US 4,197,655 A · Gyroscopic method and apparatus for determining magnetic heading and attitude

Abstract

A gyroscopic device of the type having a short-circuited rotor winding or conductor so shaped so as to produce axial and radial flux components when rotated in the earth's magnetic field is coupled to a coaxial sensing coil coaxial which gyroscopically stabilized thereby, signals induced in the sensing coil due to the axial flux component of the rotor is used to derive magnetic heading information and there is provided at least one further coil on the supporting body and inductively linked to the sensing coil and rotor such that when the sensing coil is gyroscopically stabilized by the rotor, the coil supported on the supporting body in relation to the gyroscopically stabilized sensing coil is such that any changes in angular orientation of the supporting body relative to the gyroscopically stabilized sensing coil introduces changes in the signal voltages induced in the coils. The further coil on the supporting body may be excited with one or more excitation signals of a frequency different than the angular speed of the rotor and constituted by pairs of orthogonally related coils on all three axes, namely, the roll, pitch and yaw axes. The coil located on the yaw axis is coaxial with the gyroscopically stabilized sensing coil in the rest position and is used for eliminating ambiguities.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A method of detecting attitude changes of a body traversing a given path, and having a gyroscope means including a gyroscope rotor comprising

gyroscopically stabilizing a magnetic field sensor in axial alignment with the spin axis of said gyroscope rotor,
establishing at least a pair of transversely related alternating current magnetic fields, each said alternating current magnetic field being fixedly oriented with respect to said body and axially intersecting said magnetic field sensor on the spin axis of said gyroscope rotor so that signals generated by the alternating current magnetic fields in said gyroscopically stabilized magnetic field sensor are equal and zero as to each said alternating current magnetic field, and
indicating the generation of a signal in said gyroscopically stabilized magnetic field sensor upon changes in the axial orientation of any of said pairs of transversely related alternating current fields as a function of the angle of change in axial orientation, respectively.

A method of measuring the changes in angular relationship of the rotary axis of a gyroscopically stabilized rotating mass and its supporting body as said supporting body traverses a given path, said rotating mass having a non-rotating gyroscopically stabilized coil axially and concentrically aligned, externally of said rotating mass and gyroscopically stabilized thereby and stationary with respect to the rotary axis, comprising the steps of:

(1) establishing a first magnetic field traversing said first coil and having an axis which is fixed relative to said supporting body,
(2) sensing the field produced in said non-rotating gyroscopically stabilized coil upon relative changes in the axis of said rotating mass and the axis of said non-rotating gyroscopically stabilized coil and producing an electrical signal,
(3) converting said electrical signal to a signal proportional to change in angular orientation of said magnetic field on supporting body relative to said non-rotating gyroscopically stabilized coil and the rotary axis of said gyroscopically stabilized mass, and
(4) applying same to a utilization device.

1 more element

In a gyroscopic device having a gimballed gyroscope rotor comprising

a gyroscopically stabilized field sensor, said gyroscopically stabilized field sensor having an axis coaxial with the gyroscope rotor,
at least one coil element carried on a body supporting said gimballed gyroscope rotor and having its axis transversely oriented with respect to the axis of said gyroscopically stabilized field sensor such that when said at least one coil is energized with an electrical signal, any change in angular orientation of the axis of said at least one coil relative to the axis of said gyroscopically stabilized field sensor includes a sinusoidal change in the voltage induced in said gyroscopically stabilized field sensor.

In a gyroscopic device having a gyroscope rotor supported by gimbals on a supporting body,

a gyroscopically stabilized magnetic field transducer having an axis coaxial with the spin axis of said gyroscope rotor,
a first alternating magnetic field producing element on said supporting body for producing and transversely oriented with respect to the axis of said field transducer,
a second alternating magnetic field producing element on said supporting body transversely oriented with respect to the axis of said field transducer and radially spaced from the axis of said first field producing element, and
a third alternating magnetic field producing element on said supporting body orthogonally oriented with respect to the alternating fields produced by said first and second alternating field producing elements, respectively.

1 more element

A device for detecting attitude changes of an aircraft about a horizontal axis thereof comprising

a magnetic field sensor having a vertical axis aligned with the Yaw axis of the aircraft, and a gyroscope having a pneumatically driven gyro rotor for gyroscopically stabilizing said magnetic field sensor with respect to said Yaw axis,
an excitation means stationarily mounted on said aircraft and having its axis coaxial with said horizontal axis and intersecting the Yaw and vertical axes of said aircraft and said magnetic field sensor, respectively,
means for exciting said excitation coil with an alternating current signal having a frequency substantially different than the frequency of rotation of said gyro rotor, and
circuit means connected to said magnetic field sensor to receive electrical signals therefrom indicative of a change in angular orientation of said magnetic field sensor with respect to said excitation coil.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Gyroscopic method and apparatus for determining magnetic heading and attitude

Life of this patent

Gyroscopic method and apparatus for determining magnetic heading and attitude

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims23