Evaluation of Ring Laser and Fiber Optic Gyroscope Technology

In past years much interest has been shown in the development of optical gyroscopes which offer the potential of solid state, highly reliable performance immune from many of the mechanical effects which restrict the performance of conventional spinning mass gyroscopes. Both ring laser and fiber optic gyros operate by sensing the difference in propagation time between beams of light traveling in clockwise and counter-clockwise directions about some closed optical path [1]. This paper presents a brief overview of optical gyroscopes and examines their suitability to a particular application where the current mechanical device has exhibited poor reliability. Conclusions are formulated that support the recommendation of developing an open loop, analog fiber optic gyroscope which will satisfy the requirements of the particular application of interest as well as those of similar systems. With the advent of laser technology in the 1960’s, a concentrated effort began to replace rotating mass gyros with devices utilizing circulating light. This effort resulted in the development of laser gyroscopes for certain high performance applications such as aircraft navigation. More recently, a parallel effort has emerged to develop fiber optics gyroscopes which can potentially be smaller, more rugged, and less costly than laser gyros.