Method for measurement of rotation rates/accelerations using a rotation rate coriolis gyro, as well as a coriolis gyro which is suit-able for this purpose

• US 20070144254A1
• Filed: 11/26/2004
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Litec-LP GmbH
• Inventors: Handrich, Eberhard
• Granted Patent: US 7,340,954 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/504.120
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5726 Signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5747 each sensing mass being connected to a driving mass, e.g. driving frames

Abstract

A Coriolis gyro includes a first and a second resonator, each in the form of a coupled system comprising first and second linear oscillators. The first resonator can be caused to oscillate in antiphase with respect to the second resonator along a common oscillation axis. A system coupled in this way has the advantage that it is possible to measure rotation rate and acceleration simultaneously, with insensitivity to disturbances (e.g., externally or internally acting vibrations).

Claims

1. A Coriolis gyro, having a first and a second resonator, which are each in the form of a coupled system comprising a first and a second linear oscillator, with the first resonator being mechanically/electrostatically connected/coupled to the second resonator such that the two resonators can be caused to oscillate in antiphase with one another along a common oscillation axis, in which case the first oscillators are each connected by means of first spring elements to a gyro frame of the Coriolis gyro, and the second oscillators are each connected by second spring elements to one of the first oscillators, and the Coriolis gyro furthermore has:

a device for production of electrostatic fields, by means of which the alignment angle of the first spring elements with respect to the gyro frame can be varied, and/or the alignment angle of the second spring elements with respect to the first oscillators can be varied,

a device by means of which it is possible to determine first signals for the rotation rate and quadrature bias, which occur within the first resonator, and second signals for the rotation rate and quadrature bias, which occur in the second resonator,

control loops by means of which the alignment/strength of the electrostatic fields is regulated such that the first and the second quadrature bias are each as small as possible, and

a computation unit, which uses the first and second signals to determine the rotation rate, and uses an in-phase component of the electrostatic fields which compensate for the first and second quadrature biases to determine the acceleration to be measured.

2. The Coriolis gyro as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the configurations of the first and of the second resonator are identical, with the resonators being arranged axially symmetrically with respect to one another with respect to an axis of symmetry which is at right angles to the common oscillation axis.

3. (canceled)

4. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

6. (canceled)

7. A method for selective or simultaneous measurement of rotation rates and accelerations using a rotation rate Coriolis gyro which has a first and a second resonator which are each in the form of a coupled system comprising a first and a second linear oscillator, with the rotation rates being determined by tapping and evaluation of the deflections of the second oscillators, having the following steps:

the two resonators are caused to carry out oscillations in antiphase with one another along a common oscillation axis,

the deflections of the second oscillators are compared with one another in order to determine an antiphase deflection component which is a measure of the rotation rate to be measured and/or in order to determine a common in-phase deflection component, which is a measure of the acceleration to be measured,

calculation of the rotation rate/acceleration to be measured from the in-phase deflection component/antiphase deflection component, in which case the common in-phase deflection component is determined as follows;

a first quadrature bias is determined which occurs within the first resonator,

a second quadrature bias is determined which occurs within the second resonator,

the first quadrature bias is calculated using the second quadrature bias in order to determine a common quadrature bias component which is proportional to the acceleration to be measured and represents the common in-phase deflection component.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that electrostatic fields are produced in order to vary the mutual alignment of the first and second oscillators, with the alignment/strength of the electrostatic fields being regulated such that the first and the second quadrature bias are each as small as possible.

8. (canceled)