Gyrometer

Represents a device that measures the rate of rotation around the device's X, Y, and Z axes.

Overview

The Gyrometer is a sensor that provides data about the rotational velocity of a device. This data is crucial for applications that involve motion detection, augmented reality, gaming, and user interface interactions that respond to device orientation changes.

Note: Ensure your application has the necessary capabilities declared in its manifest file to access sensor data. For the Gyrometer, this is typically the Sensors capability.

Properties

ReadingType
Gets the type of sensor reading. For Gyrometer, this is typically GyrometerReadingType.Absolute.
MinimumReportInterval
Gets the minimum report interval supported by the sensor. This value is in milliseconds.
ReportInterval
Gets or sets the report interval for the sensor. This value is in milliseconds and determines how frequently the sensor generates readings.

Methods

Start()
Starts the reporting of sensor data. This method should be called when you want to begin receiving readings.
Stop()
Stops the reporting of sensor data. This method should be called when you no longer need to receive readings to conserve power.

Events

ReadingChanged
Occurs when the sensor reports a new reading. You can attach an event handler to this to process the latest sensor data.

GyrometerReading Class

The GyrometerReading class contains the actual sensor data for a specific point in time.

Properties

Timestamp
Gets the timestamp of the reading.
AngularVelocityX
Gets the angular velocity around the X-axis in radians per second.
AngularVelocityY
Gets the angular velocity around the Y-axis in radians per second.
AngularVelocityZ
Gets the angular velocity around the Z-axis in radians per second.
Properties
Gets any additional sensor-specific properties.

Usage Example (C#)

Here's a basic example of how to use the Gyrometer to display angular velocity data:

C# Example 

using System;
using Windows.Devices.Sensors;
using Windows.UI.Core;

public sealed partial class MainPage : Page
{
    private Gyrometer _gyrometer;
    private DataWriter _dataWriter; // Assume DataWriter is initialized elsewhere

    public MainPage()
    {
        this.InitializeComponent();
        InitializeGyrometer();
    }

    private async void InitializeGyrometer()
    {
        _gyrometer = await Gyrometer.GetDefaultAsync();
        if (_gyrometer != null)
        {
            // Set the report interval to a reasonable value, e.g., 16ms for ~60fps
            _gyrometer.ReportInterval = 16;
            _gyrometer.ReadingChanged += Gyrometer_ReadingChanged;
        }
        else
        {
            // Handle the case where the gyrometer is not available
            // e.g., display a message to the user.
        }
    }

    private async void Gyrometer_ReadingChanged(Gyrometer sender, GyrometerReadingChangedEventArgs args)
    {
        // Update UI on the UI thread
        await Dispatcher.RunAsync(CoreDispatcherPriority.Normal, () =>
        {
            GyrometerReading reading = args.Reading;
            // Update UI elements with reading.AngularVelocityX, reading.AngularVelocityY, reading.AngularVelocityZ
            // For example:
            // X_TextBlock.Text = $"X: {reading.AngularVelocityX:F3} rad/s";
            // Y_TextBlock.Text = $"Y: {reading.AngularVelocityY:F3} rad/s";
            // Z_TextBlock.Text = $"Z: {reading.AngularVelocityZ:F3} rad/s";
        });
    }

    // Ensure you stop listening when the page is unloaded
    protected override void OnNavigatedFrom(NavigationEventArgs e)
    {
        if (_gyrometer != null)
        {
            _gyrometer.ReadingChanged -= Gyrometer_ReadingChanged;
            _gyrometer = null;
        }
        base.OnNavigatedFrom(e);
    }
}
Tip: For battery-sensitive applications, consider setting a larger ReportInterval or stopping the gyrometer when it's not actively needed.

See Also