RESONANCE INTERFEROMETRIC FIBER OPTICAL GYRO FOR HIGH-G ENVIRONMENT

THE OPTICAL RATE SENSOR, ESPECIALLY THE INTERFEROMETRIC FIBER OPTICAL GYRO (IFOG) SYSTEM HAS THE QUALITIES TO PERFORM THROUGH HIGH-G SHOCK ENVIRONMENT. HOWEVER, ITS HIGH COST HAS MADE ITS USE IN MANY LOW COST SMART WEAPONS IMPRACTICAL. IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE COST OF IFOGS, MATERIAL COSTS MUST BE REDUCED DRAMATICALLY AND THE MANUFACTURING METHODOLOGY MUST BE IMPROVED. PHYSICAL OPTICS CORPORATION (POC) PROPOSES TO MANUFACTURE A VARIANT (ALSO CALLED THE RESONANCE INTERFEROMETRIC FIBER OPTICAL GYRO [RIFOG]) OF THE CONVENTIONAL IFOG WHICH REUSES THE ROTATION SENSING FIBER HUNDREDS OF TIMES, THEREFORE REDUCING THE FIBER LENGTH REQUIREMENT OF EXPENSIVE FIBER BY A FACTOR OF A FEW HUNDRED. THE SUPPORTING INTEGRATED OPTICAL CIRCUITRY WILL ALSO BE MANUFACTURED IN INEXPENSIVE SODA LIME GLASS INSTEAD OF EXOTIC ELECTRO-OPTIC MATERIALS. HOLOGRAPHIC GRATING COUPLERS WILL BE USED ON THE TOP SURFACE OF THE OPTICAL CIRCUIT SUBSTRATE SO THE END-FIRING INPUT COUPLING SCHEME WITH A HIGH FAILURE RATE WILL BE ELIMINATED. THE RIFOG WILL HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER MAJOR COMPONENTS. WITH THE ADVANCED REAL TIME INTEGRATION MONITORING SCHEME, THE COST OF HIGHLY AUTOMATED, FINAL ASSEMBLY OF THE RIFOG WILL BE REDUCED SIGNFICANTLY. IN ADDITION TO ITS LOW COST AND RESISTANCE TO HIGH-G SHOCK, THE RIFOG HAS A WIDE COST/PERFORMANCE RANGE SO IT IS SUITABLE FOR APPLICATIONS RANGING FROM JET AIRCRAFT GUIDANCE SYSTEMS TO DISPOSAL SMART WEAPON INERTIAL MEASUREMENT UNITS.