Patent ID: 6937342
Filing Date: 2005-08-30
Classification: G01C

Abstract:
1. A gyroscope, comprising at least one rotation sensing element containing at least two optically isolated semiconductor lasers of which at least one is unidirectional to propagate lasing light waves in a preferred propagation direction and at least a further one is selected from a group consisting of a frequency reference laser insensitive to rotation and another unidirectional ring laser configured to counterpropagate lasing light waves; semiconductor directional waveguide couplers each associated with one of the at least two semiconductor lasers and arranged to evanescently couple or direct the propagated lasing light waves so as to generate evanescently outcoupled signals; at least one semiconducting mixing region; being configured to mix the evanescently outcoupled signals; semiconductor waveguides each configured to guide the evanescently outcoupled signals to the at least one semiconductor mixing region; and at least one detector configured to detect beating of Sagnac-shifted frequencies of the evanescently outcoupled signals that are mixed.