In particular, mechanical gyroscopes ( Section 2) optical gyroscopes ( Section 3), including Fiber Optic Gyroscopes (FOGs) and Ring Laser Gyroscopes (RLG) and Micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) gyroscopes ( Section 4) have been considered by focusing attention on the operating principles and different improvements in commercial architectures in terms of performance. In this paper, a review of the more commercially diffused classes of gyroscopes is presented. Gyroscopes can be used alone or included in more complex systems, such as Gyrocompass, Inertial Measurement Unit, Inertial Navigation System and Attitude Heading Reference System.
Many classes of gyroscopes exist, depending on the operating physical principle and the involved technology. Gyroscopes are devices mounted on a frame and able to sense an angular velocity if the frame is rotating. The term “gyroscope”, conventionally referred to the mechanical class of gyroscopes, derives from the Ancient Greek language, being the Physics of the “precession motion”, a phenomenon also observed in ancient Greek society.
