Fiber Optic Gyroscopes

Fiber Optic Gyroscopes (FOGs) are among the most advanced rotational sensing technologies used in modern navigation, aerospace, marine, defense, robotics, and industrial systems. Based on the Sagnac effect and optical interference, these sensors measure angular velocity with exceptional accuracy while offering advantages such as high reliability, long-term stability, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and the absence of moving mechanical parts. Fiber Optic Gyroscopes (FOGs) are among the most advanced rotational sensing technologies used in modern navigation, aerospace, marine, defense, robotics, and industrial systems. Based on the Sagnac effect and optical interference, these sensors measure angular velocity with exceptional accuracy while offering advantages such as high reliability, long-term stability, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and the absence of moving mechanical parts. This work presents a comprehensive study of Fiber Optic Gyroscope technology, from its theoretical foundations to its design, modeling, simulation, and performance evaluation. Fundamental concepts related to gyroscopes, optical fibers, light propagation, total internal reflection, and interferometric sensing are introduced to establish the principles governing FOG operation. Particular emphasis is placed on the Sagnac effect, which forms the basis of rotational measurement in optical gyroscopes. A complete Fiber Optic Gyroscope model is developed and implemented using MATLAB and Simulink to investigate system behavior under various operating conditions. The simulation framework includes phase-shift generation, interference-signal formation, photodetection, signal conditioning, and digital signal processing for angular-rate estimation. The obtained results demonstrate the successful generation and detection of Sagnac phase shifts and confirm the effectiveness of the proposed design.