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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7907284 | Enhanced scale factor ring laser gyroscope An embodiment of the invention enhances the rotation sensitivity and decreases the dead band width of a standard HeNe ring laser gyroscope (RLG), with the highest enhancement at low rotation rates. The addition of a gas with nuclear spin to the traditional HeNe gain... | 03/15/2011 |
| 7382463 | Methods and systems for improving optical flatness in a path length control driver A piezoelectric transducer is described that is configured for use within a path length control apparatus of an optical device. The transducer comprises at least one void formed within a central region of the piezoelectric transducer, the one void or alternatively, ... | 06/03/2008 |
| 7336022 | Piezoelectrical bending converter Piezoelectrical bending converter with at least one monolithic layered composite, includes a piezoelectric-active ceramic layer with a lateral dimension change which may be generated by application of an electrical field and at least one further piezoelectric-active... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7271915 | System, circuit and method for off-mode-peak operation of ring laser gyroscopes A system, circuit and method are disclosed for operating a Ring Laser Gyroscope (RLG) off-mode-peak to avoid exciting undesirable transverse modes. An alternate PLC operating point can be used to bias the optical path length of the RLG to an appropriate side of an i... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7265919 | Flange assembly of an optical system A flange assembly of an optical system has a first flange, a compensation element and a second flange. The flanges and the compensation element are substantially axially symmetric both flanges (2, 2′) being suitable for being connected to other components o... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7100445 | Rotation rate sensor comprising a vibration gyroscope In a rotation rate sensor having a vibrational gyroscope which is part of at least one control loop which excites the vibrational gyroscope by supplying an excitation signal at its natural frequency, the vibrational gyroscope provides an output signal from which a n... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7068373 | Piezoelectric transducer configured for use as a path length control apparatus for an optical device comprising a central void region A path length control apparatus (PLC) for a ring laser gyroscope (RLG) provides a flattened surface for reflecting a laser beam. The flattened surface is achieved by providing a void behind the mirror in the laser beam area thus separating this area from stresses in... | 06/27/2006 |
| 6992442 | Restricted getter A getter is a porous sintered metallic alloy used to absorb non-inert gases. The getter is placed in a getter well of a ring laser gyroscope system or other gas discharge system. The getter well is any enclosure in which a getter resides. The getter absorbs oxygen, ... | 01/31/2006 |
| 6921177 | High precision mirror, and a method of making it A mirror includes: a substrate having a surface; and a thin-film finish layer provided over the surface of the substrate and having on a side thereof opposite from the substrate a surface with a polished finish. According to a different aspect of the invention, a me... | 07/26/2005 |
| 6069699 | Triaxial laser rate gyro symmetrized with respect to its axis of activation The rate gyro according to the invention comprises, in one optical block, three optical cavities (B, C, D) of square shape which are devised in such a way that each of the corners of a cavity (B, C, D) coincides and communicates with the corner of another... | 05/30/2000 |
| 5926274 | Very low expansion radiation hardened transmission medium A output mirror with a substrate that is doped with a radiation stabilizing material is used to reduce the adverse effects of long periods of exposure to radiation. The output mirror is capable of maintaining its transmissive characteristics when exposed ... | 07/20/1999 |
| 5867269 | RLG mirror conditioning and cathode oxidation process A method performed during the processing of a ring laser gyro (RLG) will produce a long life in the RLG. The method includes filling the RLG with a gas mixture. A current is discharged within the RLG which will create certain reactions to condition the RL... | 02/02/1999 |
| 5854677 | RLG optical noise injector An RLG OPTICAL NOISE INJECTOR places a random signal on a PZT driving one mirror controlling the optical path length (OPL) of a ring laser gyro (RLG) and the negative of the signal on a PZT driving a second mirror controlling the OPL. The OPL is therefore... | 12/29/1998 |
