A rate gyro is a type of

gyroscope A gyroscope (from Ancient Greek γῦρος ''gŷros'', "round" and σκοπέω ''skopéō'', "to look") is a device used for measuring or maintaining orientation and angular velocity. It is a spinning wheel or disc in which the axis of rota ...

, which rather than indicating direction, indicates the rate of change of angle with time. If a gyro has only one gimbal ring, with consequently only one plane of freedom, it can be adapted for use as a rate gyro to measure a rate of angular movement. Rate gyros are used in

rate integrating gyroscope A Rate integrating gyroscope is a rate gyro with a built in integrator. It is usually a component of an Inertial Measurement Unit or a stabilization system. Principle of operation In a rate integrating gyroscope, the gyroscope is turned at a st ...

s, and in

attitude control system Spacecraft attitude control is the process of controlling the orientation of a spacecraft (vehicle/satellite) with respect to an inertial frame of reference or another entity such as the celestial sphere, certain fields, and nearby objects, et ...

s for vehicles, and in combination with other sensors to make

inertial navigation system An inertial navigation system (INS) is a navigation device that uses motion sensors (accelerometers), rotation sensors ( gyroscopes) and a computer to continuously calculate by dead reckoning the position, the orientation, and the velocity (dire ...

s. The advantage of rate gyros over other types of gyros is the fast response rate and their relatively low cost.

Principles

Spinning

The traditional type of rate gyro employs relatively conventional gyroscopes with viscous couplings to transfer the spin rate to allow it to be read.
US Dynamics Rate Gyroscope Technical Brief

Vibrating structure gyroscope

{{main, Vibrating structure gyroscope MEMS gyros are cheap and have no moving parts. They often work by sonic resonance effects driven by

piezoelectric Piezoelectricity (, ) is the electric charge that accumulates in certain solid materials—such as crystals, certain ceramics, and biological matter such as bone, DNA, and various proteins—in response to applied Stress (mechanics), mechanical s ...

transducers, that provide a signal when a rotation occurs.

External links

Spinning Mass Rate Gyroscopes
Gyroscopes Spacecraft attitude control