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?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Answer: C
The correct answer is (c) All three.
Let’s analyze each action:
- Detection of car crash/collision resulting in airbag deployment:
- The function of an accelerometer is required in this action. Accelerometers are sensors that measure changes in acceleration, including sudden changes or impacts. In a car crash scenario, accelerometers are used to detect the rapid deceleration or impact, triggering the deployment of airbags.
- Detection of accidental free fall of a laptop resulting in hard drive shutdown:
- The function of an accelerometer is also required in this action. Accelerometers can detect changes in orientation and acceleration, allowing devices to detect free falls or sudden drops. In this case, the accelerometer detects the fall, and the device uses this information to trigger a safety mechanism such as shutting down the hard drive to protect it from potential damage.
- Detection of the tilt of the smartphone resulting in display rotation:
- The function of an accelerometer is again required in this action. Accelerometers can detect changes in orientation, including tilting or rotation. In smartphones, accelerometers are used to detect the tilt of the device and enable features such as automatic display rotation between portrait and landscape modes.
Therefore, in all three actions mentioned (airbag deployment, hard drive shutdown, display rotation), the function of an accelerometer is required. The correct answer is (c) All three.
