Invention:
This technology is a novel design for a gyroscope, which uses a central component that contains an optical whispering gallery arrangement, comprising a small sphere with one index of refraction, embedded in a larger sphere with a different index of refraction. Unlike other gyroscopes, which use bidirectional light, this design uses unidirectional light and employs polarization for enhanced sensitivity.
Background:
Gyroscopes have long been used to sense angular velocity changes, but traditional mechanical, vibrational, or optical gyroscopes tend to be larger than desired for integration in photonic scale systems. This approach has the potential to obtain measurements from a much smaller package that consume less power than standard optical gyroscopes and offers different integration options than larger designs. Another challenge has been how to reduce lock-in effects (higher noise and drift) for low rotation rates and achieve accurate performance without high power consumption from multiple laser sources. Innovations in optical devices have shrunk many functions to photonics scales on the order or tens or hundreds of microns, but so far performance from optical gyroscopes on these scales has not achieved desired levels. There is strong interest in the community developing rate sensors and inertial measurement units (IMUs) to develop these small-scale, accurate gyroscopes that are less sensitive to vibrational and thermal effects.
Applications:
- Improvements to commercial optical gyroscopes used in sensing and robotics markets
- Progress towards integrated photonics circuits (smaller scale, less power)
Advantages:
- Lower power consumption than standard optical gyroscopes
- Inexpensive to make as well as operate
- Less dependent on vibrational environment
- Offers different integration options, including a smaller design
Status: issued U.S. patent #12,018,943
