Gyrocompass

US4379365A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Teldix GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Heinz Riethmuller · Sandhausen, DE
• Rainer Sindlinger · Hirschberg, DE
• Peter Schultz · Phoenix, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 1, 1980
• Grant date: Apr 12, 1983
• Expiry date: Dec 1, 2000

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01C19/38
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A gyrocompass including a first gimbal, a gyro motor mounted in the first gimbal and including a gyro rotor mounted to rotate about a horizontally alignable spin axis, a pendulous body in which the first gimbal is mounted to be rotatable about a vertically alignable axis of rotation, a housing in which the body is rotatably suspended, a verticality device associated with the body for allowing the body to assume an orientation in the housing in which the axis of rotation is vertical, and a follow-up device including a pickup mounted for sensing the angular position, about the axis of rotation, of the gimbal relative to the body and a drive connected for rotating the body relative to the housing about the axis of rotation in dependence on the position sensed by the pickup. The drive can be constituted by a stepping motor constructed to rotate in highly uniform steps and simultaneously serving to provide an indication of the angular position of the body relative to the housing about the axis of rotation. Alternatively, the drive can be constituted by a stepping motor constructed to rotate in highly uniform steps, the follow-up device can include a restraining circuit and a torquer con…