How it works

The gyro employs a vibrating cylinder rather than a pair of beams used hitherto by Watson.  This form of structure is significantly more robust than the vibrating beam but occupies a larger space volume and needs more electrical power.
The ruggedness of the gyro derives from the geometry of the vibrating element and it can be readily accepted that a cylinder has far more strength and can accept far higher shock loads than a beam.  Indeed this class of gyro has been widely used in extreme application such as guided munitions and high speed railway locomotives where it rides hard-mounted to the bogie.
The cylinder is forced to vibrate in a lateral mode by 4 drive elements positioned around the circumference.  Sense elements are placed between each pair of drive elements at null points.  When the cylinder is rotated, a coriolis force transfers vibration to the sense elements in proportion to the rate of rotation. This energy is detected and output after signal processing.