Q. Consider the following actions:
1. Detection of car crash/collision which results in the deployment of airbags almost instantaneously
2. Detection of accidental free fall of a laptop towards the ground which results in the immediate turning off of the hard drive
3. Detection of the tilt of the smart- phone which results in the rotation of display between portrait and landscape mode
In how many of the above actions is the function of accelerometer required?
Exp) Option c is the correct answer.
Accelerometers are devices that measure the vibration, or acceleration of motion of a structure. They have a transducer that converts mechanical force caused by vibration or a change in motion, into an electrical current using the piezoelectric effect.
Statement 1 is correct: Any reliable car crash detection system requires an accelerometer that can measure up to several hundreds of g-force accelerations. In the event of a crash, the crash sensor (an accelerometer) sends a signal to the airbag control unit. This control unit triggers the inflation device,
which generates nitrogen gas by igniting a mixture of sodium azide (NaN3) and potassium nitrate (KNO3).
Statement 2 is correct: Accelerometers in laptops protect hard drives from damage. If the laptop were to suddenly drop while in use, the accelerometer would detect the sudden free fall and immediately turn off the hard drive to avoid hitting the reading heads into the hard drive platter.
Statement 3 is correct: An accelerometer detects acceleration, vibration, and tilt to determine movement and exact orientation along the three axes. Apps use this smartphone sensor to determine whether your phone is in portrait or landscape orientation. It can also tell if your phone screen is facing upward or downward.
Subject) Science & Tech
