to top
Android APIs
Added in API level 1
Deprecated since API level 3
public interface

SensorListener

android.hardware.SensorListener
Known Indirect Subclasses

This interface was deprecated in API level 3.
Use SensorEventListener instead.

Class Overview

Used for receiving notifications from the SensorManager when sensor values have changed.

Summary

Public Methods
abstract void onAccuracyChanged(int sensor, int accuracy)
Called when the accuracy of a sensor has changed.
abstract void onSensorChanged(int sensor, float[] values)

Called when sensor values have changed.

Public Methods

public abstract void onAccuracyChanged (int sensor, int accuracy)

Added in API level 1

Called when the accuracy of a sensor has changed. See SensorManager for details.

Parameters
sensor The ID of the sensor being monitored
accuracy The new accuracy of this sensor.

public abstract void onSensorChanged (int sensor, float[] values)

Added in API level 1

Called when sensor values have changed. The length and contents of the values array vary depending on which sensor is being monitored. See SensorManager for details on possible sensor types.

Definition of the coordinate system used below.

The X axis refers to the screen's horizontal axis (the small edge in portrait mode, the long edge in landscape mode) and points to the right.

The Y axis refers to the screen's vertical axis and points towards the top of the screen (the origin is in the lower-left corner).

The Z axis points toward the sky when the device is lying on its back on a table.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The axis are swapped when the device's screen orientation changes. To access the unswapped values, use indices 3, 4 and 5 in values[].

SENSOR_ORIENTATION, SENSOR_ORIENTATION_RAW:

All values are angles in degrees.

values[0]: Azimuth, rotation around the Z axis (0<=azimuth<360). 0 = North, 90 = East, 180 = South, 270 = West

values[1]: Pitch, rotation around X axis (-180<=pitch<=180), with positive values when the z-axis moves toward the y-axis.

values[2]: Roll, rotation around Y axis (-90<=roll<=90), with positive values when the z-axis moves toward the x-axis.

Note that this definition of yaw, pitch and roll is different from the traditional definition used in aviation where the X axis is along the long side of the plane (tail to nose).

SENSOR_ACCELEROMETER:

All values are in SI units (m/s^2) and measure contact forces.

values[0]: force applied by the device on the x-axis

values[1]: force applied by the device on the y-axis

values[2]: force applied by the device on the z-axis

Examples:

  • When the device is pushed on its left side toward the right, the x acceleration value is negative (the device applies a reaction force to the push toward the left)
  • When the device lies flat on a table, the acceleration value is -STANDARD_GRAVITY, which correspond to the force the device applies on the table in reaction to gravity.
  • SENSOR_MAGNETIC_FIELD:

    All values are in micro-Tesla (uT) and measure the ambient magnetic field in the X, Y and -Z axis.

    Note: the magnetic field's Z axis is inverted.

    Parameters
    sensor The ID of the sensor being monitored
    values The new values for the sensor.