Vibrating gyroscopes

British Aerospace Systems and Equipment (BASE) Limited has developed new solid state rotation sensors called the Micropulse and the Vibrating Sensor Gyroscope (VSG). The VSG has been extensively tested in automotive trials in Europe and the Far East, the results of which have been published. The VSG has proved to be reliable and robust. Micropulse was developed as a continuation of the Vibrating Structure family of products. The aim was to design a product that would improve the performance over temperature whilst retaining the inherent high levels of reliability and robustness. Micropulse extends the range of solid state sensors which BASE produces. The VSG senses rate using a piezo-electric ceramic shell which is excited into a cos (2Θ) vibration pattern. The direction of vibration pattern lags behind the shell when the shell is rotated. This enables rotation to be sensed. The electronics excites the shell into resonance, stabilises the vibration pattern direction with respect to the shell, and outputs a DC signal proportional to rotation rate. Both the Micropulse gyroscope and the VSG in senses rotation through the use of a resonating shell type structure. The improvements in performance arise through the replacement of the ceramic cup with another structure. The paper will outline the basic principles of rotation sensing using resonating structures and their design. It will also consider the applications for which this new product is intended, and will also present data which illustrates the potential of the instrument