Accelermeter

Group 1
How can a car consider deploying an airbag or
maybe it is not an accident?
How does a health tracking watch count your
steps?
How does your phone auto rotate?
All those scenarios include one
crucial part: Accelerometer (
G-sensor)
CONTENT
1. What is accelerometer?
2. What accelerometer can detect?
3. Basic working principle
4. Types of accelerometers
5. Application
6. Pros & Cons
1. What is
accelerometer?
It is device that allows you to measure
and analyze linear acceleration, the
change in velocity of an object over
time
Acceleration included:
Dynamic Acceleration: Caused by
motion (acceleration, deceleration,
vibration).
Static Acceleration: Caused by
gravity.
 2. What they can detect ?
Tilt: Measures the inclination of a
mainly stationary object by detecting
the acceleration of gravity.

Vibration: Detects the acceleration

when an object is vibrating.

Impact: Detects the acceleration when

an object experiences an impact.
3. Basic Working Principle
An accelerometer can be modeled
as a tube containing a ball attached
to a spring.
When the object moves, the ball is
affected, causing the spring to
stretch or compress. Based on the
degree of this stretching or
compression, the force and
acceleration can be determined.
Based on Newton's Second Law
F = ma
By attaching sensors along the three
axes X, Y, Z, we can measure motion
in three-dimensional space.
4. Types of accelerometers
Classification of Accelerometers
By Technology:
MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical
Systems)
Piezoelectric
Servo (High precision, used in aerospace
and geophysics)
Optical (High sensitivity, less commonly
used)
... (and other types)

Currently, MEMS accelerometers dominate in

consumer applications and many industrial
sectors due to their small size, low cost, and
low power consumption.
4. Types of accelerometers
Classification of Accelerometers
By Number of Measurement Axes:
Single-axis: Measures acceleration
along a single direction.
Dual-axis: Measures acceleration along
two perpendicular directions (typically
X and Y).
Triple-axis: Measures acceleration
along all three spatial directions (X, Y,
Z). Most common in modern devices.
4. Types of accelerometers
Common Measurement Technologies:
MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems):
Currently the most widely used technology.
Capacitive: Measures changes in capacitance
between a moving mass and fixed electrodes.
Piezoresistive: Measures changes in the
resistance of a piezoresistive material when it
is deformed due to the movement of the
mass.
Piezoelectric: Piezoelectric materials generate
voltage when compressed or stretched by a
moving mass.
4.1 Capacitive accelerometer
How it works?
It uses a capacitor to measure the
capacitances.
When the battery is connected electrons
move until electrical balance
The closer the plates are, the higher the
capacitance between them.
4.1 Capacitive accelerometer
How it works?
Measures the change in capacitance
between a moving mass and fixed
plates.
Capacitances are measured and used to
quantify the amount of acceleration they
are experiencing.
4.1 Capacitive accelerometer
Pros:
Low cost
High Sensitivity to Low Frequencies
Small Size
Cons:
Limited Frequency Range
Sensitivity to Temperature
Applications
Very common in phones and tablets,
ideal for low-acceleration measurements
and are often employed in automotive
body control systems due to their self-
diagnostic capabilities.
4.2 Piezoelectric accelerometer
How it works?
The principle of the piezoelectric accelerometer sensor is to use the
piezoelectric effect.
the piezoelectric material deforms slightly under this force.
This deformation creates an electric charge proportional to the applied
force (and thus, the acceleration).

.
4.2 Piezoelectric accelerometer
How it works?

When the accelerometer experiences

acceleration, it causes a small internal
mass (called the seismic mass) to apply
force to a piezoelectric material.
The generated charge is converted into
a voltage signal using internal
electronics.
This signal is then read as the
acceleration value.
.
4.2 Piezoelectric accelerometer
Pros:
High frequency
High transient response
Good output
Cons:
Materials are fragile
Temperature sensitivity
High cost
Applications
They are used in applications such as
collision detection in automobiles and
vibration measurement during drop tests.
4.3 Piezoresistive accelerometer
How it works?
The principle of the piezoresistive
accelerometer sensor is to use the
piezoresistive effect
Tiny piezoresistive elements (often
made of doped silicon) are embedded
in the stressed structure.
These resistors change their electrical
resistance when the structure deforms.
4.3 Piezoresistive accelerometer
How it works?
When acceleration occurs, the
mass moves, causing the
piezoresistive material to deform
(compress or stretch).
The change in resistance is
measured and converted into an
electrical signal, from which the
acceleration is derived.
4.3 Piezoresistive accelerometer
Pros:
Small Size
High Shock Resistance
Cons:
Temperature Sensitivity
Power Consumption
Lower Sensitivity to Small
Vibrations
Applications
Crash and impact testing,
industrial monitoring
5. Applications
Automotive
Consumer Electronics
Airbag Systems: Detect strong
Phones/Tablets: Auto screen
impacts to deploy airbags.
rotation
Dashcam record: Detect
Wearables: Step counting
incident to record.
5. Applications
Industrial
Robotics: Maintain balance,
control movement, detect
collisions.
Tilt Measurement: In
construction machinery,
cranes, and oil rigs
Vibration Monitoring: Detect
early faults in machines,
motors, wind turbines
(predictive maintenance).
6. Pros and cons
Pros: Cons:
Small size and lightweight Accuracy and stability can be
(especially MEMS). affected by temperature.
Decreasing cost over time. Measurements can be affected by
Low power consumption. noise.
High durability (solid-state Requires periodic calibration (for
structure). high-precision applications).
Easy to integrate into systems. Drift: Accumulated error over time,
Versatile with wide-ranging especially when calculating velocity
applications. and position from acceleration.
Limited measurement range and
bandwidth depending on the type.