Ring laser gyroscope

About: Ring laser gyroscope is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2070 publications have been published within this topic receiving 18609 citations. The topic is also known as: Sagnac interferometer.

Motion induced elimination of dead band in a short pulse laser gyro

Abstract: A passively mode-locked laser gyro having a saturable absorber in constant motion. The saturable absorber is mechanically vibrated or rotated in a direction transverse to the longitudinal pulses passing through the absorber. The vibrational or rotational motion of the absorber dithers the effective scattering error source. The saturable absorber may be a multiple quantum well device. The multiple quantum well device may be attached to two dither drives to provide continuous circular motion of the multiple quantum well device. The motion generator can generate both linear and non-linear motion. The passively mode-locked laser qyro may be constructed from fiber optics with a bias modulator and gain medium.

Pathlength controller for ring laser gyroscope

Abstract: The present invention provides for initializing the particular intensity peak selected to operate about, based upon the initial temperature of the gyroscope in order to maintain a selected integer number of wavelengths as the initial cavity path length from start up to start up. In addition, the present invention provides an optimum available movement of the mirrors due to changing the voltage over the available voltage swing for the anticipated range and direction of temperature changes from the start up temperature, over which the gyroscope is expected to operate.

Gyroscope mode shift detection and scale factor compensation

Abstract: A method for maintaining measurement accuracy of a ring laser gyroscope is disclosed. The method involves periodically measuring a path length control voltage in the ring laser gyroscope over a prescribed temperature range. When a first path length controlled by the path length control voltage deviates at least one wavelength from a nominal path length, the method detects the change in the path length as a mode shift. For each mode shift, the method applies a path length correction to maintain the first path length at a target path length over the prescribed temperature range. The method can apply a correction to a measurement signal output of the ring laser gyroscope by adjusting a calibrated scale factor depending on an actual integer number of wavelengths achieved during a mode shift.

Model of lock-in in a ring laser and a semiconductor laser gyro

Abstract: It is assumed that the process of lock-in in a ring laser has a finite transient time. This assumption serves as a basis for developing a semiconductor laser gyro. A semiconductor optical amplifier is applied as an amplifying medium, and a ring resonator represents a long optical fiber. The injection of an external single-frequency light into a ring resonator with subsequent circulation of counterpropagating waves is used. The light characteristics of the semiconductor laser gyro are discussed, and the rotation sensitivity of the gyro is demonstrated.