Gyroscope alignment in vehicle - uses comparison of gimbal spin and vehicle longitudinal axes to align north seeking gyroscope

摘要

To align north seeking gyroscope mounted in a gimbal in a vehicle, the gimbal spin axis alignment is determined, when the vehicle is at rest. This measurement is stored as a reference value. During subsequent motion the course is derived from the reference value and the angle between the gimbal spin axis and the vehicle longitudinal axis. A computer contains the reference store. A counter is connected to it and the gimbal. Small error angles w.r.t. the north direction are corrected using the derived signal.