Study and elaboration of thermal gyrometer – AGYR

Thermal gyrometers proposed in this project is a technological break compared with traditional vibrating gyroscopes that are poorly adapted to withstand shocks. Indeed, thanks to their architecture, thermal gyrometers should be resistant to the order of a few thousand acceleration g up to 10 000 g. After the acceleration phase and their survival in extreme environments, the sensor will enable the measurement of angular velocities ranging from 300 °/s up to 4000 °/s with stabilities in the order of 10 °/h. The main objective of this study is to investigate a number of technological solutions all based on thermal phenomena but also to develop controlled and dedicated detectors to measure angular velocities mentioned above. On the other hand the use of micro-technologies will significantly reduce footprint and volume and achieve competitive manufacturing costs.
This allows considering the dual use in the field of both defence and civilian life. Indeed, in the first of the above areas, there would be applications in guided munitions gun or missile where knowledge of the environment of these devices is essential to limit the risks inherent in handling such objects or yet to limit collateral damages when firing.
In the civil field, these devices would be used as angular rate sensors in vibration environments or very severe accelerations such as mining or oil exploration in deviated wells but also in transport where crash tests require more and more efficient instrumentation.
At present, there are only few devices operating in this type of environment with good characteristics of both stability and precision. The general principle of operation is based on a vibrating seismic mass (either by electrostatic phenomena or by piezoelectricity) whose movement dynamics are influenced by the rotation of the repository that the measuring system is attached. The development of such a MEMS sensor (Micro Electro Mechanical System) based on heat transfer is a major innovation in this field since it is a complete technological break with what exists elsewhere. Furthermore, the addition of convection accelerometers and gyrometers can lead to thermal inertial navigation system that represents a rupture with what already exists.