

But why 3-axis? 3-axis accelerometers are the most convenient to use, and they provide us the flexibility to use all the 3 spatial axes, viz the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis. There are even more methods, including use of the piezoresistive effect, hot air bubbles, and light.As the direction of gravity’s pull changes, so does the force of the crystal and the signal it generates. The mass puts pressure on the crystal and generates a tiny voltage (some work on resistance or capacitance change).

Accelerometers use a quartz crystal mounted between a fixed point and a free floating mass.Add some circuitry to convert from capacitance to voltage, and you will get an accelerometer. If an acceleration force moves one of the structures, then the capacitance will change. If you have two microstructures next to each other, they have a certain capacitance between them. Another way to do it is by sensing changes in capacitance.they contain microscopic crystal structures which upon getting stressed by acceleration forces generate a voltage across its ends. Some use the piezoelectric effect i.e.There are many ways in which accelerometers work, some of them are:

So we see that there are a vast number of uses of this device. They are also used to measure the acceleration of automobiles, ships, aircrafts, spacecraft, or in those applications wherein vibrations of a machine, a building etc. Nowadays, they are an integral part of your smartphones! Yes! They are the ones, which are responsible for screen rotation when you change the orientation of your phone! Motion gaming is another use of the accelerometer. Where are they used?Īccelerometers find a variety of uses in the modern world. We will discuss about digital ones later. In this post, we will be discussing about the analog accelerometers. There are two types of accelerometers available: These forces may be static, like the constant force of gravity pulling at your feet, or they could be dynamic – caused by moving or vibrating the accelerometer. Well, according to the dictionary, an accelerometer is a device (a sensor) that is typically used to measure the acceleration (very obvious from the name!).Īn accelerometer is an electromechanical device that will measure acceleration forces. But what actually are they? Accelerometers What are they? Everybody would have at least once heard of “ accelerometer “, most probably, in some way associated to smartphones.
