Type of non-magnetic compass based on the rotation of the Earth
This article is about devices used on ships. For the type of gyroscope used to determine aircraft heading, see Heading indicator.
Cutaway of an Anschütz gyrocompassA gyrocompass repeater
A gyrocompass is a type of non-magnetic compass which is based on a fast-spinning disc and the rotation of the Earth (or another planetary body if used elsewhere in the universe) to find geographical direction automatically. A gyrocompass makes use of one of the seven fundamental ways to determine the heading of a vehicle.[1] A gyroscope is an essential component of a gyrocompass, but they are different devices; a gyrocompass is built to use the effect of gyroscopic precession, which is a distinctive aspect of the general gyroscopic effect.[2][3] Gyrocompasses, such as the fibre optic gyrocompass are widely used to provide a heading for navigation on ships.[4] This is because they have two significant advantages over magnetic compasses:[3]
they find true north as determined by the axis of the Earth's rotation, which is different from, and navigationally more useful than, magnetic north, and
they have a greater degree of accuracy because they are unaffected by ferromagnetic materials, such as in a ship's steel hull, which distort the magnetic field.[4]
Aircraft commonly use gyroscopic instruments (but not a gyrocompass) for navigation and attitude monitoring; for details, see flight instruments (specifically the heading indicator) and gyroscopic autopilot.
^Gade, Kenneth (2016). "The Seven Ways to Find Heading" (PDF). The Journal of Navigation. 69 (5). Cambridge University Press: 955–970. doi:10.1017/S0373463316000096. S2CID 53587934.
^Elliott-Laboratories (2003). The Anschutz Gyro-Compass and Gyroscope Engineering. Watchmaker. pp. 7–24. ISBN 978-1-929148-12-7. Archived from the original on 2017-03-04.
^ abTime Inc. (Mar 15, 1943). "The gyroscope pilots ships & planes". Life. pp. 80–83. Archived from the original on 2017-02-27.
^ abSafe Nav Watch. Edinburgh: Witherby Publishing Group. 2023. pp. 26–27. ISBN 9781914993466.
A gyrocompass is a type of non-magnetic compass which is based on a fast-spinning disc and the rotation of the Earth (or another planetary body if used...
A HRG gyrocompass is a compass and instrument of navigation. It is the latest[when?] generation of maintenance-free instruments. It uses a hemispherical...
A fibre optic gyrocompass is a compass and instrument of navigation. It is sometimes part of a ship's set of compasses, which also include a conventional...
principle known as Schuler tuning which is fundamental to the operation of a gyrocompass or inertial guidance system that will be operated near the surface of...
indicators, and a rather more complicated device, the gyrocompass. The first functional gyrocompass was patented in 1904 by German inventor Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe...
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gyrocompass at the same time as Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe was developing his. Eventually, the rivalry between these two inventors over the gyrocompass...
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referred to as an Earth sensor. Similar to the way that a terrestrial gyrocompass uses a pendulum to sense local gravity and force its gyro into alignment...
between marine electronics such as echo sounder, sonars, anemometer, gyrocompass, autopilot, GPS receivers and many other types of instruments. It has...
pendulum, for which he was awarded a Copley Medal by the Royal Society. The gyrocompass was patented in 1885 by Marinus Gerardus van den Bos in The Netherlands...
gyroscope. Gyroscopic autopilot adjusts control surfaces of the aircraft. Gyrocompass This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Gyroscopic...
famous for construction, two years after Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe, of the gyrocompass and as founder of the Sperry Gyroscope Company. He was known as the "father...
wayfinding. The most direct method is using a compass (magnetic compass or gyrocompass), but indirect methods exist, based on the Sun path (unaided or by using...
and steering. A helmsman relies upon visual references, a magnetic and gyrocompass, and a rudder angle indicator to steer a steady course. The mate or other...
echo sounder had not been in working condition for two months; and the gyrocompass... had a permanent error of three degrees west. The officer on watch...
gyrotheodolite comprises a normal theodolite with an attachment that contains a gyrocompass, a device which senses the rotation of the Earth in order to find true...
the gyrocompass device is held in such a way that it remains aligned with the local plumb line. When the gyroscope wheel inside the gyrocompass device...
department's report of personnel at sick bay, excused from that day's duty. Gyrocompass Logbook "What is Binnacle? - Automotive dictionary and encyklopedia -...
first deployed by the U.S. Navy in 1938. Another Arma product was a gyrocompass based on technology originally developed by the German company Anschütz...
took part in the Pearl Harbor attacks. Ensign Sakamaki's submarine's gyrocompass malfunctioned, causing the submarine to sail in circles at periscope...
from Soviet custody, navigator Lee said similarly that the navigational gyrocompass had malfunctioned. In 1983, 5 years after the flight 902 incident, Korean...
latitude or, for larger maritime vessels can be used to calculate any gyrocompass error that may exist. The other 57 selected stars have daily positions...
System receiver, with other electronic navigation sensors, such as a gyrocompass or rate of turn indicator. Vessels fitted with AIS transceivers can be...
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