Closed-loop fiber-optic gyroscope with a sawtooth phase-modulated feedback

Abstract

Theoretical and experimental investigations of a closed-loop fiber-optic gyroscope are reported. Phase nulling is accomplished by applying a sawtooth modulation to an integrated-optic phase modulator located at one side of the sensing loop. The frequency of the phase modulation is proportional to the rotation rate, thus permitting a digital readout. The influence of a finite flyback period on the scale factor is investigated.