Tactical fiber optic gyro with all-digital signal processing

Northrop's Electronics System Division has built and tested a tactical fiber optic gyro (FOG) with all-digital signal processing. The Northrop FOG uses 160 meters of polarization maintaining optical fiber wound on a spool 29 mm in diameter. Without any data compensation, this FOG has demonstrated excellent scale factor stability and non-linearity (< 100 ppm) over a high dynamic range (+/- 1400 degree(s)/s), low random walk (< 0.02 degree(s)/(root)hr), and outstanding bias stability over temperature and day-to-day (< 1 degree(s)/hr). An inertial measurement unit (IMU) utilizing a FOG/MSA (Micro Silicon Accelerometer) cluster has been developed and integrated with a GPS receiver. Testing was done to demonstrate performance of the sensor and IMU over the military environment.