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US 5,854,678 AGranted
Three-axis fiber optic gyroscope having a single source and multi-coupler configuration
AssigneeHoneywell Inc.
InventorsRen-Young Liu, Ralph A. Bergh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gyroscope having three fiber optic loops for sensing rates of rotation in three axes orthogonal to one another. The gyroscope has one or two detectors and one source that is shared among the three fiber optic sensing loop subsystems with a special multi-coupler configuration. Also, portions of the rotation rate signal processing electronics, whether an open or closed loop configuration, are shared among the three sensing loops. The gyroscope may be a single mode optical fiber depolarized configuration or a polarization maintaining optical fiber configuration.
Claims22
A three-axis fiber optic gyroscope comprising:
- a first coupler having first, second, third and fourth ports;
- a source connected to the first port of said first coupler;
- a detector connected to the second port of said first coupler;
- a second coupler having a first port connected to the third port of said first coupler, a second port connected to a second detector, and having third and fourth ports;
- a first Y junction having a first port connected to the third port of said second coupler, and having second and third ports;
- a second Y junction having a first port connected to the fourth port of said second coupler, and having second and third ports;
- a third Y junction having a first port connected to the fourth port of said first coupler, and having second and third ports;
- a first sensing loop having first and second ends connected to the second and third ports, respectively, of said first Y junction;
- a second sensing loop having first and second ends connected to the second and third ports, respectively, of said second Y junction;
- and
- a third sensing loop having first and second ends connected to the second and third ports, respectively, of said third Y junction.
8 more elements
A three-axis fiber optic gyroscope comprising:
- a first detector;
- a second detector;
- a light source;
- a first coupler having a first port connected to said second detector, a second port connected to said source, and third and fourth ports;
- a second coupler having a first port connected to said first detector, a second port connected to the third port of said first coupler, and third and fourth ports;
- a first polarizer connected to the third port of said second coupler;
- a second polarizer connected to the fourth port of said second coupler;
- a third polarizer connected to the fourth port of said first coupler;
- a third coupler having a first port connected to said first polarizer, and having second and third ports;
- a fourth coupler having a first port connected to said second polarizer, and having second and third ports;
- a fifth coupler having a first port connected to said third polarizer, and having second and third ports;
- a first depolarizer connected to the second port of said third coupler;
- a second depolarizer connected to the second port of said fourth coupler;
- a third depolarizer connected to the second port of said fifth coupler;
- a first non polarization maintaining fiber optic sensing loop having a first end connected to said first depolarizer and having a second end connected to the third port of said third coupler;
- a second non polarization maintaining fiber optic sensing loop having a first end connected to said second depolarizer and a second end connected to the third port of said fourth coupler;
- and
- a third non polarization maintaining fiber optic sensing loop having a first end connected to said third depolarizer and a second end connected to the third port of said fifth coupler.
15 more elements
A three-axis fiber optic gyroscope comprising:
- a first coupler having first, second, third and fourth ports;
- a source connected to the first port of said first coupler;
- a detector connected to the second port of said first coupler;
- a second coupler having a first port connected to the third port of said first coupler, a second port connected to a second detector, and having third and fourth ports;
- a first Y junction having a first port connected to the third port of said second coupler, and having second and third ports;
- a second Y junction having a first port connected to the fourth port of said second coupler, and having second and third ports;
- a third Y junction having a first port connected to the fourth port of said first coupler, and having second and third ports;
- a first sensing loop having polarization maintaining optical fiber, and having first and second ends connected to the second and third ports, respectively, of said first Y junction;
- a second sensing loop having polarization maintaining optical fiber, and having first and second ends connected to the second and third ports, respectively, of said second Y junction;
- and
- a third sensing loop having polarization maintaining optical fiber, and having first and second ends connected to the second and third ports, respectively, of said third Y junction.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.