Patent ID: 6914929
Filing Date: 2005-07-05
Classification: G01C

Abstract:
1. A readout apparatus for a ring laser gyro wherein a laser gain medium in combination with a plurality of wave reflecting means are positioned to form an optical ring path which provides at least two counter-propagating waves traveling about said ring path and exhibiting a phase difference as a function of the rotation of said gyro, the readout apparatus comprising: one of said wave reflecting means being partially transmissive of a first wave which is a portion of one of said counter-propagating waves impinging thereon, and transmitting a second wave which is a portion of the other one of said counter-propagating waves also impinging thereon; light directing means for receiving said first and second waves, and optically combining said first and second waves for establishing a first light beam exiting from a first surface of said first optical means, said first light beam exiting from said optical means having a first beam size and having electromagnetic characteristics representative of the phase difference between said two counter-propagating waves; and first diffractive optical means (i) being positioned to receive said first light beam impinging thereon, and (ii) causing said first light beam to be optically diffracted and reduced in beam size at a first selected point.