Fiber Optic Gyro Performance Improvement

To address the MDA’s need for an ultraprecise, compact, and lightweight fiber optic gyroscope (FOG), Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Micro-Fiber Optical Gyroscope (MIFOG). This proposed device is based on miniaturizing the size of the rotation-sensing fiber loop by replacing the conventional 80-micron fiber with a micro-fiber having a diameter of only 15-20 microns. To accomplish this goal, POC will develop a station for manufacturing the microfiber and packaging it into robust and compact sensing coils having standard fiber terminations on both ends for easy integration with existing gyro optical and electronic components. The reduction of the fiber size and weight will enable the MIFOG to become more compact and lightweight than the conventional FOGs, while at the same time achieving sensitivity up to 10 times higher by using much longer sensing fiber. In Phase I POC will demonstrate the feasibility of MIFOG by fabricating a 100-m long micro-fiber sensing element and demonstrating its capability for high-accuracy rotation sensing in gyroscopes. In Phase II POC plans to refine the micro-fiber manufacturing technology and produce highly sensitive and compact gyro coils with up to 10 km of ruggedized micro-fiber.