Supporting structure for LiTaO/sub 3/ crystal tuning fork vibratory gyroscope

/sup T/his paper describes a new supporting structure for a LiTaO/sub 3/ crystal tuning fork vibratory gyroscope. A conventional gyroscope has a large amount of cross-talk which is 67.4 (deg/s) maximum. By using the Finite Element Method (FEM), we clarified that the swing of the tuning fork was the cause of cross-talk. We proposed a new supporting structure in which the tuning fork element is fixed stationary to a rectangular holder plate which has a groove at each nodes of the detecting vibrations. The holder plate is fixed with silicone resin to a rigid arm through a groove. Due to this new structure, the mechanical Q of the detecting mode is not suppressed while the swing of the element is suppressed at the same time. The maximum cross-talk level was reduced to 2.5 (deg/s). This gyroscope with the new supporting structure is suitable for various applications, such as for automotive applications.