Parametrically disciplined operation of a vibratory gyroscope
First Claim
1. A method of operating a gyroscope, comprising:
- generating a substantially fixed frequency;
driving at least a first portion of a plurality of electrostatic electrodes to excite a resonator at the substantially fixed frequency; and
sensing rotation of the resonator through a response from at least a second portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes;
wherein the substantially fixed frequency is substantially two times a natural oscillation frequency of the resonator and the resonator comprises an inertial wave resonator and the first portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes excite a standing wave vibration pattern in the inertial wave resonator and the response sensed from the second portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes is from movement of the standing wave vibration pattern.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Parametrically disciplined operation of a symmetric nearly degenerate mode vibratory gyroscope is disclosed. A parametrically-disciplined inertial wave gyroscope having a natural oscillation frequency in the neighborhood of a sub-harmonic of an external stable clock reference is produced by driving an electrostatic bias electrode at approximately twice this sub-harmonic frequency to achieve disciplined frequency and phase operation of the resonator. A nearly symmetric parametrically-disciplined inertial wave gyroscope that can oscillate in any transverse direction and has more than one bias electrostatic electrode that can be independently driven at twice its oscillation frequency at an amplitude and phase that disciplines its damping to zero in any vibration direction. In addition, operation of a parametrically-disciplined inertial wave gyroscope is taught in which the precession rate of the driven vibration pattern is digitally disciplined to a prescribed non-zero reference value.
52 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method of operating a gyroscope, comprising:
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generating a substantially fixed frequency; driving at least a first portion of a plurality of electrostatic electrodes to excite a resonator at the substantially fixed frequency; and sensing rotation of the resonator through a response from at least a second portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes; wherein the substantially fixed frequency is substantially two times a natural oscillation frequency of the resonator and the resonator comprises an inertial wave resonator and the first portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes excite a standing wave vibration pattern in the inertial wave resonator and the response sensed from the second portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes is from movement of the standing wave vibration pattern. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A gyroscope controller, comprising:
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a stable oscillator for generating a substantially fixed frequency; a driving circuit for driving at least a first portion of a plurality of electrostatic electrodes to excite a resonator at the substantially fixed frequency; and a sensing circuit for sensing rotation of the resonator through a response from at least a second portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes; wherein the substantially fixed frequency is substantially two times a natural oscillation frequency of the resonator and the resonator comprises an inertial wave resonator and the first portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes excite a standing wave vibration pattern in the inertial wave resonator and the response sensed from the second portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes is from movement of the standing wave vibration pattern. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A gyroscope controller, comprising:
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means for generating a substantially fixed frequency; means for driving at least a first portion of a plurality of electrostatic electrodes to excite a resonator at the substantially fixed frequency; and means for sensing rotation of the resonator through a response from at least a second portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes; wherein the substantially fixed frequency is substantially two times a natural oscillation frequency of the resonator and the resonator comprises an inertial wave resonator and the first portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes excite a standing wave vibration pattern in the inertial wave resonator and the response sensed from the second portion of the plurality of electrostatic electrodes is from movement of the standing wave vibration pattern.
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Specification