A novel interferometric fiber optic gyroscope with random walk fault diagnosis for space application

A novel interferometric fiber optic gyroscope (IFOG) for space application is presented. The IFOG is composed of two sources and four independent axes. The sources are shared by all axes to decrease power consumption and save cost. The redundant optical channels and components are applied to eliminate single point failures. A random walk coefficient (RWC) prediction model is developed using a radiation-induced attenuation model of fiber and a RWC expression. Based on the model and the IFOG structure, a failure diagnosis strategy and recovery processing are proposed, and verified by results of radiation tests and fault injection experiments.

► A novel four-axis IFOG with two sources-sharing is designed and demonstrated. ► Redundant optical channels and components are used to eliminate the risk due to single point failure. ► An original prediction model of RWC is developed and verified. ► Based on this model, a failure diagnosis strategy and recovery processing are proposed and verified.