초록 ▼

A quick settling, accurate gyrocompass for obtaining an accurate, short reaction time azimuth reference is described. The device preferably comprises a four gimbal configuration supporting a limited angle, two degree of freedom packaged gyroscope. The outer two gimbals of the arrangement are employe

A quick settling, accurate gyrocompass for obtaining an accurate, short reaction time azimuth reference is described. The device preferably comprises a four gimbal configuration supporting a limited angle, two degree of freedom packaged gyroscope. The outer two gimbals of the arrangement are employed to provide a horizontal platform using accelerometers or pendulums as a reference to thereby comprise a stabilized platform. The inner two gimbals are employed to provide rotation about the two input axes of the gyro. The two degrees of freedom gyro and the inner two gimbals of the supporting structure thus comprised are connected to operate in a “North seeking”mode wherein the object is to align the gyro spin axis so that it is parallel to the spin axis of the earth. The gyro rotor is slaved to the gyro case about the gyro input axis so that if the rotor axis is not parallel to the earth axis a gyro error signal results in each input axis due to the rotation of the earth. These error signals are then used to drive the inner two gimbals until the errors are reduced to zero at which point (except for undesired effects) the gyro rotor spin axis will be parallel to the earth\s spin axis thereby establishing the desired reference. Decoupling compensation circuits are employed for subtracting from the gimbal drive error signal supplied to the servo drive means of a particular axis, that component of the error signal which is due to gimbal rotation.

대표청구항 ▼

A quick settling, accurate gyrocompass comprising a packaged gyroscope having a case and rotor, said rotor having a spin axis and two orthogonal input axes about which motion takes place in aligning the spin axis, said gyroscope also including error signal generators (12, 13) and torquing generators

A quick settling, accurate gyrocompass comprising a packaged gyroscope having a case and rotor, said rotor having a spin axis and two orthogonal input axes about which motion takes place in aligning the spin axis, said gyroscope also including error signal generators (12, 13) and torquing generators (15, 17) for sensing and causing angular motion of the rotor about each input axis with respect to the spin reference axis of the case; external plural axis gimbal supporting means (30, 31) for supporting the packaged gyroscope with rotational freedom of movement about two said axes (32, 33); gimbal servo drive means (21, 22) for moving the packaged gyroscope about each said gimbal axis (32, 33); a torquing amplifier (14, 16) operatively coupled between the error signal generator and the torquing generator for motion about each input axis of said gyroscope for amplifying the error signals and for transmitting those signals to the torquing generator (15, 17) to drive the gyroscope rotor about said input axes to maintain alignment of the rotor and the gyroscope case to null any error signal due to a difference in alignment between the rotor spin axis and the spin reference axis of the case; a signal summing means (26, 27) coupled to the output of each torquing amplifier (14, 16); said gimbal servo drive means (21, 22) including motors (25) for driving said gimbal means and circuit means coupled to the output of each summing means (26, 27) for deriving signals of suitable polarity and magnitude for driving said motors to align the gyro spin axes with the earth\s axis; and compensation circuit means (28, 29) connected between the output of each summing means (26, 27) and the input of the other summing means to cause said summing means to subtract from the torquing amplifier output a signal representing that component of the rate of rotation of the packaged gyro about its input axes which is due to gimbal rotation.