Paper
8 September 2011 Highly sensitive rotation sensing based on orthogonal fiber-optic structures
Yi Yang, Zi-nan Wang, Lian-yu Xu, Cui-yun Wang, Lei Jia, Xiao-qi Yu, Shan Shao, Zheng-bin Li
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
In traditional fiber-optic gyroscopes (FOG), the polarization state of counter propagating waves is critically controlled, and only the mode polarized along one particular direction survives. This is important for a traditional single mode fiber gyroscope as the requirement of reciprocity. However, there are some fatal defects such as low accuracy and poor bias stability in traditional structures. In this paper, based on the idea of polarization multiplexing, a double-polarization structure is put forward and experimentally studied. In highly birefringent fibers or standard single mode fibers with induced anisotropy, two orthogonal polarization modes can be used at the same time. Therefore, in polarization maintaining fibers (PMF), each pair of counter propagating beams preserve reciprocity within their own polarization state. Two series of sensing results are gotten in the fast and slow axes in PMF. The two sensing results have their own systematic drifts and the correlation of random noise in them is approximately zero. So, beams in fast and slow axes work as two independent and orthogonal gyroscopes. In this way, amount of information is doubled, providing opportunity to eliminate noise and improve sensitivity. Theoretically, this double-polarization structure can achieve a sensitivity of 10-18 deg/h. Computer simulation demonstrates that random noise and systematic drifts are largely reduced in this novel structure. In experiment, a forty-hour stability test targeting the earth's rotation velocity is carried out. Experiment result shows that the orthogonal fiber-optic structure has two big advantages compared with traditional ones. Firstly, the structure gets true value without any bias correction in any axis and even time-varying bias does not affect the acquisition of true value. The unbiasedness makes the structure very attractive when sudden disturbances or temperature drifts existing in working environment. Secondly, the structure lowers bias for more than two orders and enhances bias stability for an order higher (compared with single axis result), achieving a bias stability of 0.01 deg/h. The evidences from all aspects convincingly show that the orthogonal fiber-optic structure is robust against environmental disturbance and material defects, achieving high stability and sensitivity.
© (2011) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Yi Yang, Zi-nan Wang, Lian-yu Xu, Cui-yun Wang, Lei Jia, Xiao-qi Yu, Shan Shao, and Zheng-bin Li "Highly sensitive rotation sensing based on orthogonal fiber-optic structures", Proc. SPIE 8191, International Symposium on Photoelectronic Detection and Imaging 2011: Sensor and Micromachined Optical Device Technologies, 81910A (8 September 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.897122
Lens.org Logo
CITATIONS
Cited by 3 scholarly publications.
Advertisement
Advertisement
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission  Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace
KEYWORDS
Polarization

Fiber optics

Gyroscopes

Signal detection

Fiber optic gyroscopes

Signal processing

Single mode fibers

Back to Top