Systems and methods related to gyroscope related applications. A platform having at least one toms shaped channel that is filled with a liquid is used in conjunction with at least one marker to determine the direction of forces applied to the platform. Each marker is neutrally buoyant within the liquid and a marker tracking system is used to determine the displacement of the marker from its resting place after a force has been applied to the platform. The tracking system may be based on at least one digital camera in conjunction with suitable image processing software to determine the marker's position before, during, and after the force has been applied. A gyroscope can be constructed using three such platforms with each platform being orthogonal to the other two. Each platform may have multiple concentric channels with a common center with each channel having a different sensitivity to the applied forces.

Thermal convection based accelerometers and heating control methods therefor are described. The heating control method includes: sensing a temperature in the enclosed cavity and generating a temperature voltage signal; amplifying the temperature voltage signal to obtain an amplified temperature voltage signal; calculating a voltage difference between the amplified temperature voltage signal and a reference voltage signal; converting the voltage difference into a digital sequence by using a modulator; obtaining a heating power adjustment factor representing the voltage difference based on the digital sequence; obtaining a heating power control parameter based on the heating power adjustment factor and an initial heating power factor; converting the heating power control parameter into a switch control signal; and turning on or off a heating control switch coupling with a heating resistor for heating the enclosed cavity in series according to the switch control signal.

The present invention discloses a thermal convection based accelerometer and a heating control method therefor. The heating control method includes: sensing a temperature in the enclosed cavity and generating a temperature voltage signal; amplifying the temperature voltage signal to obtain an amplified temperature voltage signal; calculating a voltage difference between the amplified temperature voltage signal and a reference voltage signal; converting the voltage difference into a digital sequence by using a modulator; obtaining a heating power adjustment factor representing the voltage difference based on the digital sequence; obtaining a heating power control parameter based on the heating power adjustment factor and an initial heating power factor; converting the heating power control parameter into a switch control signal; and turning on or off a heating control switch coupling with a heating resistor for heating the enclosed cavity in series according to the switch control signal. Thus, a stabilization speed of a closed-loop heating control circuit can be significantly improved, and while avoiding a significant increase in chip area and power consumption.

A wearable device capable of displaying an object temperature includes a camera, an image capturing unit, a thermal camera, a thermal sensing device, a central processing unit and a display unit. The camera receives light to generate an image, and the image is captured by the image capturing unit. The thermal camera receives light to generate a thermal image. The thermal image is received by the thermal sensing device to obtain temperature information. The captured image and the thermal image are transmitted to the central processing unit and calculated by the central processing unit to obtain a temperature value for each point of the thermal image. The temperature values are displayed on the display unit.

A wearable device capable of displaying an object temperature includes a camera, an image capturing unit, a thermal camera, a thermal sensing device, a central processing unit and a display unit. The camera receives light to generate an image, and the image is captured by the image capturing unit. The thermal camera receives light to generate a thermal image. The thermal image is received by the thermal sensing device to obtain temperature information. The captured image and the thermal image are transmitted to the central processing unit and calculated by the central processing unit to obtain a temperature value for each point of the thermal image. The temperature values are displayed on the display unit.

An accelerometer based on convective thermal transport through a fluid is structured without a solid proof mass. Thermal transport through the fluid is sourced and sensed by thermal elements. The thermal elements are comprised of phononic structures which increase power efficiency for accelerometer operation and provide an increased sensitivity to acceleration vectors. The temperature of the sensing element is a function of the vectored acceleration of the enclosed cavity structure. The accelerometer in embodiments provides an extended range for multi-axis accelerations from excitations such as vibration, shock and gravity. Integration of the accelerometer with CMOS signal conditioning circuitry on the same die is convenient.