Vibratory gyroscopes using trapped-energy vibrators of rotated y-cut LiTaO3

We report on a trapped-energy type piezoelectric vibratory gyroscope using two orthogonal thickness-shear modes in a rotated Y-cut LiTaO₃ strip. The gyroscope is characterized by easy mount, no need of trimming, small temperature coefficient, and compact size. Calculated orientation dependence of various properties of two orthogonal thickness-shear modes shows that the 159° rotated Y-cut LiTaO₃ is the optimum cut for the gyroscope. Experimental results show that the measured temperature coefficient of the two resonance frequencies agrees well with the calculated ones and the resonance frequencies of two modes can be tuned finely by adjusting the vibrator dimensions to achieve a high sensitivity of the gyroscope. Measured gyroscope characteristics are also presented