Patent US1674553A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US5097707A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5097707A
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US
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Rotation sensor
Assignee: BAE Systems Electronics Ltd
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Filing: 1990-01-10
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Granted: 1992-03-24
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Expires: 2010-01-10
Abstract
Abstract A vibrating gyro operating on the principle of vibration waves traveling along a curved elastic surface transverse to the surface and being subjected to coriolis forces on rotation of the surface such as to shift the phase of the signal. The surface is provided by a spiral strip of metal having a vibration generator and detector at each end. Vibration waves are transmitted in both directions simultaneously and the phase difference between the received signals is determined. This gives a measure of the rotation rate. The gyro has great sensitivity and is particularly suited to gimballed systems. It therefore complements the vibrating gyro of U.K. Patent No. 2164749.
Inventors
- 👤 Peter D. Church, deceased
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 14:29
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01C; G01C19/00; G01C19/56; G01C19/5698
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
70 words
A rotation sensor comprising a strip of elastic material said strip being wrapped about an axis to form a coil, means for transmitting transverse bending/shear waves around the strip in each of two directions and means responsive to the speed of wave transmission in the two directions to provide an output indicative of the rate of rotation of the coil about an axis aligned with or parallel to said axis.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
70 words
A rotation sensor comprising a strip of elastic material said strip being wrapped about an axis to form a coil, means for transmitting transverse bending/shear waves around the strip in each of two directions and means responsive to the speed of wave transmission in the two directions to provide an output indicative of the rate of rotation of the coil about an axis aligned with or parallel to said axis.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
14 words
A rotation sensor according to claim 1, wherein said coil is of spiral form.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
A rotation sensor according to claim 2, including wave transmitting means coupled to the strip at spaced positions along the strip, and wave receiving means coupled to the strip at spaced positions.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
A rotation sensor according to claim 3, wherein a said transmitting means and a said receiving means are positioned at both ends of the strip.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
A rotation sensor according to claim 4, including means responsive to the phase difference of signals received by the respective receiving means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
A rotation sensor according to claim 2, wherein said strip is mounted between plate members.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
A rotation sensor according to claim 2, wherein the strip has edge portions thicker than the central portion to maintain spacing of adjacent turns of the coil.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
A rotation sensor according to claim 7, wherein the thinner central portion is formed by etching.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
A rotation sensor according to claim 2, wherein said strip comprises an active central portion supported by periodic sideways extensions.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
28 words
A rotation sensor according to claim 9, wherein said strip has a series of holes along each edge, the strip area between adjacent holes providing said sideways extensions.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
45 words
A rotation sensor according to claim 1, wherein said coil comprises two coaxial spiral strips the inner ends of the two spirals being coupled together, wave transmitting means and wave receiving means being coupled to the outer ends of each of the two spiral strips.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
32 words
A rotation sensor according to claim 11, wherein the inner ends of the spiral strips are continuous each with the other by means of a helical section between the two spiral strips.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
98 words
A rotation sensor according to claim 4, wherein the strip is, at least at one end, divided across its width into sections, said transmitting means being coupled to a first of said sections and said receiving means being coupled to second and third said sections, the divisions between said sections being such as to provide leakage paths from said first to said second and from said first to said third sections which leakage paths differ in path length by half a wavelength at the operating frequency so tending to suppress the locally transmitted signal in the receiver sections.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
68 words
A rotation sensor according to claim 1 wherein said means for producing transverse acoustic waves are adapted to operate in conjunction with the length of said strip in such manner as to produce a respective resonant frequency for each direction of the signal transmission, means being provided for detecting the difference between the two resonant frequencies, said difference being representative of said rate of rotation of said coil.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
24 words
A rotation sensor according to claim 14, wherein said means for producing transverse acoustic waves comprise transmitting means at spaced positions along said strip.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
98 words
A rotation sensor according to claim 11, wherein the strip is, at least at one end, divided across its width into sections, said transmitting means being coupled to a first of said sections and said receiving means being coupled to second and third said sections, the divisions between said sections being such as to provide leakage paths from said first to said second and from said first to said third sections which leakage paths differ in path length by half a wavelength at the operating frequency so tending to suppress the locally transmitted signal in the receiver sections.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
68 words
A rotation sensor according to claim 2 wherein said means for producing transverse acoustic waves are adapted to operate in conjunction with the length of said strip in such manner as to produce a respective resonant frequency for each direction of the signal transmission, means being provided for detecting the difference between the two resonant frequencies, said difference being representative of said rate of rotation of said coil.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1995-03-24 | 1995-09-23 | 1996-03-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-03-24 | 1999-09-23 | 2000-03-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-03-24 | 2003-09-23 | 2004-03-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |