A gyroscope sensor is one of those pieces of technology that has a huge direct and indirect impact on the daily lives of so many people, but very few are aware of these devices at all. These are complicated devices with a simple function: to measure angular velocity or rotation. These units are absolutely essential for many applications in the aerospace, automotive and marine industries, among others, and you can find them at Watson Industries.
The Aerospace Industry
Gyros are a central component to the instrumentation for most aircraft. They help the pilot to gain a perspective on the aircraft’s orientation to the ground as well as to other objects in the air. Some of the types of aerospace applications a gyro sensor would be used for include flight simulators, aircraft navigation packages, space instrumentation and missile guidance and testing. The gyroscope sensor has proved to be particularly important for unmanned drones, since the pilot is not on board to use his or her natural sense of direction and orientation to help keep the craft on course.
The Automotive Industry
The gyro sensor is integral to safety testing in the automotive industry. It can help with skid testing, in which a car is driven through a specific turn at increasing speeds until it can no longer take the turn effectively. The sensor can record the turn rate, roll angle and acceleration in this test. Similarly, in crash and rollover testing, a gyro sensor that can measure the triaxial angular rate can record how the car moves through all axes of motion before, during and after impact. Watson Industries carries the gyroscopes that are tough enough to be used in crash testing.
For day-to-day use of an automobile, the sensor can provide data to help direct the suspension system, creating a smoother ride. For more high performance applications, gyroscopic sensors can be used in calculating telemetry for race cars.
Marine Applications
Gyroscopes can help a submersible to maintain the correct orientation while deep underwater, even in low-light environments. A gyroscope sensor can also be combined with an antenna stabilization system to allow a ship to keep its antenna properly oriented for communication on rough seas. Similarly, it can help to provide the data necessary to allow more effective stabilization of yachts and sport boats on rough waters or at high speeds.
