Multi Coriolis structured gyroscope

• US 10,551,190 B1
• Filed: 10/28/2016
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin International, Inc. (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Garmin International, Inc. (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: Shcheglov, Kirill V., Smukowski, David, Cheng, Yingxiang, Maggipinto, Nolan F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Tran M.
• Application Number:
  US15/337,627
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• Field of Search: 7350412
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5684 the devices involving a micromechanical structure
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5712 the devices involving a micromechanical structure
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/574 the devices having two sensing masses in anti-phase motion
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/64 Gyrometers using the Sagnac effect, i.e. rotation-induced shifts between counter-rotating electromagnetic beams
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/66 Ring laser gyrometers

Abstract

A resonator paradigm, where the resonator structure is made up of a very large number of small, coupled Coriolis sensitive units arranged in a periodic 1D or 2D (and, possibly, in the future, 3D) structure to create a Coriolis-sensitive “fabric” that supports a large number of Coriolis-coupled “supermodes. Such a “fabric” can be shaped into arbitrary “waveguides” that propagate either pulses of excitation that are Coriolis-coupled, thus enabling an acoustic version of a FOG-type gyroscope (where a pulse of excitation travels along a passive waveguide and it'"'"'s phase/time delay is measured), or support multiple “stationary” Coriolis-coupled vibration modes analogous to optical laser modes in an RLG where counter-propagating modes of oscillation are maintained at constant amplitude via a continuous addition of energy.

Claims

1. A gyroscope comprising:

a resonator having a sensor area and an array of coupled sensor units arranged in a periodic structure forming a Coriolis-sensitive fabric configured to sense a Coriolis effect associated with movement of the gyroscope and a signal generation unit located at an excitation point within the sensor area and configured to output a first signal and a second signal, the first signal traveling through a first portion of the sensor units along a first travel path from the excitation point to a first measurement location within the sensor area and the second signal traveling through a second portion of the sensor units along a second travel path from the excitation point to a second measurement location within the sensor area; and

control electronics configured to;

receive the first signal from the first measurement location,

receive the second signal from the second measurement location, and

determine a comparative signal characteristic based on the received first signal and the second signal;

wherein the first signal propagates along the first travel path in a first direction counter to a second direction in which the second signal propagates along the second travel path.

2. The gyroscope of claim 1, wherein the periodic structure of the sensor units comprises a one-dimensional structure, wherein the sensor units are arranged in at least one coil pattern.

3. The gyroscope of claim 1, wherein the first signal and the second signal output by the signal generation unit travel along the first travel path and the second travel path, respectively.

4. The gyroscope of claim 1, further comprising at least one amplifying gain region including tuning electrodes configured to increase an amplitude of the counter-propagating first signal and the second signal.

5. The gyroscope of claim 1, wherein the first path and the second path include counter-propagating loops coupled to the signal generation unit, and wherein the measurement locations are each coupled to one of the counter-propagating loops.

6. The gyroscope of claim 1, wherein the fabric isolates the resonator from external stress and vibration.

7. The gyroscope of claim 1, wherein the sensor area is 5 millimeters by 5 millimeters, and wherein the array of coupled sensor units is square and comprises 1,000 sensor units×

1,000 sensor units.

8. The gyroscope of claim 1, wherein the comparative signal characteristic is a phase delay between the first signal and the second signal at the first measurement location and the second measurement location, respectively.

9. The gyroscope of claim 1, wherein the control electronics are further configured to determine a rotation of the gyroscope based on the determined comparative signal characteristic.

10. The gyroscope of claim 1, wherein the comparative signal characteristic is a time delay between the first signal and the second signal at the first measurement location and the second measurement location, respectively.

11. The gyroscope of claim 1, wherein the first signal and the second signal are each pulses of excitation.

12. The gyroscope of claim 1, wherein the array of coupled sensor units are electromechanically coupled.

13. A gyroscope comprising:

a resonator body having a sensor area and an array of coupled sensor units arranged in a periodic structure forming a Coriolis-sensitive fabric configured to sense a Coriolis effect associated with movement of the gyroscope and a signal generation unit located at an excitation point within the sensor area and configured to output a first signal and a second signal, the first signal traveling through a first portion of the sensor units along a first travel path from the excitation point to a first measurement location within the sensor area and the second signal traveling through a second portion of the sensor units along a second travel path from the excitation point to a second measurement location within the sensor area;

control electronics configured to;

receive the first signal from the first measurement location,

receive the second signal from the second measurement location,

determine a comparative signal characteristic between the first signal and the second signal; and

determine a rotation of the gyroscope based on the determined comparative signal characteristic;

wherein the first signal propagates along the first travel path in a clockwise direction counter to a counter-clockwise direction in which the second signal propagates along the second travel path.

14. The gyroscope of claim 13, wherein the periodic structure of the sensor units comprises a one-dimensional structure, wherein the sensor units are arranged in at least one coil pattern.

15. The gyroscope of claim 13, wherein the first signal and the second signal output by the signal generation unit travel along the first travel path and the second travel path, respectively.

16. The gyroscope of claim 15, further comprising at least one amplifying gain region including tuning electrodes configured to increase an amplitude of the first signal between the excitation point and the first measurement location.

17. The gyroscope of claim 13, wherein the comparative signal characteristic is a phase delay between the first signal and the second signal at the first measurement location and the second measurement location, respectively.

18. The gyroscope of claim 13, wherein the first signal and the second signal are each pulses of excitation.

19. The gyroscope of claim 13, wherein the array of coupled sensor units are electromechanically coupled.