Electrostatic rate gyroscope

Abstract

A two-axis rate gyroscope of the captured type is provided having a cylindrical rotor with one or more inwardly projecting flanges. The rotor is disposed within a sealed toroidal cavity in a rotor housing and the interior of the cavity is evacuated to a "hard" vacuum. An electrostatic suspension system restrains the rotor from translatory movement along the gyroscope spin axis and two axes perpendicular thereto so that a virtually frictionless spin bearing is provided for the rotor. The suspension system functions to prevent relative angular rotation between the rotor and the rotor housing about two precession axes. The rotor housing is mounted on a flexure joint which prevents translatory movement of the housing along three orthogonal axes but permits rotational movement of the housing about the two precession axes. Vibrating beam force transducer means exert a reaction force on the housing which prevents rotation of the housing about the two precession axes in response to input rates applied to the gyroscope, so that the electrical output signals of the transducer means are a function of the input rates applied to the gyroscope. The rotor housing, flexure joint, rotor and vibrating beam force transducers are disposed within a sealed casing which may be evacuated separately from the toroidal cavity within the rotor housing, so that the toroidal cavity may be easily evacuated to the higher degree of vacuum required for a frictionless rotor spin bearing. The cylindrical rotor structure permits the use of a simplified electrostatic suspension system in which the suspension electrodes also function as rotor displacement sensing electrodes.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.