Laboratory and Gyro Collection

Laboratory for Inertial Sensors

To calibrate inertial sensors, i.e. gyroscopes and accelerometers, for experimental purposes, the chair has a special laboratory. The core piece of the laboratory equipment is a 2-axes rate table Acutronic DC 246. It is equipped with the most modern operating system Acutrol®3000e as well as with a cabinet for multi channel measurement data recording.

The laboratory includes also two older 1-axis rate tables from the manufacturers RMS and Contraves for quick calibration tasks. Furthermore, it provides workplaces for simple electronic adaptions or production of electronic components.

The laboratory has also a 11 kN shaker Tira TV 51010/LS-340. This device serves to determine frequency transfer functions of inertial sensors between 2 Hz and 3000 Hz as well as to check the vibration stability of inertial measurement units and other electronic devices.

In addition the laboratory offers the possibility for 3D digitalization of technical objects by means of photogrametry and endoscopy. An example of such work ist the research projekt Gyrolog of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

2-axes rate table Acutronic DC 246

Photo: (c) Jörg F. Wagner

Calibration setup of an inertial measurement unit with fiber optical gyros

Photo: (c) Simon Beckmann

Operating unit and data recording unit of the 2-axes rate table

Photo: (c) Jörg F. Wagner

Photogrammetric setup

Photo: (c) Kun Zhan

1-axis rate table Contraves 722

Photo: (c) Jörg F. Wagner

Shaker Tira TV 51010 / LS-340

Photo: (c) Benedikt Györfi

Historic Gyro Collection

In the early 1960ies Prof. Kurt Magnus (1912-2003) founded the collection at the former Institute of Mechanics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Stuttgart. His assistants at that time, Prof. Helmut W. Sorg and Dr. Jörg Steinwand, were responsible for organizing, extending, and maintaining the collection for many years. In 2005, all objects and associated laboratory equipment were handed over to the care of Prof. Jörg F. Wagner, Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Stuttgart.

The purpose of the collection is illustrating the mechanism, operating principle, and historical development of gyro instruments as well as inertial navigation systems. It encompasses about 150 objects and covers most of the known types of gyro instruments for navigating aircrafts, ships, and land vehicles (gyro compass, directional gyro, artificial horizon, P and I rate gyro etc.) as well as accelerometers of different kind. It includes also complete inertial platforms. Components of the instruments like rotors, slip rings, and rotary encoders as well as rate tables for testing gyros supplement the collection. Many objects were taken from decommissioned aircrafts and ships. Partially, they are exemplarily cut open or disassembled; partially they are still operable. Their age lies mostly between 40 and 80 years.

The collection was digitalized in 3D by means of photogrammetry and computed tomography during the project Gyrolog. It forms now also a part of the Digital Collections of the University Library Stuttgart.