There are a huge number of inventions that are characterized by a long and very rich history of use in various devices and devices. Often you can hear the name of something, but not even have an idea of what it is intended for. This is where the question arises, what is a gyroscope? It's worth figuring it out.
A gyroscope is a navigation device that uses a rapidly rotating rotor as its main element, fixed in such a way that its axis of rotation rotates. Two gimbal frames provide three degrees of freedom. In the absence of any external influences on the device, the axis of its own rotation of the rotor maintains a constant direction in space. If it is affected by the moment of an external force that tends to rotate the axis of its own rotation, then it begins its movement not around the direction of the moment, but around an axis that is perpendicular to it.
If we talk about what a gyroscope is, then it is worth noting that in a qualitatively balanced and fairly fast rotating device, mounted on highly advanced bearings, with low friction, there is practically no moment of external forces, so the device is able to maintain its orientation in space almost unchanged. Therefore, it is able to indicate the angle of rotation of the base on which it is fixed. This is exactly how it was first clearly demonstrated by the French physicist J. Foucault. If the rotation of the axis is limited by a special spring, then when the device is installed on which it performs a turn, the gyroscope will deform the spring until the moment of the external force is balanced. IN this case the force of tension or compression of the spring will be proportional to the angular velocity of the aircraft. This is the principle of the aviation direction indicator and many other gyroscopic devices. Since there is very little friction in the bearings to keep the gyroscope rotor spinning, a lot of energy is not required. Usually, to set it in motion, as well as to maintain this movement, a low-power electric motor or a jet of compressed air is sufficient.
Most often, this device is used as a sensing element for indicating gyroscopic instruments, as well as a sensor for the angle of rotation or angular velocity for devices operating under automatic control. In some cases, the gyroscope can serve as an energy or torque generator.
At the moment, the principle of operation of the gyroscope allows its active use in aviation, shipping and astronautics. Almost every seagoing vessel has a gyrocompass for automatic or manual control of the vessel, and some also use gyrostabilizers. The fire control system of naval artillery is usually equipped with many additional gyroscopes, which are designed to provide a stable frame of reference or to measure angular velocities.
If you understand what a gyroscope is, then you should understand that without it it is simply unthinkable automatic control torpedoes. Helicopters and airplanes are also necessarily equipped with these devices in order to give reliable information on the operation of navigation and stabilization systems. Such devices include the attitude indicator, gyroscopic turn and roll indicator, vertical gyro. If we consider a helicopter with a gyroscope, then this device can serve both as a pointing device and as an autopilot sensor. Many aircraft are equipped with gyro-stabilized and other equipment - cameras with gyroscopes, gyrosectants, navigation sights. In military aviation, gyroscopes are actively used as components in the sights of bombing and aerial firing.
So, if we consider what a gyroscope is, then it should be noted that this device is actively used not only in the previously indicated areas. Modern smartphones and tablets are equipped with mass additional features and modules, while some are very useful, while others can interfere with the comfortable use of the device, annoying users. One of them is the gyroscope in the phone, which becomes clear when you use your device. On the one hand, it turns out to be very useful, although on the other hand, most users prefer to simply turn it off.
First you need to decide what kind of device it is and what functionality it is characterized by. So, a gyroscope in a phone is what an element is needed to determine how the device is oriented in space. In some cases, this sensor can be used to protect individual elements of the device from falling in the future. In fact, this sensor is designed to determine the change in position, and in the presence of an accelerometer - and acceleration during a fall. The information is then transferred to the computing unit of the gadget. If there is a certain software the device decides how it should react further to the changes that have occurred to it.
So, if everything becomes clear with the question of what a gyroscope is, then it remains to find out why it is used in phones. Protecting the insides is not the only task here. In combination with a variety of software, it has a number of different functions. For example, a smartphone can be used for games that are controlled by tilting, shaking or turning the device. Such management allows you to make games truly exciting, so they are in high demand.
