Gyro damping control

Claim 1

A FLUID-DAMPED GYRO COMPRISING A CASING ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A DAMPING FLUID AND INCLUDING AN ANNULAR WALL; MEANS DEFINING A PLURALITY OF RECESSES WITHIN SAID CASING, A FLOAT WITHIN SAID CASING ROTATABLE RELATIVE THERETO ABOUT A COMMON AXIS, SAID FLOAT HAVING PADDLES RESPECTIVELY FITTING INTO THE RECESSES, EACH PADDLE COACTING WITH RESPECTIVE RECESS TO FORM TWO CHAMBERS VARYING OPPOSITELY IN VOLUME WITH FLOAT ROTATION; MEANS DEFINING IN SAID ANNULAR WALL A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE PORTS EACH CONNECTING TO ONE OF SAID CHAMBERS; A CONCENTRIC RING AXIALLY AND ROTATIVELY DISPLACEABLE RELATIVE TO SAID ANNULAR WALL AND CONTAINING FLUID RETURN PASSAGES FOR INTERCONNECTING IN PAIRS OF CHAMBERS VARYING OPPOSITELY IN VOLUME, EACH RETURN PASSAGE HAVING AN ORIFICE ONE DIMENSION OF WHICH VARIES WITH AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID RING AND ANOTHER DIMENSION OF WHICH VARIES WITH ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT OF SAID RING, THUS TO VARY THE FLUID FLOW THROUGH SAID RETURN PASSAGES EITHER BY ROTATING THE RING OR BY AXIALLY DISPLACEING THE RING THEREBY PROVIDING A VARIETY OF DAMPING TORQUE LEVELS, EACH LEVEL HAVING A CONSTANT VISCOUS DAMPING TORWUE WITH VARIATION IN FLUID TEMPERATURE.