Full-freedom gimballess gyroscope system

Claim 2

A gyroscope system comprising: a body defining a spherical cavity; a spherical, hollow float disposed within said cavity; a gyroscope rotor within said float, journaled for rotation about a selected spin axis through the center of said float; driving means contained within said float for rotating said rotor; a support system including a relatively low viscosity flotation fluid having a density of approximately the same density as said float and completely surrounding said float within said cavity to maintain the outer surface of said float out of mechanical contact with said body; energy radiating means carried for rotation at the periphery of said rotor, said float being permeable to the energy radiated; and, sensing means attached to said body and responsive to the energy radiated from the rotor for generating output signals indicative of the orientation of said spin axis with respect to said body.

Claim 3

The gyroscope system of claim 1 wherein: said energy radiating means consists of diametrically opposed magnetic pole pieces of opposite polarity for radiating a magnetic field from the periphery of said rotor, said float being of a nonmagnetic material; and, said sensing means comprises three magnetic field sensing coils mounted within said cavity to encircle said float, each said coil lying substantially in a plane mutually orthogonal with respect to the planes of the other coils, and each said coil having a central axis extending perpendicular to the plane of said coil.

Claim 4

The gyroscope system of claim 2 wherein: said flotation system further includes a plurality of hydrostatic bearing pads defining the interior of said cavity, each having a spherical bearing surface corresponding substantially to the quadrature spherical segment defined between the orthogonally arranged sensing coils.

Claim 5

The gyroscope system of claim 2 further comprising: circuit means connected to receive said output signals from each of said sensing coils and responsive to the amplitude of said output signals for generating directional outputs indicative of the angular displacement of said spin axis of the float from each of said coil axes.

Claim 6

The gyroscope system of claim 2 further comprising: circuit means connected to receive said output signals from each of said sensing coils for detecting the phase of each of said output signals and the relative phase sequence of the output signals from each of said sensing coils; and, means responsive to the differences in phase and the detected phase sequence for providing directional outputs indicative of the angular displacement of said spin axis from each of said coil axes.

Claim 7

The gyroscope system of claim 2 further comprising: circuit means connected to receive the output signals from each of said sensing coils and responsive to said output signals for generating directional outputs indicative of the angular displacement of said spin axis from each of said coil axes.

Claim 8

The gyroscope system of claim 1 wherein: said driving means includes a direct current motor powered by battery means carried within said float.

Claim 9

The gyroscope system of claim 7 wherein: said motor includes a generally cylindrical stator comprising a plurality of windings, said stator being mounted concentric of said spin axis; a generally cylindrical, permanent magnet rotor having a central, concentric opening for receiving said stator, said rotor being journaled for rotation about said stator concentrically therewith; and, an optical brush system comprising light source means disposed about said spin axis adjacent said rotor, a plurality of photocell means each associated with one of said stator windings and disposed about said spin axis to be selectively activated by said light source for providing current flow in a given direction through the associated armature winding, and optical shutter means carried by said rotor and interposed between said light source means and said photocell means for selectively activating each of said photocell circuits in synchronization with the rotation of said rotor.

Claim 10

The gyroscope system of claim 3 further comprising: a source of electrical power external to said spherical cavity; first and second conductive segments forming the spherical exterior surface of said float at opposite ends of said spin axis, each of said bearing pads having a conductive surface adjacent said float; gating means responsive to said coil outputs for selectively providing electrical power from said source to the oppositely disposed pairs of said bearing pads having their conductive surface immediately adjacent said conductive segments on said float, said electrical power being transferred from the surface of said bearing pads to the conductive segments on said float; and, in which: said rotor driving means includes a motor meaNs and a power control circuit within said float connected to said conductive segments to supply the transferred electrical power to said motor.

Claim 11

The gyroscope system of claim 9 wherein: said external source of electrical power is a high frequency alternating current source; said motor in a direct current motor; said power control circuit includes a rectifier circuit connected between said conductive segments to rectify the high frequency alternating current transferred from said bearing pads to provide direct current for driving said motor; and, said flotation fluid is a nonconductive insulative liquid having good dielectric properties.

Claim 12

The gyroscope system of claim 9 wherein: said external source of electrical power constitutes a high frequency alternating current source; said motor is an alternating current motor operating at a relatively low frequency; said power control circuit includes a frequency divider circuit connected to said conductive segments to receive the high frequency alternating current power transferred from said selected bearing pads and for providing relatively low frequency alternating current for operating said motor; and, said flotation fluid is a nonconductive insulative fluid having good dielectric properties.

