SAGNAC EFFECT BASED RADIO FREQUENCY ELECTRONIC GYROSCOPE INCORPORATED IN CMOS INTEGRATED CIRCUIT

摘要

A radio frequency based electronic gyroscope function that may be incorporated in its entirety on a monolithic integrated circuit (IC). The detection and measurement of movement in a particular plane is based on the Sagnac effect as it applies to a radio frequency signal that propagates in two different directions in a loop that may be subject to rotational perturbation. In one embodiment, three mutually perpendicular loops that are incorporated into the same integrated circuit and are used to detect and measure movement in three planes (roll, pitch and yaw) thereby allowing a signal processing unit to quantify a general three dimensional movement. The gyroscope can be incorporated into an IC that is used in portable device, such as a mobile handset, to provide it with inertial navigation and movement detection and measurement capabilities.

主权项

1. A radio frequency (RF) electronic gyroscope, comprising:
a passive closed loop consisting of an RF transmission medium that acts as a resonator and accommodates propagation of an RF signal; a first directional coupler operative at any instance in time to either provide a sample of a first signal propagating in said loop in a clockwise direction or to inject an amplified second signal into said loop in a counterclockwise direction; a second directional coupler operative at any instance in time to either provide a sample of said second signal propagating in said loop in a counterclockwise direction or to inject an amplified said first signal into said loop in a clockwise direction; an RF amplifier circuit operative to amplify an input signal to generate an output signal; a switch matrix operative to connect an output of either said first directional coupler or said second directional coupler to said amplifier circuit input or to terminate the input of said amplifier and to connect the output of said amplifier circuit for injection to the loop through either said first directional coupler or said second directional coupler or to terminate the output of said amplifier; and a detector circuit operative to calculate, in accordance with a Sagnac effect, the rate or amount of rotation of said gyroscope based on said first signal and said second signal.