Measurement of rotation rate using Sagnac effect
AssigneeInternational Standard Electric Corporation
InventorsMartin Chown, Jeffrey G. Farrington
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a Sagnac effect optical fibre gyroscope a commutating switch (SW) is included immediately before the Sagnac coil (C). Operation of the switch synthesises turning the coil upside down. This provides the advantages of producing an a.c. signal in response to a constant rotation rate and in certain arrangements remove a source of systematic error occasioned by drift in optical parameters of unbalanced components.
Claims5
An optical fibre coil Sagnac effect rotation rate measuring instrument which has either a matched pair of optical fibre Sagnac coils, each consisting of a plurality of turns of single mode fibre, arranged to have a common axial direction, wherein the instrument is provided with two optical ports for connection with said pair of coils and is connected thereto via a commutating switch, operation of which changes the interconnection of the ports from one coil to the other in such a way that light previously launched into the one coil to propagate in either one of the two rotational senses is now launched to propagate in the opposite rotational sense in the other coil.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.