Help needed with rate gyros! Anyone?

[SuperTed]

Could anyone please explain rate gyros and rate intergrating gyros to me and how they work!

Any info much appreciated!

ST

[Tinstaafl]

Rate gyro: A gyro has the property of rigidity in space ie it will try to maintain its axis in a single orientation.

If you mount a gyro rigidly then move the structure in which the gyro is mounted, the gyro will 'fight' against the movement.

The degree of force that the gyro will be able to use to fight this movement is proportional to the rate at which the gyro is forced to move.

By mounting the gyro in a gimbal with springs providing a known resistance to the gyro's movement it becomes possible to measure the rate at which the gimbal is moved. Gyro will try to remain in its original orientation against the spring force. The amount of movement of the gyro against this spring is proportional to the rate at which the gimbal is moved therefore enabling the rate of movement of the gimbal (& anything the gimbal is mounted on/in/within) to be measured.

Rate integrating gyro: Can't remember BUT I seem to recall it's to do with a ring laser gyro or a strap down gyro.

There isn't any movement to be measured however the force applied by the gyro can be eg with a potentiometer. Using the time over which the force from the gyro occurs & a mathmatical technique called 'integration' it is possible to derive the amount of movement that would have occurred normally.

Once that is known then the rate of rotation of the device holding the gyro eg the aircraft, can be displayed.

Probably lots of errors in the above. One of the hazards of trying to explain something after a few beers & from memory!

Hope it helps anyway.

T

[ 14 January 2002: Message edited by: Tinstaafl ]

[ 14 January 2002: Message edited by: Tinstaafl ]</p>

[+TS]

My guess is that the rate integrated gyro is not allowed to move in a gimbal. The force needed to counteract the potentiel movement is transferred into a electrical signal.

[Paul Hickley]

SuperTed,

I have tried to email you privately but the email address given in your profile doesn't seem to work and I keep getting 'Undelivered Message' notifications.

Please email me on [email protected]

Paul