Control apparatus

Claim 1

A TWO DEGREE OF FREEDOM GYROSCOPE COMPRISING: HOUSING MEANS; FLUID MEANS WITHIN SAID HOUSING MEANS; A GIMBAL ELEMENT; A ROTOR MEMBER; HYDRODYNAMIC JOURNAL BEARING MEANS SUPPORTING SAID ROTOR ELEMENT UPON SAID GIMBAL ELEMENT FOR ROTARY MOVEMENT ABOUT A FIRST AXIS; A FIRST SUPPORT PAD HAVING A FIRST PLANE SURFACE THEREON, SAID FIRST SUPPORT PAD BEING RIGIDLY ATTACHED TO SAID GIMBAL ELEMENT WITH SAID FIRST PLANE SURFACE SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID FIRST AXIS AND SPACED APART FROM SIAD ROTOR MEMBER, SAID FIRST PLANE SURFACE HAVING A FIRST PLURALITY OF GROOVES THEREIN ANGULARLY SPACED ABOUT SAID FIRST AXIS, SAID FIRST PLANE SURFACE HAVING A SECOND PLURALITY OF GROOVES THEREIN ANGULARLY SPACED ABOUT SAID FIRST AXIS CONCENTRIC WITH SAID FIRST PLURALITY OF GROOVES; A SECOND SUPPORT PAD HAVING A SECOND PLANE SURFACE THEREON, SAID SECOND SUPPORT PAD BEING RIGIDLY ATTACHED TO SAID GIMBAL ELEMENT WITH SAID SECOND PLANE SURFACE IN OPPOSED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID FIRST PLANE SURFACE, SAID SECOND PLANE SURFACE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID FIRST AXIS SPACED APART FROM SAID ROTOR MEMBER, SAID SECOND PLANE SURFACE HAVING A THIRD PLURALITY OF GROOVES THEREIN ANGULARLY SPACED ABOUT SAID FIRST AXIS, SAID SECOND PLANE SURFACE HAVING A FOURTH PLURALITY OF GROOVES THEREIN ANGULARLY SPACED ABOUT SAID FIRST AXIS CONCENTRIC WITH SAID THIRD PLURALITY OF GROOVES; HYDROSTATIC BEARING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID GIMBAL ELEMENT WITHIN SAID HOUSING MEANS FOR ROTARY MOVEMENT ABOUT A SECOND AND THIRD AXIS, SAID HYDROSTATIC BEARING MEANS BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID FIRST AND THIRD PLURALITY OF GROOVES; MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID ROTOR MEMBER ABOUT SAID FIRST AXIS RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND SUPPORT PADSACT WHEREBY SAID FIRST AND THIRD PLURALITY OF GROOVES COACT WITH SAID ROTOR MEMBER TO PROVIDE AXIAL SUPPORT OF SAID ROTOR MEMBER RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST AXIS, SAID SECOND AND FOURTH PLURALITY OF GROOVES COACTING WITH SAID ROTOR MEMBER UPON RELATIVE MOVEMENT THEREBETWEEN TO PROVIDE FLUID PRESSURE AND FLOW TO SAID HYDROSTATIC BEARING MEANS; SIGNAL GENERTOR MEANS FOR SENSING THE ROTARY MOVEMENT OF SAID GIMBAL ELEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID HOUSING MEANS ABOUT SAID SECOND AND SAID THIRD AXIS; AND TORQUE GENERATOR MEANS FOR EXERTING A FORCE ON SAID GIMBAL ELEMENT TENDING TO REBALANCE THE ROTARY MOVEMENT OF SAID GIMBAL ELEMENT.