Ring laser gyro
AssigneeRatheon Company
InventorMichael Holz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A ring laser gyro uses means for shaping the gas flow, which inevitably develops as a result of a DC discharge, to optimize the effect of the Fresnel-Fizeau drag on the output signal of the gyro. In one embodiment, a sufficient component of the gain medium flow is provided to produce a substantially constant Fresnel-Fizeau component of the output signal even in the presence of variations of the discharge current. In another embodiment, a sufficient component of gain medium flow is provided to substantially eliminate the Fresnel-Fizeau component of the output signal at a predetermined level of discharge current.
Claims9
A method of operating a ring laser gyro, wherein a discharge current is used in a gain medium to produce a beam of electromagnetic energy and an output signal is produced in response to rotation of the ring, the interaction of the beam with said discharge producing a bias component in said output signal, comprising the steps of:
- providing a bypass path in said ring;
- and
- controlling the flow of the gain medium through said ring and said bypass path to substantially eliminate said bias component due to the interaction of said beam with a predetermined level of said discharge current.
A method of operating a ring laser gyro, wherein a discharge current is used in a gain medium to produce a beam of electromagnetic energy and an output signal is produced in response to rotation of the ring, the interaction of the beam with said discharge current producing a bias component in said output signal, such bias component nominally varying with variations in said discharge current, comprising the steps of:
- providing a bypass path in said ring;
- and
- controlling the flow of the gain medium through said ring and said bypass path to produce a bias component substantially invariant with respect to variations in the discharge current.
In combination:
- means for providing a resonator, said resonator comprising a ring path and a bypass path in said ring path;
- means for providing a beam of electromagnetic energy comprising a gain medium in said resonator and means for providing a discharge current in said gain medium, the interaction of said beam with said discharge producing a frequency difference between counter-propagating beam components;
- and
- means for producing a gain medium flow through said ring path and said bypass path which substantially eliminates said frequency difference for a predetermined discharge current.
In combination:
- means for providing a resonator, said resonator comprising a ring path and a bypass path in said ring path;
- means for producing a beam of electromagnetic energy comprising a gain medium in said resonator and means for providing a discharge current in said gain medium, the interaction of said beam with said discharge producing a frequency difference between counter-propagating beam components, the amount of such produced frequency difference nominally being a function of the discharge current;
- and
- means for producing a predetermined gain medium flow through said ring path and said bypass path selected to maintain the amount of said frequency difference substantially constant over a predetermined range of the discharge current.
A ring laser gyro comprising:
- means for producing a predetermined ring path having a bypass path;
- means for producing counter-propagating beams in said path, such beam producing means comprising:
- a gain medium;
- and, means for generating a predetermined electrical current in said medium producing a gain medium flow;
- means, responsive to rotation of the ring path, for producing an output signal having a bias component, interaction between the counter-propagating beams and the electrical current producing said bias component in said output signal;
- and
- means for controlling the gain medium flow in said path and said bypass path substantially eliminating said bias component for said predetermined electrical current in said gain medium.
A ring laser gyro comprising:
- means for producing a predetermined ring path having a bypass path;
- means for producing counter-propagating beams in said path comprising a gain medium and means for generating a predetermined electrical current in said medium;
- means for producing an output signal indicative of rotation of said ring path, said output signal having a bias component due to the interaction of said beam with said discharge current, said bias component nominally varying with variations in said predetermined electrical current;
- and
- means for providing a gain medium flow in said path and said bypass path, said flow being controlled to maintain said bias component substantially constant substantially independent of variations of said current.
A ring laser gyro comprising:
- means for producing a predetermined ring path having a bypass path;
- means for producing counter-propagating beams in said path comprising a gain medium and means for generating an electrical current in said path;
- means for producing an output signal in response to rotation of said ring path, the interaction of said beams with said current producing a bias component in said output signal;
- and
- means for providing a gain medium flow in said path and said bypass path, said flow being controlled to substantially eliminate said bias component at a predetermined level of said electrical current.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.