Description
The first experimental ring laser gyroscope was demonstrated in the US by Macek and Davis in 1963. Various organizations worldwide subsequently developed ring-laser technology further. Many tens of thousands of RLGs are operating in inertial navigation systems and have established high accuracy, with better than 0.01°/hour bias uncertainty, and mean time between failures in excess of 60,000 hours.
Ring laser gyroscopes can be used as the stable elements (for one degree of freedom each) in an inertial reference system. The advantage of using an RLG is that there are no moving parts. Compared to the conventional spinning gyroscope, this means there is no friction, which in turn means there will be no inherent drift terms. Additionally, the entire unit is compact, lightweight and virtually indestructible, making it suitable for use in aircraft. Unlike a mechanical gyroscope, the device does not resist changes to its orientation.
Primary applications of the laser gyroscope include navigation systems on commercial airliners, ships and spacecraft, where RLGs are often part of Air Data Inertial Reference Units. In these applications, it has replaced its mechanical counterpart, the inertial guidance system.
Read more about this topic: Ring Laser Gyroscope
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—Horace Walpole (1717–1797)
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