Basics of Measurement Technology (BMT)

Lecture 9
Orientation

Dr. Sarah Ksouri

Ruhr-University Bochum
April 2017
Conventional gyroscope

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Gyroscope

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Gyroscope

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Applications

Problem
 limited precision

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Laser gyroscope

 construction
 principle
 measurement
 applications

laser gyroscope

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Application

Navigation (Inertial Navigation

Systems (INS))
 orientation in space
 measurement of speed, position
and direction of movement

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Setup

A laser gyroscope consists of:

 ring resonator of a laser
 optical elements (mirrors,
beam splitters, lenses)
 measuring and control
devices
Laser gyroscope in operation

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Physical principle

 a laser beam runs clockwise

(cw signal) and a laser
beam is running counter
clockwise (ccw signal)
 the two laser beams are
reflected by mirrors and
interfere on the beam splitter
 the result is an interference
pattern, measured by
photodiodes Setup of a laser gyroscope

9
Measurement

 rotation causes cw signal & ccw signal - different long ways to

travel
 path differences generate two different frequencies, which are
detectable within the interference pattern
 oscilloscope measures the frequency of interference signal
 the difference between the two frequencies is directly
proportional to gyroscope movement

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Laser gyroscope

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Application

Use as navigation for:

 aerospace
 military land vehicles
 navy ships
 underwater Robot
 geodesy

Examples of applications for laser gyroscopes

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Sagnac effect

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Physical principle

 the laser beams arrive at different times on the screen

 this phase shift can be seen within the interference pattern
 interference pattern is measured for detection of the
displacement
 with the help of this - in 1923 the earth's rotation was
measured

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Sagnac effect

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