It can be noted that Apple products are equipped with gyroscopes, and they play a very significant role, since many applications are tied to them. A mode called CoverFlow was specially developed for it. There is a very a large number of applications operating in this mode, but you can stop at a few that most clearly demonstrate it. For example, if you use a calculator on the iPhone, then in portrait position, the user will only have access to simple steps namely, addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. But when you rotate the device 90 degrees, everything changes. At the same time, the calculator switches to advanced mode, that is, engineering, in which much more functions will be available.
If you understand how the gyroscope works, then it should be noted that its functions can also be used to determine your own location on the ground.
You can view a map of the area on such a device using GPS navigation, and in this case the map will always turn in the direction where your gaze is directed. Therefore, if you are facing, for example, a river, then this will be displayed on the map, and if you turn around, the position of the map will also change. Thanks to this, orientation in the area is greatly simplified and can be quite useful for people who are passionate about outdoor activities.
We can also say about the shortcomings inherent in gyroscopes. Very often they are turned off due to the fact that programs react to a change in position in space with some delay. For example, if you decide to read while lying on the couch, from the screen of a smartphone or tablet, then the gyroscope and the program associated with it will change the page orientation every time you turn or change your posture. This causes a lot of inconvenience, since very rarely the device is able to correctly interpret the position in space, and the situation is aggravated due to the belated reaction of the program.
The first gyroscopes were mechanical. This type of device is still used today, but with some improvements to make it more useful. On this moment there is a laser gyroscope, which is devoid of the disadvantages inherent in mechanical ones. And it is precisely such a device that is used in modern technology.
Now all smartphones are equipped with at least one sensor, and most often several. Proximity, lighting and motion sensors have become the most common. Most smartphones are equipped with an accelerometer that reacts to the movement of the device in two or a maximum of three planes. To fully interact with a virtual reality headset, you need a gyroscope that detects movements in any direction.
A gyroscope in a smartphone is a microelectromechanical converter of angular velocities in electrical signal. In other words, this sensor calculates the change in the angle of inclination relative to the axis when the device is rotated.
A gyroscope belongs to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), which combine mechanical and electronic parts. Such chips are of the order of a couple of millimeters or less.
A conventional gyroscope consists of an inertial object that rapidly rotates around its axis. Thus, it retains its direction, and the displacement of the controlled object is measured by changing the position of the suspensions. In smartphones, such a top obviously does not fit; MEMS is used instead.
In the simplest single-axis gyroscope, there are two moving masses moving in opposite directions (shown in blue in the picture). As soon as an external angular velocity is applied, the Coriolis force acts on the mass, which is directed perpendicular to their movement (marked in orange).
Under the action of the Coriolis force, the masses are displaced by an amount proportional to the applied velocity. Changing the position of the masses changes the distance between the movable electrodes (rotors) and the fixed ones (stators), which leads to a change in the capacitance of the capacitor and, accordingly, the voltage on its plates, and this is an electrical signal. These multiple signals are recognized by the MEMS gyroscope, determining the direction and speed of movement.
The microcontroller receives information about the voltage and converts it into angular velocity at a given moment. The value of the angular velocity can be determined with a given accuracy, for example, up to 0.001 degrees per second. To determine how many degrees around the axis the device turned, it is necessary to multiply the instantaneous speed by the time between two sensor readings. If you use a three-axis gyroscope, then we will get data on rotations about all three axes, that is, in this way, determine the orientation of the smartphone in space.
It is worth noting here that in order to obtain the values of the angles, it is necessary to integrate the original equations, which include the angular velocities. Each integration increases the error. If you calculate the position only with the help of a gyroscope, then over time the calculated values will become incorrect.
Therefore, in smartphones, to accurately determine the orientation in space, data is also needed from the accelerometer. This sensor measures linear acceleration but does not respond to turns. Both sensors are able to fully describe all types of movement. The main advantage of a gyroscope over an accelerometer is that it responds to movement in any direction.
Increased attention to this sensor has been the last couple of years, when games and applications of virtual reality began to develop actively. For user interaction with virtual reality, the program needs to accurately determine the position of a person in space. Now even in the most budget smartphones an accelerometer is installed, but its readings are accompanied by noise, and the sensor does not respond to turns and movements in the horizontal plane. Therefore, for complete immersion in virtual reality A smartphone must have a gyroscope and an accelerometer.