| 5818591 | Tailoring the RLG mirror lifetime by changing the mirror to plasma distance spacing Mirrors are tested separately at different distances to plasma in separate ring laser gyros. Testing mirrors a predetermined distance away from plasma in the gyros allows accelerated testing of the environment of the mirrors in gyros. The test results are... | 10/06/1998 |
| 5469258 | Ring laser gyroscope with tilting mirrors A ring laser gyro has tilting mirrors that can be sinusoidally tilted and therefore cause the optical path defined by the mirrors to be sinusoidally rotated (dithered). The dithering of the mirrors takes place in an angular motion. The mirrors are driven ... | 11/21/1995 |
| 5420685 | Electrostatic path length control transducer A path length control transducer assembly is created by utilizing an electrostatic drive to move a transducer. By placing a first electrically conductive plate to a driver, and placing a second electrically conductive plate on the movable element of a tra... | 05/30/1995 |
| 5416583 | Quantum well bias mirror for phase modulation in a ring laser gyroscope A quantum well bias mirror 30 provides phase modulation to two counter-propagating beams in a ring laser gyroscope so as to reduce or eliminate the effects of lock-in. The phase modulation is caused by inducing an index of refraction change, known as the ... | 05/16/1995 |
| 5359413 | System for substantially eleminating lock-in in a ring laser gyroscope A ring laser gyro system having at least one fixed mirror, and two movable mirror assemblies, for causing a pair of laser beams to counter-rotate therebetween, including amplitude control circuits and a phase control circuit for causing the movable mirror... | 10/25/1994 |
| 5323228 | Cavity length controller for ring laser gyroscope applications A mechanically self-stabilized cavity length controller for use within a ring laser gyroscope, including piezoelectric elements which are employed to move mirrors and effect a change of the laser path length. More particularly, a cavity length controller ... | 06/21/1994 |
| 5311280 | Laser light length control assembly for ring laser gyro A piezoelectric actuator for use in controlling the path length, for example, in a ring laser gyro is made of two piezoelectric discs attached to a metallic structure for exerting a push-pull force thereon to move the metallic structure in an oil can fash... | 05/10/1994 |
| 5230029 | Electromagnetic scattering in active guides Non-normal plane wave electromagnetic scattering from active guiding structures, such as dielectric films, generates large resonances at discrete plane-wave angles of incidence relative to an interface with the active film. These resonances are generated ... | 07/20/1993 |
| 5166949 | Method and apparatus for suppressing off-axis modes in laser and ring laser gyroscopes A dielectric interference film having a central region of one thickness and a peripheral region of a different thickness is superimposed on one of the mirrors of a ring laser gyroscope for the purpose of suppressing off-axis resonant modes that are charac... | 11/24/1992 |
| 5162870 | Substrate for ring laser gyro with nonuniform outer rim A mirror transducer substrate apparatus for mounting a light reflecting apparatus has outer walls of nonuniform thickness. The substrate apparatus has a mirror side and a driver side, the mirror side includes an optical surface. The optical surface includ... | 11/10/1992 |
| 5148076 | Apparatus for thermal tuning of path length control drivers A path length control driver apparatus includes a base plate having a first central member having first and second opposite ends, a first outer rim membr and a first flexible annular diaphragm area having first and second opposite sides. The first flexibl... | 09/15/1992 |
| 5116131 | Mirror transducer assembly for ring laser gyroscopes Disclosed herein is a Pathlength Control Assembly for Ring Laser Gyroscope comprising, in a preferred embodiment, a mirror, coupled to a mirror housing including a mirror post, wherein the mirror is mounted on (or is an integral part of) an axially deflec... | 05/26/1992 |
| 5116128 | Mirror transducer assembly for ring laser gyroscope Disclosed herein is a Pathlength Control Assembly for Ring Laser Gyroscope comprising, in a preferred embodiment, a mirror, coupled to a mirror housing including a mirror post, wherein the mirror is mounted on an axially deflectable membrane of the housin... | 05/26/1992 |
