ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the most commonly employed sensor types used to measure a given physical quantity, such as temperature. It describes some of the common sensor systems used to measure angular acceleration, angular velocity, and angular position. Sensors used to measure force and pressure were seen to be related in that a pressure acting on the area of a diaphragm or piston produces a force. The chapter discusses conventional mechanical gyroscopes and then describes the design and sensitivity limitations of fiber-optic, Sagnac-effect gyros. It also examines certain means to measure the linear acceleration of structures and vehicles with sensors known as accelerometers, as well as certain techniques for measuring linear velocity and position. The mechanical resonance frequency of piezoaccelerometers is orders of magnitude higher than that of moving mass and spring accelerometers.
