Gyroscopes, gyroscope stabilised systems and gas bearings for the same

摘要

884,061. Fluid bearings. STANDARD TELEPHONES & CABLES Ltd. June 3, 1958 [June 3, 1957], No. 17692/58. Class 12 (1). [Also in Group XX] A gyroscope comprises a rotor 1, Fig. 1, adapted to rotate about an axis 2, an intermediate frame 4, and gas bearings for the rotor 1, so that it has two degrees of freedom of tilting of its axis, and means for steadily rotating both the rotor 1 and the intermediate frame 4 with respect to a main frame, which is intended to remain approximately rotationally fixed in space, so that processional drifts resulting from static torques of the gas bearings are continually neutralized. As shown, the rotor 1 is supported by six bearing pads 3, gas being supplied through the manifolding 5 to the reservoirs 6 within the pads 3, and fed through the almost microscopic feed holes 7 to the bearing surfaces. The rotor 1, which is hollow, has two cylindrical cavities 2 which define the axis of rotation and are used with the pick-off system which may be capacitive or photoelectric. The intermediate frame 4 is mounted in mechanical bearings and spun by some external driving mechanism such as an electric motor or gas turbine system, and the rotor 1 may be secured by a caging mechanism, not shown, to the intermediate frame 4 during both the spin-period and also the slow-down period. When the operating speed is reached, the caging mechanism releases the rotor 1 which is then supported solely by the gas bearings. The signals obtained from the pick-off arrangement, are used to maintain the intermediate frame 4 in line with the rotor 1 about all axes except the axis of rotation, and the rotor may be spun at a speed different from that of the intermediate frame 4, for example at a higher speed. In a modification, Fig. 5, in which the rotor and intermediate frame rotate at the same speed, the six bearing pads 27, support a sphere 39 which is connected by spokes 40 to an external rotor 38, and high pressure gas is supplied through manifolding 29 into feed tubes 30 and high pressure chambers 31. The gas passes to the bearing surface through the very minute feed holes 32 and leaves through a ring 28 and vacuum chamber 34. A still higher vacuum is maintained in the case 36. In another embodiment in which there are eight bearing pads, each has three chambers 51, 52, 53, Fig. 12. High pressure gas from chamber 51 passes through holes 89 and is mostly received by the inner ring 91, to which a moderate suction is applied through chamber 52. Chamber 53 applies a considerably higher suction to the second ring 93 through the connecting holes 94. A still higher degree of vacuum is applied to the casing in which the bearing pads and rotor are mounted. In a modification, the casing instead of being spherical may be flattened at the top and bottom and the rotor may have a corresponding configuration.