Temperature self-compensated lithium tantalate piezoelectric gyroscope for higher sensitivity and stability

A new H-type gyroscope using a single LiTaO3 crystal that combines the H-type vibrational mode with a tuning fork type vibrational mode is proposed. This greatly suppresses leakage output from the piezoelectric gyroscope and also improves stability. The operation in the drive mode non-resonant condition and detection mode resonance condition is also proposed. It is possible to increase the sensor sensitivity remarkably because the drive voltage can be increased. In addition, an equivalent circuit constant including the leakage output could be accurately deduced. Automatic compensation of temperature characteristic for angular velocity detection sensitivity and drift is examined with the simple equivalent circuit. By adding a new sensor that detects the drive vibrational mode, we can produce a stable reference signal for the phase detection of output. This shows that it is possible to greatly improve the temperature characteristic of sensitivity and drift.