Angular rate sensor

Claim 2

An angular rate sensor for measuring the angular rate of change about a reference axis comprising: a. a housing; b. an elongated flexible vibrating rod secured at both ends in said housing and having first and second nodal points proximAte to its ends equidistant from the center of the rod; c. fluid damping means filling said housing; d. a first inertia means operative on the first nodal point of said rod; and d. first and second inertia means operative on the first and second nodal points, respectively, for adjusting the natural frequency of said rod and the position of said nodal points, whereby the nodal points may be adjusted to lie beyond the ends of said rod and said rod decoupled from external vibrations.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 comprising: electromagnetic drive means employing a DC reference voltage superimposed on an AC drive voltage said drive means initiating and sustaining oscillation of said rod.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 comprising: electromagnetic pickoff means for measuring the angular velocity between said plane of vibration and said predetermined reference plane.

Claim 5

An angular rate sensor comprising: a. a housing; b. an elongated vibrating member having an equal natural resonant frequency about its longitudinal axis positioned in said housing said vibrating member lying in the plane of the longitudinal axis of said housing and connected at its outboard ends to the end walls of said housing said outboard ends of said vibrating member having necked-down portions spaced equidistant from the ends walls of said housing said necked-down portions establishing nodal points about which said vibrating member maintains oscillation and mechanically decoupling said vibrating member from said end walls of said housing; c. means for driving said vibrating member into oscillation and for maintaining said oscillation; d. means in said housing for damping the oscillations of said vibrating member, e. means for measuring the angle between said plane of vibrations and a predetermined reference plane for translation into the angular rate of change about said reference point; and f. a pair of tubular inertia weights in said housing each attachable to said vibrating rod proximate said neck-down portions for adjusting the vibrating frequency of said vibrating member and adjusting the nodal points of said vibrating member to lie beyond the outboard ends of said vibrating member so that said necked-down portions constitute a hinge support.

Claim 6

An angular rate sensor comprising: a. a housing; b. an elongated vibrating member having an equal natural resonant frequency about its longitudinal axis positioned in said housing said vibrating member lying in the plane of the longitudinal axis of said housing and connected at its outboard ends to the end walls of said housing said outboard ends of said vibrating member having necked-down portions spaced equidistant from the ends walls of said housing said necked-down portions establishing nodal points about which said vibrating member maintains oscillation and mechanically decoupling said vibrating member from said end walls of said housing; c. means for driving said vibrating member into oscillation and for maintaining said oscillation; d. means in said housing for damping the oscillations of said vibrating member, e. means for measuring the angle between said plane of vibrations and a predetermined reference plane for translation into the angular rate of change about said reference point; and f. a pair of tubular inertia weights in said housing each attachable to said vibrating rod proximate said neck-down portions for adjusting the vibrating frequency of said vibrating member and adjusting the nodal points of said vibrating member to lie beyond the outboard ends of said vibrating member so that said necked-down portions constitute a hinge support.