This paper presents two kinds of high-accuracy analog output accelerom
eters' (G-sensors) that have been developed and commercialized for use
in production vehicles. Remarkable advances have been seen in the per
formance of automotive electronic control systems in recent years, esp
ecially in the area of chassis control. This has increased the need fo
r automotive G-sensors capable of providing accuracy equal to that of
instrumentation equipment, as high-level control can be achieved throu
gh accurate detection of acceleration, a basic motion parameter of veh
icles. Conventional G-sensors have generally been expensive, have requ
ired careful handling because of their susceptibility to impact damage
and have presented many problems in production vehicle application. T
he new G-sensors overcome these drawbacks and are being used in a hydr
aulic active suspension and an electronically controlled torque split
4WD system.