Simulation aspects of a thermal accelerometer

Today, one of the most interesting fields of application for silicon accelerometers is the automotive industry, where many sensors are needed for airbags, smart suspensions, electronic steering or position finding. Accelerometers are also of interest for the so-called gesture-controlled remote controls, which convert the movement of the human hand into an electronic signal. These remote controls can be realized by using accelerometers to detect the movement. In this paper, a sensor will be presented which uses a rather new thermal principle. The operating principle will be discussed and two methods for simulating the thermal behaviour of this sensor will be introduced.