Claim 13

The gyroscope system of claim 9 wherein: said external electrical supply source is a source of direct current; said flotation fluid is conductive but has a relatively low conductivity; said motor is a direct current motor; and, said power control circuit includes a voltage regulator circuit connected to said conductive segments for supplying the direct current power transferred from said bearing pads at a predetermined voltage to drive said motor.

Claim 14

A gyroscope system for use in high accelerational environments comprising: a body defining a spherical cavity; a spherical, hollow float disposed within said cavity; a flotation system including a flotation fluid for supporting said spherical float out of mechanical contact with said body and with approximately zero buoyancy for free rotational movement within said cavity; a gyro rotor having a spin axis; means for rotatably supporting said gyro rotor within said float with its spin axis extending along an axis of said float; drive means contained within said float for rotating said rotor; and, means attached to said body within said spherical cavity and responsive to the rotation of said rotor for sensing the angular position of said spin axis relative to selected axes of said body structure.

Claim 15

A gyroscope system for use in high accelerational environments comprising: a body defining a spherical cavity; a spherical, hollow float disposed within said cavity; a flotation system including a flotation fluid for supporting said spherical float out of mechanical contact with said body and with approximately zero buoyancy for free rotational movement within said cavity; a gyro rotor having a spin axis; means for rotatably supporting said gyro rotor within said float with its spin axis extending along an axis of said float; drive means contained within said float for rotating said rotor; and, means attached to said body within said spherical cavity and responsive to the rotation of said rotor for sensing the angular position of said spin axis relative to selected axes of said body structure.

Claim 16

The gyro system of claim 13 in which: said means for rotatably supporting said gyro rotor includes symmetrically disposed, axially extending hub portions on opposite ends of said rotor, an axle fixedly mounted within said float along said float axis, and duplex bearings spaced equidistant from a plane of symmetry perpendicular to said float axis for supporting said rotor, each said duplex bearing including a radially outer race comprising a filleted projection on said hub directed radially inwardly, a radially inner race comprising a split collar mounted on said axle and having a circumferential, cup-shaped depression into which said outer race extends; and, axially inner and outer sets of ball elements interposed between said outer race and said inner race, said split collar adapted to be axially shimmed for preloading said bearing.

Claim 17

The gyro system of claim 13 further comprising: a plurality of hydrostatic bearing pads affixed to said body structure within said cavity and providing spherical bearing surfaces conforming to spherical segments of the exterior surface of said float; and, means within said body structure for delivering said flotation fluid under pressure through a central opening in the bearing surface of said bearing pads to thereby support the exterior surface of said float.

Claim 18

The gyro system of claim 13 further comprising: A caging apparatus consisting of a plurality of caging pins mounted within said body structure for reciprocal movement toward and away from said spherical cavity; said float including a plurality of caging pin receptacles formed in said float for receiving said caging pins; and, means for reciprocally moving said caging pins to selectively insert them within said receptacles to hold said float with its selected axis aligned with a predetermined axis of the body structure to prevent rotation of said float during acceleration of said rotor to the desired spin rate.

Claim 19

The gyro system of claim 16 wherein: said driving means includes a DC spin motor disposed within said float, said motor including a permanent magnet carried by said rotor and a plurality of stator windings mounted within said float in operative relation with said permanent magnet, and power supply means consisting of a plurality of battery cells mounted within said float to supply operating power to said stator windings.

Claim 20

The gyro system of claim 17 further comprising: means for supplying direct current from a source external to said float connected to said plurality of caging pins, said caging pins each having a conductive core for coupling said direct current power to the tip, said caging pin receptacles in said float having means for selectively contacting the tips of said caging pins to couple said direct current power from the external source to said stator windings for supplying operating power during acceleration of said rotor to the desired spin rate; and, circuit means connected between said battery cells and said stator windings for disconnecting said battery cells from said stator windings whenever the caging pins are inserted and for permitting the flow of operating current from said battery cells to said stator windings when the caging pins are withdrawn from the caging pin receptacles.

Claim 21

A gyroscope reference system comprising: a pair of gyroscope systems, each gyroscope system including: a body defining a spherical cavity; a spherical float disposed within said cavity; hydrostatic bearing means for suspending said float within said cavity completely out of mechanical contact with said body; gyro rotor means mounted for rotation within said float about an axis fixed with respect to said float; means contained within said float for rotatably driving said motor; and, three dimensional pickoff means attached to said body and cooperating with said float for sensing the attitude of said float relative to said body; means for mounting said pair of gyroscope systems; and, signal conditioning means responsive to said pickoff means of said pair of gyroscope systems and having outputs representing the angular displacement of selected axes of said mounting means from reference axes.

