Abstract: The gyroscope includes a symmetric and concentric, freely vibrating cylinder. Electromagnetic forcers are arranged to apply forces on the cylinder to excite the cylinder's lowest order radially oscillating mode. The forcers also steer the resulting nodal pattern of the cylinder. The cylinder nodal pattern is sensed and a servo selectively excites the forcers to steer the nodal pattern to its original configuration in the presence of cylinder rotations. The forcer steering commands are related to the rotation rate of the gyro. The vibrating cylinder is free of any attachments or deposits and is machined accurately to eliminate the need for balancing, resulting in low temperature sensitivity.

Abstract: A flexure mount particularly adapted for use in a dynamically tuned gyroscope provides a universal coupling between a rotor element and a drive shaft. The mount features a substantially planar "spider" member oriented transversely to the spin axis of the rotor. The spider has four webs that each extend radially from an inner gimbal ring to a segmented outer ring having four independent sectors each associated with and centered on one of the webs. Two mutually perpendicular "vertical" or cross flexure members each have key portions that extend through radial slots in the webs of the spider. The inner gimbal ring and the spider have central apertures coaxial with the spin axis. An alignment member is seated in the aligned apertures. The vertical flexure members are seated in a set of mutually perpendicular and axially extending slots formed in the alignment member. The spider and the cross members are preferably etched or stamped from precision rolled sheet material.

Abstract: A dynamically tuned free rotor gyro is equipped with a set of three case-fixed torquers equally spaced circumferentially about the drive axis beneath the rotor. Three pickoffs are arranged diametrically opposite the corresponding torquers beneath the rotor. The outputs of the three pickoffs are combined to produce a vector rebalance signal, which is nulled by the effect of the torquers. The vector rebalance signal is resolved into three separate control signals for the corresponding torquer drive circuits.