Simulation and Optimization of Hemispherical Resonator’s Equivalent Bottom Angle for Frequency-Splitting Suppression

Abstract

As an inertial sensor with excellent performance, the hemispherical resonator gyro is widely used in aerospace, weapon navigation and other fields due to its advantages of high precision, high reliability, and long life. Due to the uneven distributions of material properties and mass of the resonator in the circumferential direction, the frequencies of the two 4-antinodes vibration modes (operational mode) of resonator in different directions are different, which is called frequency splitting. Frequency splitting is the main error source affecting the accuracy of the hemispherical resonator gyro and must be suppressed. The frequency splitting is related to the structure of the resonator. For the planar-electrode-type hemispherical resonator gyro, in order to suppress the frequency splitting from the structure, improve the accuracy of the hemispherical resonator gyro, and determine and optimize the equivalent bottom angle parameters of the hemispherical resonator, this paper starts from the thin shell theory, and the 4-antinodes vibration mode and waveform precession model of the hemispherical resonator are researched. The effect of the equivalent bottom angle on the 4-antinodes vibration mode frequency value under different boundary conditions is theoretically analyzed and simulated. The simulation results show that the equivalent bottom angle affects the 4-antinodes vibration mode of the hemispherical resonator through radial constraints. The hemispherical resonator with mid-surface radius R=15 mm and shell thickness h=1 mm is the optimization object, and the stem diameter D and fillet radius R1 are experimental factors, with the 4-antinodes vibration mode frequency value and mass sensitivity factor as the response indexes. The central composite design is carried out to optimize the equivalent bottom angle parameters. The optimized structural parameters are: stem diameter D=7 mm, fillet radii R1=1 mm, R2=0.8 mm. The simulation results show that the 4-antinodes vibration mode frequency value is 5441.761 Hz, and the mass sensitivity factor is 3.91 Hz/mg, which meets the working and excitation requirements wonderfully. This research will provide guidance and reference for improving the accuracy of the hemispherical resonator gyro.