Usually, the characteristics of a smartphone indicate which sensors it has. If you doubt the veracity of the information, then they will help special programs. For example, Sensor Box for Android shows information about all built-in sensors. The gyroscope in it is designated as Gyroscope. There are other ways that we described in this article.
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Despite the popularity of this sensor, many people ask the question of what a gyroscope is. Let's try to figure it out.
The device we are considering, in fact, is a top that rotates around a vertical axis. It is fixed in a frame that rotates around another axis. This other axis is also fixed in its frame, which rotates around the third axis.
Thanks to this, no matter how the top turns, it will always have a vertical position in space.
The principle of operation of the gyroscope can also be seen in Figure 1. From it, in particular, it can be understood that in the classic device there are vibrating weights. And the frequency of their vibration is equal to the speed multiplied by the displacement.
Thanks to such a phenomenon as Cariolis acceleration, despite the rotation of the body, it is able to maintain its position relative to the plane of rotation. Of course, it takes place only during rotation.
Actually, this simple property of rotating bodies is the basis of the principle of operation of the gyroscope that most of us have in our smartphones.
Developers have learned to make the gyroscope much simpler and smaller. This allowed them to fit it into a small board that can be placed under the body of any modern mobile device.
In the phone, it is needed in order to determine the position of the device in space.
For the user, everything looks extremely simple - you turn the smartphone horizontally or vertically and the position of all the icons on the screen changes. This is applicable for games and various programs.
In many cases, screen rotations can be used to perform certain actions, such as locking the keyboard.
Interesting: For the first time, the gyroscope was used in the iPhone 4. Since then, this sensor has become an indispensable element of any mobile device.
Now you know how this sensor works. It is worth figuring out how to find out if it is in your gadget.
Depending on the operating system, different programs can be used for this purpose:
In the first program, you need to click the "Accelerometer sensor" icon. In the second, you do not need to do anything.
There is an even simpler way - if there is a “Screen rotation” item in the settings (or something similar), there is a gyroscope. But the above applications help to identify problems in the operation of this sensor.
A gyroscope is one of many modern sensors, without which it is difficult to imagine the operation of a smartphone.
The scope of this sensor in the phone is quite extensive. A full-fledged gyroscope visually resembles a top inside several hoops. Due to its size, this design cannot be installed in a gadget, so it was replaced with a sensor based on a microelectromechanical system.
A gyroscope in a modern phone is a sensor that allows you to automatically change the screen orientation depending on the position of the smartphone.
For the first time, the gyroscope was installed in the iPhone 4, thanks to which the device acquired new useful functionality. With the sensor, users were able, for example, to turn pages and switch tracks in the player by shaking their smartphone.
To enable the sensor on devices with operating system Android 4.0 KitKat and above is enough to roll out the notification shade and activate the auto-rotate screen option.
Usually, modern phones equipped with these sensors in pairs. The principle of their work, although similar, is not duplicated. measures the acceleration of an object while moving, while the gyroscope measures the angle of the device's deviation relative to different planes.
Gyro brought out game process on new level. By rotating the device in space, the user can drive a car, play a duel, search for characters, and much more.
If speak about standard applications, the most significant advantages of the gyroscope look, for example, in the calculator application. In portrait orientation, the user has access to standard operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Rotate your phone 90 degrees to get big choice trigonometric functions for all occasions.
Of course, with automatic operation sensor is much more convenient to watch YouTube videos and flip through photos. Another sensor can be used to make a phone building level- For this you need to download a special application.
In fact, the gyroscope has no drawbacks. Of course, sometimes there is discomfort when viewing pictures or reading, when changing the posture of a person and a device, unwanted changes in the orientation of the screen are possible. The solution is simple - disable auto-rotate in settings.
Hello everyone, dear users of the best mobile portal trashbox. Today's sixth article under the heading "How it works" is dedicated to the gyroscope. If you don't know what it is, this article is for you. Let's find out what a gyroscope is and how it works. The most interesting under the cut.
