Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Edward J Loper, Jr

David Dexter Lynch

A vibratory rotation sensor includes a heimspherical resonator, a ring forcer electrode and a plurality of discrete forcer and pick-off electrodes. A vibratory or flexural standing wave pattern is established in the resonator and signals from the pick-off electrodes are combined to produce first (E.sub.c) and second (E.sub.s) signals that represent two independent components of the vibration pattern. A reference phase generator generates timing signal that are used to demodulate E.sub.c and E.sub.s to obtain in-phase and quadrature components thereof. The quadrature components are transformed in a computer to generate nodal and antinodal quadrature signals. The nodal quadrature signal is used as the error signal in a quadrature control loop that keeps both components of the vibration pattern in phase. The antinodal quadrature signal is used as the error signal in a phase-locked loop that keeps the phase of the reference phase generator locked to the phase of the vibration.

Vibratory rotation sensor

An accelerometer utilizes a pair of SC-cut crystals which respond differentially to acceleration inputs. Each crystal exhibits a highly temperature sensitive resonant mode and a relatively temperature insensitive resonant mode. Both modes are excited simultaneously by an oscillator. The difference frequency data between respective modes of each crystal, as well as the difference frequency data between the two modes of one of the crystals, is processed to obtain a temperature compensated value of acceleration.

Single axis crystal constrained temperature compensated digital

A vibratory gyro including a hemispherical high Q resonator supported by an inner housing carrying a circular forcer electrode and sixteen discrete forcer electrodes. The orientation of the vibrating pattern in the resonator is electrostatically sensed by eight pickoff electrodes located on the inner spherical surface of an outer housing which establish two pickoff axes separated by 45.degree.. Signals obtained from the pickoff electrodes are utilized to develop a drive signal to the circular forcer electrode to electrostatically maintain a predetermined amplitude of pattern vibration and to develop drive signals for appropriate groups of discrete forcer electrodes to eliminate any phase error between components of the pattern along the two pickoff axes.

Sonic vibrating bell gyro

A system for determining the value of an angle represented by first and second analog signals having amplitudes which are a function of the SIN and COS of the angle. The SIN and COS signals are full wave demodulated in such a manner that the demodulated signals are always of opposite polarity and the smaller of the two signals is continuously integrated in an integrator while the larger of the two signals is sample data integrated in the integrator to maintain the output of the integrator within predefined upper and lower limits. Angle computation is then performed as a function of the ratio of the number of complete half cycles of the demodulated signals during a fixed time interval plus the change in the output of the integrator since the previous time interval.

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Santa Barbara, CA, United States of America

Edward J Loper, Jr