Claim 22

A gyroscope reference system comprising: a pair of gyroscope systems, each gyroscope system including: a body defining a spherical cavity; a spherical float disposed within said cavity; hydrostatic bearing means for suspending said float within said cavity completely out of mechanical contact with said body; gyro rotor means mounted for rotation within said float about an axis fixed with respect to said float; means contained within said float for rotatably driving said motor; and, three dimensional pickoff means attached to said body and cooperating with said float for sensing the attitude of said float relative to said body; means for mounting said pair of gyroscope systems; and, signal conditioning means responsive to said pickoff means of said pair of gyroscope systems and having outputs representing the angular displacement of selected axes of said mounting means from reference axes.

Claim 23

An all-attitude reference system for use in a vehicle, said vehicle having pitch, yaw and roll axes, comprising: a pair of gyro systems, each system including: a body defining a cavity; a spherical float disposed within said cavity; hydrostatic bearing means for suspending said float within said cavity completely out of mechanical contact with said body; gyro rotor means mounted for rotation within said float about a spin axis fixed with respect to said float, said rotor carrying magnet means generating a magnetic flux, said float being permeable to said flux; pickoff means including three mutually orthogonal planar coils attached to said body about said cavity, each said coil producing an electrical signal when cut by said flux during rotor rotation, said pickoff means having outputs; and, caging means carried by said body, said caging means being selectively actuatable to engage and hold said float in fixed relation to said body; means for fixedly supporting said bodies of said pair of gyro systems in said vehicle with the planes of said coils of said coils of one gyro system parallel to the planeS of the coils of the other gyro system, said coils having a known orientation with respect to said vehicle pitch, yaw and roll axes; and, signal conditioning means responsive to the outputs of said coils, said signal conditioning means including means for providing output signals representing the angular deviation of said vehicle pitch, yaw and roll axes from a set of references axes, said caging means being operable to preset the spin axes of said rotors at a known angular relation with each other and the reference axes.

Claim 24

An all-attitude reference system for use in a vehicle, said vehicle having pitch, yaw and roll axes, comprising: a pair of gyro systems, each system including: a body defining a cavity; a spherical float disposed within said cavity; hydrostatic bearing means for suspending said float within said cavity completely out of mechanical contact with said body; gyro rotor means mounted for rotation within said float about a spin axis fixed with respect to said float, said rotor carrying magnet means generating a magnetic flux, said float being permeable to said flux; pickoff means including three mutually orthogonal planar coils attached to said body about said cavity, each said coil producing an electrical signal when cut by said flux during rotor rotation, said pickoff means having outputs; and, caging means carried by said body, said caging means being selectively actuatable to engage and hold said float in fixed relation to said body; means for fixedly supporting said bodies of said pair of gyro systems in said vehicle with the planes of said coils of said coils of one gyro system parallel to the planeS of the coils of the other gyro system, said coils having a known orientation with respect to said vehicle pitch, yaw and roll axes; and, signal conditioning means responsive to the outputs of said coils, said signal conditioning means including means for providing output signals representing the angular deviation of said vehicle pitch, yaw and roll axes from a set of references axes, said caging means being operable to preset the spin axes of said rotors at a known angular relation with each other and the reference axes.

Claim 25

A gyro system comprising: a body defining a cavity; a float disposed within said cavity; means for suspending said float within said cavity to permit complete rotational freedom of said float relative to said body; gyro rotor means mounted for rotation within said float about a spin axis fixed with respect to said float; means contained within said float for rotatably driving said rotor; and, means attached to said body and cooperating with said float for sensing the attitude of said float relative to said body.

Claim 26

A gyro system comprising: a body defining a cavity; a float disposed within said cavity; means for suspending said float within said cavity to permit complete rotational freedom of said float relative to said body; gyro rotor means mounted for rotation within said float about a spin axis fixed with respect to said float; means contained within said float for rotatably driving said rotor; and, means attached to said body and cooperating with said float for sensing the attitude of said float relative to said body.

Claim 27

A gyro system, as defined in claim 21, in which: said attitude sensing means includes inductor means attached to said body, said rotor including magnet means for inducing a current in said inductor during rotation of said rotor.

