Society of Robots - Robot Forum

Electronics => Electronics => Topic started by: Robotboy86 on April 07, 2009, 03:02:52 PM

Title: Telling direction of accel from an accelerometer
Post by: Robotboy86 on April 07, 2009, 03:02:52 PM

Correct me if I am wrong..and I have done some research into this..  but I am confused on how you can tell direction from an accelerometer.  if you are measuring up and down(Towards earth, away from earth), then I suppose an accel. could do the job quite nicely.. however, left to right, back to front, theres no way to tell which way it is going.  Right?  Either way it would be measuring the same lack of gravity(as it falls towards the earth, approaching 0g).

Am I missing something here? Do some of these accelerometer's also contain some kind of direction telling system??

Title: Re: Telling direction of accel from an accelerometer
Post by: Razor Concepts on April 07, 2009, 03:05:26 PM

Imagine an accelerometer as a leaf of grass. Tilt it right and the grass tilts right. Tilt it left and the grass titls left.

Title: Re: Telling direction of accel from an accelerometer
Post by: Admin on May 07, 2009, 06:38:14 PM

Sounds like you need an IMU, with gyros . . .