US 11,719,717 B2
Whispering gallery mode inertial sensor and method
Ying Lia Li, Bristol (GB); and Peter Francis Barker, Berkhamsted (GB)
Assigned to UCL Business Ltd., London (GB)
Appl. No. 16/630,015
Filed by UCL Business Ltd., London (GB)
PCT Filed Jun. 20, 2018, PCT No. PCT/GB2018/051712
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 10, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/012245, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 17, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 1711156 (GB), filed on Jul. 11, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0088549 A1, Mar. 25, 2021
Int. Cl. G01P 15/093 (2006.01); G01P 3/36 (2006.01)
CPC G01P 15/093 (2013.01) [G01P 3/36 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A whispering gallery mode inertial sensor comprising:
a whispering gallery mode resonator;
an evanescent coupler configured to couple with an evanescent field of the whispering gallery mode resonator so that light is transmitted to and received from the whispering gallery mode resonator by the evanescent coupler;
a displacement sensor configured to determine a displacement of the whispering gallery mode resonator according to the light received from the whispering gallery mode resonator by the evanescent coupler;
a controller configured to determine an acceleration and/or rate of rotation experienced by the whispering gallery mode resonator based on the displacement of the whispering gallery mode resonator, the controller being further configured to apply a restoring force to the whispering gallery mode resonator in a closed feedback loop based on the displacement of the whispering gallery mode resonator in order to maintain a predetermined mechanical state of the whispering gallery mode resonator, wherein the restoring force is applied by a piezoelectric actuator; and
a timing sensor configured to determine a timing signal based on an optical frequency comb produced by the whispering gallery mode resonator.