Multi-axis Response of a Thermal Convection-based Accelerometer

A thermal convection-based accelerometer was fabricated, and its characteristics were analyzed in this study. To understand the thermal convection of the accelerometer, the Grashof and Prandtl number equations were analyzed. This study conducted experiments to improve not only the sensitivity, but also the frequency band. An accelerometer with a more voluminous cavity showed better sensitivity. In addition, when the accelerometer used a gas medium with a large density and small viscosity, its sensitivity also improved. On the other hand, the accelerometer with a narrow volume cavity that used a gas medium with a small density and large thermal diffusivity displayed a larger frequency band. In particular, this paper focused on a Z-axis response to extend the performance of the accelerometer.