A rate gyro is a type of
gyroscope
A gyroscope (from Ancient Greek γῦρος ''gŷros'', "round" and σκοπέω ''skopéō'', "to look") is a device used for measuring or maintaining Orientation (geometry), orientation and angular velocity. It is a spinning wheel or disc in ...
, which rather than indicating direction, indicates the rate of change of angle with time. If a gyro has only one gimbal ring, with consequently only one plane of freedom, it can be adapted for use as a rate gyro to measure a rate of angular movement.
Rate gyros are used in
rate integrating gyroscope {{More footnotes needed, date=September 2023
A Rate integrating gyroscope is a rate gyro with a built in integrator. It is usually a component of an Inertial Measurement Unit or a stabilization system.
Principle of operation
In a rate integrating ...
s, and in
attitude control system
Spacecraft attitude control is the process of controlling the orientation of a spacecraft (vehicle or satellite) with respect to an inertial frame of reference or another entity such as the celestial sphere, certain fields, and nearby objects, ...
s for vehicles, and in combination with other sensors to make
inertial navigation system
An inertial navigation system (INS; also inertial guidance system, inertial instrument) is a navigation device that uses motion sensors (accelerometers), rotation sensors (gyroscopes) and a computer to continuously calculate by dead reckoning th ...
s.
The advantage of rate gyros over other types of gyros is the fast response rate and their relatively low cost.
Principles
Spinning
The traditional type of rate gyro employs relatively conventional gyroscopes with viscous couplings to transfer the spin rate to allow it to be read.
Spinning Mass Rate Gyroscopes
/ref>
Vibrating structure gyroscope
MEMS
MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) is the technology of microscopic devices incorporating both electronic and moving parts. MEMS are made up of components between 1 and 100 micrometres in size (i.e., 0.001 to 0.1 mm), and MEMS devices ...
gyros are cheap and have no moving parts. They often work by sonic resonance effects driven by piezoelectric
Piezoelectricity (, ) is the electric charge that accumulates in certain solid materials—such as crystals, certain ceramics, and biological matter such as bone, DNA, and various proteins—in response to applied stress (mechanics), mechanical s ...
transducers, that provide a signal when a rotation occurs.
References
External links
Gyroscopes
Spacecraft attitude control
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