Rockwell International Corporation

Frederick Vescial

Frederick Aronowitz

Thomas M Wirt

Francis M Erdmann

Kenneth L Steele

William T Schmars

Extended laser life may be obtained by measuring, with an ammeter AM, the discharge current applied to a laser (either linear or a ring laser gyro RLG), measuring the intensity of the resulting light beam with an intensity monitor IM, calculating the noise with an integrated circuit IC, and maintaining the discharge current at the lowest level possible which is consistent both with maintaining the intensity above the intensity service limit and the noise below the noise service limit.

Extended laser life

An alignment and path length control apparatus having a mirror housing having a base and a closed wall. The base has a mirrored external surface. The closed wall has a central axis. The closed wall is joined to the base at a base end of the closed wall by a flexible web. The closed wall extends above the base and terminates at a rim defining an aperture. The base has a central region coupled to the cylindrical wall. A post extends from the central region of the base within the cylindrical wall to a top end. A mirror axis extends from the mirrored external surface through the post. The central axis is substantially parallel to the mirror axis. An alignment transducer responds to a first alignment control signal by applying at least a first force between the post and the wall to deflect the mirror axis with respect to the central axis. A linear transducer responds to a linear displacement control signal by applying an axial force to the post to displace the central region longitudinally along the central axis.

Interferometer alignment control apparatus

A laser accelerometer comprises a frame having three orthogonal input axes and multiple proof masses, each proof mass having a predetermined blanking surface. A flexible beam supports each proof mass. The flexible beam permits movement of the proof mass on the input axis. A laser light source provides a light ray. The laser source is characterized to have a transverse field characteristic having a central null intensity region. A mirror transmits a ray of light to a detector. The detector is positioned to be centered to the light ray and responds to the transmitted light ray intensity to provide an intensity signal. The intensity signal is characterized to have a magnitude related to the intensity of the transmitted light ray. The proof mass blanking surface is centrally positioned within and normal to the light ray null intensity region to provide increased blanking of the light ray in response to transverse movement of the mass on the input axis. The proof mass deflects the flexible beam and moves the blanking surface in a direction transverse to the light ray to partially blank the light beam in response to acceleration in the direction of the input axis. A control responds to the intensity signal to apply a restoring force to restore the proof mass to a central position and provides an output signal proportional to the restoring force.

Laser accelerometer

A readout apparatus responsive to clockwise and counter-clockwise counter-rotating light beams that have a frequency difference relatable to the rate of rotation of a ring laser gyroscope, the readout apparatus comprising means for removing a portion of the light beams from the ring of the ring laser gyroscope; means for displacing the removed counter rotating beams to overlap a portion of the light of the removed beams to form a first spot beam having fringe motion characterized by an array of co-parallel alternating stripe regions of high and low intensity light within the spot; a mask having an array of co-parallel, rotated, alternating transparent and opaque stripes; the mask being positioned to direct the fringe motion of the spot beam through the mask, the mask array of alternating and opaque stripes being aligned to form a second spot beam having a moire fringe motion characterized by an array of co-parallel alternating stripe regions of high and low intensity light within the spot moving transverse to the fringer motion of the spot beam; means for receiving the second spot beam and for detecting the moire fringe motion within the second spot beam characterized by an array of co-parallel alternating stripe regions of high and low intensity light within the spot moving transverse to the fringe motion of the first spot beam.

Ring laser gyro readout assembly simplification with adjustment

A ring laser gyroscope includes a laser ring having at least three reflective surfaces. At least one of the reflective surfaces is partially reflecting and partially transmissive for removing a portion of the laser light within the ring, and for directing the removed light onto an output detector. Optical elements are provided for displacing the light directed on the output detector in a fashion by which a portion of the light from one of the counter rotating beams only partially overlaps the light from the other beam. A detector is provided for detecting the intensity of each of the counter rotating beams from the nonoverlapping beam portions on the detector and for detecting the fringe motion of the interfacing beams produced by the overlapping portions of the beams on the detector. In another aspect, a detector is provided for detecting the intensity and frequency differences of the counter rotating beams in which two intensity producing detectors are provided spaced apart by a distance corresponding approximately to the overlapping portions of the counter rotating light beams upon the detector, whereby the overlapping portions of the beams fall generally between the two detectors. A plurality of detector stripes are provided between the two intensity detectors, whereby stripes of the interference patterns move across the detector stripes to provide an indication of the frequency difference between the counter rotating beams and sense of rotational input.

Ring laser gyroscope readout for partially overlapping beams

A detector structure for use in a ring laser gyroscope includes a partially reflective surface on an inside face of a carrying substrate for passing a portion of each of the counter rotating gyroscope beams for detection and for reflecting a portion of each of the beams into a light path of the laser gyroscope without passing any optical elements of the detector structure. A detector substrate is spaced with respect to said partially reflective surface to receive the portions of the beams passing the partially reflective surface with patterns formed by the respective beams only partially overlapping. A pair of detectors are provided on the detector substrate, located to receive at least a nonoverlapping portion of each of the beam patterns to provide an intensity indication of the respective beams, and another detector is also located on the substrate, located to receive an overlapping portion of the beams for detecting the rate and sense of motion of interference fringes produced by the respective beams to provide an indication of the frequency difference between said beams. The detector structure also includes yet another detector on the substrate, located to receive an overlapping portion of the beams to provide an indication of the sum of the intensities of the respective beams.

Growing community of inventors

Orange, CA, United States of America

Frederick Vescial