Ultra-Miniature Formless Fiber Coils for High Accuracy Fiber Optic Gyroscopes

The overall objective of this effort is to develop an innovative approach and defined process which will produce an ultra-miniature (small diameter) formless coil capable of withstanding a critical application environment. A key element of the process will be development of an adhesive specifically for the application, and a method to uniformly apply the adhesive during the critical winding process. The primary advantages of the formless coils are related to control and elimination of various thermal effects which will be encountered in most typical applications. Newly developed technology related to characterization of these thermal effects will be utilized for test and evaluation of the developed coils. Vibration is anticipated to have the most detrimental effect on the formless coils during use. For this reason, extensive vibration tests will be conducted using a developed vibration profile. Other critical issues including mounting methods, critical alignment concerns, and high acceleration effects are also addressed. Anticipated Benefits: Ultra-miniature formless fiber optic coils can be used in fiber optic gyroscopes for DUAL-USE application. A wide variety of government as well as commercial application exists. Military applications include missiles, aircraft, submarines, ships, SDI, satellites and spacecraft. Commercial applications inlcude passenger and cargo aircraft, cruise and cargo ships, robot positioning and control, and automobile navigation.