| 5084898 | Passive pathlength control mirror for laser A laser mirror mounting arrangement for a laser formed within a laser body is shown. The mounting arrangement includes a mounting base mounted upon the laser body. A stem is attached to the mounting base to which, in turn, the laser mirror is mounted. The... | 01/28/1992 |
| 5056920 | Low cost ring laser angular rate sensor including thin fiber glass bonding of components to a laser block A ring laser angular rate sensor is constructed from a solid block with mirror assemblies joined to the block a by thermally formed and gas tight seal comprised of a thin film of glass.... | 10/15/1991 |
| 5015619 | Superconducting mirror for laser gyroscope A superconductive mirror assembly whose reflectivity can be varied is disclosed. This assembly contains an optionally transparent substrate, a superconductive film formed on the substrate, means for measuring the temperature of the superconductive film, m... | 05/14/1991 |
| 4968136 | Ring laser gyro and magnetic mirror therefor A laser gyroscope is formed as a sealed, unitary assembly of mirrors optically contacted to a monolithic gyro block without any means, such as Brewster windows, for isolating the laser plasma from any of the mirrors. The mirrors are fabricated with hard m... | 11/06/1990 |
| 4933592 | Mirror transducer control circuit A drive assembly and control circuit for a mirror assembly. Two piezoelectric discs are mounted on a diaphragm which is centrally connected to the mirror to move it. The drive circuit includes a source and first and second control means responsive to firs... | 06/12/1990 |
| 4915492 | Mirror transducer assembly with selected thermal compensation In the present invention, a mirror transducer assembly is comprised of a mirror assembly and a driver assembly. Both the mirror assembly and the driver assembly include a diaphragm portion surrounding an integral central post member. The central post memb... | 04/10/1990 |
| 4904083 | Partially transparent mirror for a ring laser Provided herein is a ring laser gyro system having a special and improved partially transparent output mirror which provides relatively undistorted circularly polarized coherent light beams to the photo detector and amplifier of the system from the laser ... | 02/27/1990 |
| 4884283 | Ring laser gyroscope mirror orientation system and method A method and system of ring laser gyroscope mirror orientation is disclosed which provides minimal backscatter within the closed optical pathway as a result of analysis and manipulation of the speckle pattern associated with each of the mirrors defining t... | 11/28/1989 |
| 4865451 | Silicon substrate mirror assembly for lasers Discloses a mirror chip and mirror assembly for ring laser angular rate sensors. A mirror assembly utilizes a silicon substrate upon which is deposited in mirror material. The silicon substrate is then affixed to a second substrate by a thermally sealable... | 09/12/1989 |
| 4861161 | Method of constructing a moment insensitive pathlength control mirror assembly for a ring laser gyroscope In a precision ring laser gyroscope, to eliminate the effect of an unwanted and unintentional moment generated as a result of a force being applied onto a pathlength controller, a pathlength control assembly is constructed to have optimal hub and diaphrag... | 08/29/1989 |
| 4848909 | Ion beam sputtered mirrors for ring laser gyros Disclosed is a ring laser angular rate sensor constructed from a solid block with mirror assemblies joined to the block with a thermally formed gas tight seal. The mirror assemblies include a coating of alternating layers of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2 | 07/18/1989 |
| 4836677 | Ring laser cavity length control mirror assembly A cavity length control assembly for a ring laser gyro includes a mirror support to which a piezoelectric plate is mounted. The piezoelectric plate is mounted at a center post of the mirror support with a preload tension. An outer perimeter of the piezoel... | 06/06/1989 |
| 4831632 | Method and apparatus for optically aligning a laser cavity A method and apparatus for aligning the mirrors of a laser cavity while the cavity is lasing. The orientation of the reflecting surface of the mirror in a laser cavity is modified by deforming the rear surface of the mirror in order to achieve a desired o... | 05/16/1989 |
| 4824253 | Glass driver for laser mirror A device for driving a mirror of a laser cavity has a deflectable body which matches the mirror in coefficient of thermal expansion and acts in response to forces from one or more piezoelectric elements. The piezoelectric elements deflect a membrane of th... | 04/25/1989 |
