The three elements of the rotation vector are expressed as follows:
x*sin(θ/2)
y*sin(θ/2)
z*sin(θ/2)
Where the magnitude of the rotation vector is equal to sin(θ/2), and the direction of the rotation vector is equal to the direction of the axis of rotation.
Figure 1. Coordinate system used by the rotation vector sensor.
The three elements of the rotation vector are equal to the last three components of a unit quaternion (cos(θ/2), x*sin(θ/2), y*sin(θ/2), z*sin(θ/2)). Elements of the rotation vector are unitless. The x, y, and z axes are defined in the same way as the acceleration sensor. The reference coordinate system is defined as a direct orthonormal basis (see figure 1). This coordinate system has the following characteristics:
X is defined as the vector product Y x Z. It is tangential to the ground at the device's current location and points approximately East.
Y is tangential to the ground at the device's current location and points toward the geomagnetic North Pole.
Z points toward the sky and is perpendicular to the ground plane.