| 摘要 |
A gimballed vibrating wheel gyroscope for detecting rotational rates in inertial space. The gyroscope includes a support oriented in a first plane and a wheel assembly disposed over the support parallel to the first plane. The wheel assembly is adapted for vibrating rotationally at a predetermined frequency in the first plane and is responsive to rotational rates about a coplanar input axis for providing an output torque about a coplanar output axis. The gyroscope also includes a post assembly extending between the support and the wheel assembly for supporting the wheel assembly. The wheel assembly has an inner hub, an outer wheel, and spoke flexures extending between the inner hub and the outer wheel and being stiff along both the input and output axes. A flexure is incorporated in the post assembly between the support and the wheel assembly inner hub and is relatively flexible along the output axis and relatively stiff along the input axis. With this arrangement, the wheel assembly is gimballed on the support. More particularly, the post flexure flexes in response to the output torque; whereas, the spoke flexures allow for the rotational vibration in the first plane. Also provided is a single semiconductor crystal fabrication technique which allows for improved device manufacture.
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