Control apparatus

Claim 1

A GYROSCOPE COMPRISING: HOUSING MEANS; A SOURCE OF HIGH PRESSURE FLUID INTEGRAL WITH SAID HOUSING MEANS; HYDROSTATIC BEARING MEANS; MEANS CONNECTING SAID HYDROSTATIC BEARING MEANS TO SAID SOURCE OF HIGH PRESSURE FLUID; A ROTOR HYDROSTATICALLY SUPPORTED BY SAID HYDROSTATIC BEARING MEANS FOR ROTATION ABOUT THREE INTERSECTING AXES, SAID ROTOR HAVING A NORMAL POSITION RELATIVE TO THE THREE AXES, THE FLUID EXHAUSTING FROM SAID HYDROSTATIC BEARING MEANS PROVIDES A FLUID FLOW BETWEEN SAID ROTOR AND SAID BEARING MEANS; MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID ROTOR ABOUT ONE OF THE THREE AXES AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT ANGULAR VELOCITY; A FLUID SIGNAL GENERATOR INCLUDING RESTRICTOR MEANS LOCATED ON SAID ROTOR DEFINING A FIRST ZONE BETWEEN SAID ROTOR AND SAID BEARING MEANS AND A SECOND ZONE BETWEEN SAID ROTOR AND SAID BEARING MEANS, SAID SIGNAL GENERATOR FURTHER INCLUDING TWO PAIRS OF SENSING PORTS IN SAID BEARING MEANS, SAID RESTRICTOR MEANS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FLOW OF FLUID THROUGH SAID SENSING PORTS BEING EFFECTIVE TO CAUSE A FIRST FLUID CHARACTERISTIC IN SAID FIRST ZONE AND A SECOND FLUID CHARACTERISTIC IN SAID SECOND ZONE, THE ROTATION OF SAID ROTOR ABOUT SAID ONE OF SAID THREE INTERSECTING AXES CAUSING RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID RESTRICTOR MEANS AND SAID SENSING PORTS WHEREBY EACH OF SAID SENSING PORTS IS ALTERNATIVELY IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID FIRST ZONE AND SAID SECOND ZONE SO AS TO SENSE THE FLUID CHARACTERISTIC THEREOF AND PROVIDE AN OUTPUT OF FLUID PULSES, THE ROTATION OF SAID ROTOR ABOUT THE SECOND OF SAID THREE INTERSECTING AXES BEING EFFECTIVE TO VARY THE TIME THE PORTS OF ONE PAIR OF SENSING PORTS ARE IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID FIRST ZONE AND SAID SECOND ZONE SO AS TO VARY THE DURATION OF THE PULSES THEREIN, ROTATION OF SAID ROTOR ABOUT THE THIRD OF SAID THREE INTERSECTING AXES BEING EFFECTIVE TO VARY THE TIME THE PORTS OF OTHER PAIR SENSING PORTS ARE IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID FIRST ZONE AND SAID SECOND ZONE SO AS TO VARY THE DURATION OF THE PULSES THEREIN; A PAIR OF BISTABLE FLUID AMPLIFIERS INTEGRAL WITH SAID HOUSING MEANS; AND MEANS CONNECTING EACH PAIR OF SENSING PORTS TO THE CONTROL PORTS OF ONE OF SAID PAIR OF FLUID AMPLIFIERS, WHEREBY ONE OF SAID PAIR OF FLUID AMPLIFIERS PROVIDES A PULSE DURATION MODULATED OUTPUT SIGNAL INDICATIVE OF THE ROTATION OF SAID ROTOR ABOUT THE SECOND OF THE THREE INTERSECTING AXES RELATIVE TO THE NORMAL POSITION OF SAID ROTOR, AND THE OTHER PAIR OF SAID TWO PAIR OF FLUID AMPLIFIERS PROVIDES A PULSE DURATION MODULATED OUTPUT SIGNAL INDICATIVE OF THE ROTATION OF SAID ROTOR ABOUT THE THIRD OF THE THREE INTERSECTING AXES RELATIVE TO THE NORMAL POSITION OF SAID ROTOR.