
Which is the best gyroscope for the military?
Even among other optical gyroscopes like IFOGs, ring laser gyroscopes remain the first and main choice for applications requiring extremely high performance stability. As the military remains a large consumer of ring laser gyros, market projections will continue to steadily climb upward in the coming decades.