Claim 28

A gyro system, as defined in claim 21, in which: said rotor driving means includes a motor powered by electrical cell means.

Claim 29

A gyro comprising a float suspended in a fluid completely surrounding said float and contained within a body, said float having complete rotational freedom within said body, said float housing a gyro rotor having a spin axis fixed with respect to said float and means operatively associated with said rotor for driving said rotor, whereby, during rotation of said rotor, said float remains fixed in inertial space with respect to said body, irrespective of the position of said body relative to said float, said gyro further including sensing means attached to said body for sensing the relative orientation of said body and said float.

Claim 30

A gyro comprising a float suspended in a fluid completely surrounding said float and contained within a body, said float having complete rotational freedom within said body, said float housing a gyro rotor having a spin axis fixed with respect to said float and means operatively associated with said rotor for driving said rotor, whereby, during rotation of said rotor, said float remains fixed in inertial space with respect to said body, irrespective of the position of said body relative to said float, said gyro further including sensing means attached to said body for sensing the relative orientation of said body and said float.

Claim 31

The gyroscope system of claim 1 wherein said driving means comprises: an electric motor; a power supply source; and, circuit means responsive to the rotational speed of said rotor for controlling the amount of electric power supplied by said source to drive said motor and maintain said rotor at a desired rotational speed.

Claim 32

The gyroscope system of claim 25 wherein said circuit means comprises: a sensing coil disposed within said electrical motor for generating a speed signal having an amplitude proportional to the rotational speed of said rotor; means coupled to said power supply for generating a reference signal having an amplitude indicative of the desired rotational speed; comparison means for comparing the amplitudes of said speed signal and said reference signal to generate an output signal indicative of the amplitude difference; and, control means responsive to the output signal for reducing the flow of electrical power from said power supply means to said electric motor as the rotor approaches said desired rotational speed.

Claim 33

The gyroscope system of claim 26 wherein: said electrical motor is a direct current motor including magnetic poles carried by said rotor, a plurality of stator windings disposed within said rotor adjacent said magnetic poles, and an optical commutation system including light source means operated by power from said supply source, photocell circuits responsive to the impingement of light from said light source means for selectively gating electrical power from said power supply means to said stator windings, and an optical shutter means carried by said rotor for energizing said photocell circuits in synchronization with the rotation of said rotor; and, said control means comprises means for connecting said output signal from said comparison means to vary the application of operating power to said light sourcE means, whereby the light produced by said light source means is reduced as the rotational speed of said rotor approaches said desired speed.

Claim 34

A gyroscope system for operation under varying acceleration loads comprising: a gyro rotor; a direct current electrical motor for driving said rotor including opposite magnetic poles carried by said rotor and a plurality of stator windings disposed within said rotor adjacent said magnetic poles, and a commutation system for selectively distributing operating power to said stator windings in synchronization with the rotation of said rotor; a sensing winding disposed adjacent said stator windings for generating a speed signal having an amplitude indicative of the rotational speed of said rotor; and, control means responsive to said speed signal for reducing the operating power applied to said stator windings as the rotational speed of said rotor approaches a desired speed.

Claim 35

A gyroscope system for operation under varying acceleration loads comprising: a gyro rotor; a direct current electrical motor for driving said rotor including opposite magnetic poles carried by said rotor and a plurality of stator windings disposed within said rotor adjacent said magnetic poles, and a commutation system for selectively distributing operating power to said stator windings in synchronization with the rotation of said rotor; a sensing winding disposed adjacent said stator windings for generating a speed signal having an amplitude indicative of the rotational speed of said rotor; and, control means responsive to said speed signal for reducing the operating power applied to said stator windings as the rotational speed of said rotor approaches a desired speed.

Claim 36

The gyroscope system of claim 28 wherein: said commutation system is an optical system having light source means, photocell circuits responsive to the impingement of light from said light source means for selectively gating electrical power to said stator winding to drive said rotor, an optical shutter means carried for rotation by said rotor for energizing said photocell circuits in synchronization with the rotation of said rotor; and, control means responsive to said speed signal for reducing operating power supplied to said light source means whereby the light impinging upon said photocell circuits is reduced as said rotor approaches a desired speed.

Claim 37

The gyroscope system of claim 28 wherein said control means comprises: means for establishing a reference signal with an amplitude indicative of the desired rotational speed of the rotor; a comparison circuit for comparing the amplitudes of said speed signal and said reference signal to produce an output voltage indicative of the amplitude difference; and, means coupling said output signal to vary the power supplied to said light source means.