As gyrocompass : The directional gyro may not seek out north, but a gyrocompass does. It does so by detecting the rotation of the earth about its axis and then seeking the true north, instead of the magnetic north. Usually, they have built-in damping to prevent overshoot when re-calibrating from sudden movement. With accelerometers : Gyroscopes are also used along with accelerometers, which are used to measure proper acceleration. While a simple accelerometer consists of a weight that can freely move horizontally, a more complicated design comprises a gyroscope with a weight on one of the axes.
For more information about accelerometers, check out our blog on accelerometers. In Consumer Electronics : Given the fact that the gyroscope helps calculate orientation and rotation and is used for maintaining a reference direction or providing stability in navigation, designers have incorporated them into modern technology. In addition to being used in compasses, aircraft, computer pointing devices, gyroscopes are now also used in consumer electronics. In fact, Apple founder Steve Jobs was the first one to popularize the usage or application of the gyroscope in consumer electronics; he did so by using them in the Apple iPhone.
Since then, gyroscopes have come to be commonly used in smartphones. Moreover, a few features of Android phones - think PhotoSphere or Camera and VR feature - can not work without a gyroscope sensor in the phone. It is the Gyro sensor in our smartphones that senses angular rotational velocity and acceleration. This is what makes it possible for us to play using motion senses in our phones, tablets. When we move our phone, the photo or the video moves due to the presence of a tiny gyroscope in the phone.
In toys : Gyroscopes are also used in toys, in fact there are toy gyroscopes which make for great educational tools as they help kids understand how gyroscopes work. In bicycles : Electric powered flywheel gyroscopes inserted in bicycle wheels are said to be a good alternative to training wheels. In cruise ships : Cruise ships use gyroscopes for leveling motion-sensitive devices such as self-leveling pool tables.
Below is a video about gyroscopes, it tells you how they work, where they are used and more This blog is presented to you by YoungWonks.
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How Gyroscopes Work. Precession " ". Click here to download the second full-motion video showing precession at work. In figure 1, the gyroscope is spinning on its axis. In figure 2, a force is applied to try to rotate the spin axis. In figure 3, the gyroscope is reacting to the input force along an axis perpendicular to the input force. The Cause of Precession " ". As forces are applied to the axle, the two points identified will attempt to move in the indicated directions.
Uses of Gyroscopes The effect of all this is that, once you spin a gyroscope, its axle wants to keep pointing in the same direction. Then you can stretch your fingers out along the radius of the wheel. If you curl the end of your fingers in the direction of the spin your thumb will be pointing in the direction of the angular momentum. Basically, the axle of the wheel will be the direction that the entire spinning wheel "wants" to move in.
This video gives us a pretty simple explanation using a suspended bicycle wheel. The interesting properties of gyroscopes have provided scientists and engineers with some fascinating applications. Their ability to maintain a particular orientation in space is fantastic for some applications.
Slap on some sensors and you've got a recipe for usefulness. With that in mind, here are some great examples of the use of gyroscopes in our modern world.
In modern aircraft , inertial guidance systems make good use of these relatively simple devices. They have a suite of spinning gyroscopes to monitor and control the orientation of the aircraft in flight. Spinning gyroscopes are kept in special cages that allow them to keep their orientation, independently of the orientation of the aircraft. The gyroscope cages have electrical contacts and sensors that can relay information to the pilot whenever the plane rolls or pitches.
This lets the pilot and guidance systems "know" the plane's current relative orientation in space. The Mars Rover also has a set of gyroscopes. They provide the Rover with stability as well as aid with navigation. They also have applications in drone aircraft and helicopters, in providing stability and helping with navigation. Another interesting application of gyroscopes is for the guidance systems of cruise and ballistic missiles.
Used to automatically steer and correct roll, pitch, and yaw, gyroscopes sensors have been used for this purpose since the German V-1 and V-2 missiles of World War 2. Typically, missiles will carry at least two gyroscopes for this purpose, with each gyro providing a fixed reference line from which any deviations can be calculated. One reference tends to include the spin axis of a vertical gyroscope. From this axis, deviations in pitch, roll, and yaw can be readily measured. Gyroscopes also found their way into gunsight stabilizers, bombsights, and platforms for carrying guns and radar systems onboard warships.
Another interesting application of gyroscopes is for the inertial guidance systems of orbital spacecraft. Such small craft requires a high degree of precision when it comes to stabilization, and gyroscopes are pretty much perfect for the job. There are some larger and heavier devices, called momentum wheels or reaction wheels, that are also employed for altitude controls of some larger satellites too.
A device called a " Steadicam " was used to film certain scenes in the film Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi as well as in many other movies. This device, used in conjunction with several gyroscopes, held the camera stable when filming the background shots for the famous speeder bike chase on Endor. Invented by Garrett Brown, he operated the rig to walk through a redwood forest running the camera at one frame per second.
For any digital interface, remember to connect 5V to 5V lines and 3. Also, gyros with digital interfaces can have low power and sleep modes that allow them to be used in battery powered applications. Sometimes this is an advantage over an analog gyro. There are many specifications to consider when figuring out what type of gyro to use. Here are a few of the more important useful ones:.
The measurement range, or full-scale range, is the maximum angular velocity that the gyro can read. Think about what you are measuring. Do you need to measure the spin of a record player, which is very slow or a spinning wheel, which could be very fast?
It determines how much the voltage changes for a given angular velocity. A good rule to remember: as the sensitivity increases, the range decreases.
For example, look at the LPY gyro datasheet or any gyro with a selectable range:. As with any sensor, the values you measure will contain some amount of error or bias. You can see gyro bias by measuring the output when the gyro is still. These errors are sometimes called bias drift or bias instability. The temperature of the sensor greatly affects the bias. To help minimize the source of this error, most gyros have a built in temperature sensor.
Thus, you are able to read the temperature of the sensor and correct or any temperature dependent changes. In order to correct for these errors, the gyro must be calibrated. This is usually done by keeping the gyro still and zeroing all of the readings in your code. By now you should know how a gyro works and have a good foundation to start working with a gyro in a project of your own. Need Help? Mountain Time:
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