A gyroscope (in translation means "rotation" or "look") is a device that has the ability to measure changes in the orientation angles of the body associated with it relative to the inertial coordinate system. Currently, two types of gyroscopes are known: mechanical and optical. According to the mode of operation, gyroscopes are divided into: angular velocity sensors and direction indicators. However, one device can work simultaneously in different modes depending on the type of control.
As for mechanical gyroscopes, the rotary gyroscope is the most well-known of them - it is a solid body that rotates rapidly and whose axis is capable of changing orientation in space. The speed of rotation of the gyroscope in this case significantly exceeds the speed of rotation of the axis of its rotation. The main property of this gyroscope is the ability to maintain a constant direction of the axis of rotation in space in the absence of any influence of external forces on it. The main part of a rotary gyroscope is a rapidly rotating rotor with several degrees of freedom (axes of possible rotation).
The principle of operation of the gyroscope lies in the weights that vibrate on a plane with the frequency of the speed multiplied by the displacement. When the gyroscope rotates, the so-called Coriolis acceleration occurs. If you skipped physics at school or don't know, then all bodies have a single property - when they rotate, they retain their orientation relative to the direction of gravity. In essence, a gyroscope is a top that rotates around a vertical axis, fixed in a frame that can rotate around a horizontal axis, and in turn is fixed in another frame that can rotate around a third axis. Thus, we can come to the conclusion: no matter how we turn the top, it always has the ability to still be in a vertical position. The sensors pick up the signal how the top is oriented relative to the frames, and the processor reads how the frames in this case should be located relative to gravity.
Gyroscopes are used in technology. They are used as components both in navigation systems (attitude angle, gyrocompass, etc.) and in spacecraft orientation and stabilization systems. As for the very stabilization system, it can be of three types: a power stabilization system (used on two-stage gyroscopes), an indicator-force stabilization system (also on two-stage gyroscopes) and an indicator stabilization system (on three-stage gyroscopes).
And now more about these three main types. Force Stabilization System: One gyroscope is required to stabilize around each axis. The stabilization itself is carried out directly by the gyroscope, as well as by the unloading motor. At the beginning, the gyroscopic moment acts, and then the unloading motor is connected. Indicator Force Stabilization System: Stabilization also requires one gyroscope. Stabilization is carried out only by the unloading engines, but at the beginning there is a small gyroscopic moment. And the last is the indicator stabilization system: one gyroscope is needed to stabilize around two axes. Stabilization is carried out only by unloading engines.
Let's touch on the topic of using a gyroscope in mobile devices and game consoles. Currently, most smartphones use a so-called MEMS accelerometer. As an acceleration sensor, in its resting state, it sees only one vector - the vector of the universal force of gravity, which is always directed towards the center of the Earth. Using the expansions of the vector into sensitive axes of the sensor, the angular position of the device in space is calculated without any difficulty. Also, the decomposition of the vector can show that the sensor is unable to determine the turn of the device along the course angle, that is, turn left or right with the smartphone placed on the edge - the projection of the vector on the course is always zero. For the first time, a game controller that can determine its position in space was released by Nintendo - Wii Remote for the Wii game console, and it only uses a 3D accelerometer.
In addition, the gyroscope began to be used in game controllers. For example, Sixaxis for the third generation SONY PlayStation and Wii MotionPlus for the Nintendo Wii. Both game controllers use two complementary spatial sensors: a gyroscope and an accelerometer. Also in the latest controllers, in addition to the accelerometer, an additional spatial sensor is used - a gyroscope. If you bring the work of the gyroscope in other things, then there are toys based on the gyroscope. The most banal examples are the yo-yo and the spinning top, or the people call it "yula". Spinning tops differ from gyroscopes in that they do not have a single fixed point.
In other areas, there is also a use for the gyroscope - there is a whole list of them. The gyroscope is used in navigation devices in aircraft and spacecraft, in weapons (the bullet twists when fired, this gives it much greater stability and increases the accuracy of shooting), the wheels of a bicycle or similar device work like gyroscopes - this prevents the rider from falling. Thus, any rotating object can be called a gyroscope - it counteracts the deviation of the axis of rotation.
