Fiber-optic gyroscopes: from design to production [Invited]

Fiber-optic gyroscopes (FOGs) represent an important development in the field of inertial sensors and are now considered an alternative technology to mechanical and ring laser gyroscopes for inertial navigation and control applications. The past 30 years of research and development around the world have established the FOG as a critical sensor for high-accuracy inertial navigation systems. In this paper, specifications, system configurations, and error and sensitivity analysis for different types of FOGs, including critical technology, are presented. This paper addresses the design and production of a different FOG that fulfills requirements such as small size, low production cost, low power consumption, and a broad spectrum of applications. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America