Vibratory rotation sensor utilizing linearized flexure measures

Abstract

The invention is a method for obtaining linear measures of one or more parameters p.sub.m of a device having one or more input ports i and an output port where m takes on integer values from 1 to M, M being an integer equal to or greater than 1, and i takes on integer values from 1 to I, I being an integer equal to or greater than 1. The device causes one or more input signals G.sub.i (p.sub.m)E.sub.ei (t) fed into one or more input ports to be transformed into an output signal comprising a summation over i of G.sub.i (p.sub.m)H.sub.i (p.sub.m)E.sub.oi (t) at the output port. The function G.sub.i (p.sub.m) is a weighting function associated with the i'th input port, E.sub.ei (t) is an excitation signal associated with the i'th input port, and E.sub.oi (t) is the transformation of the excitation signal E.sub.ei (t) that results from E.sub.ei (t) traversing the path from the input port i to the output port. The signals E.sub.ei (t) and E.sub.oi (t) are both independent of the parameter p.sub.m. The product function G.sub.i (p.sub.m)H.sub.i (p.sub.m) is representable by a power series of order N.sub.im in p.sub.m, the value of N.sub.im depending on a specified accuracy of representation. The method comprising the steps (1) generating one or more linearizing weighting functions G.sub.il (p.sub.m) for which the output signal is a linear measure of the parameter p.sub.m to the specified accuracy of representation, (2) feeding the input signals G.sub.il (p.sub.m)E.sub.ei (t) into the device; and (3) using a component of the output signal as a linear measure of each of the one or more parameters p.sub.m.