Patent · US Active

Capacitive sensor interface and method

US9214938B2 · kind B2 · utility

2Cited by
1References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 27, 2012
Grant dateDec 15, 2015
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 22, 2034

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03K17/9622
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Electronic interface and method for reading a capacitive sensor that includes one input capacitor (30) or several input capacitors, in which the capacitive sensor is excited with a two-level voltage (Vlow, Vhigh) and read by a charge-sense amplifier whose output is sampled in four successive instants. An evaluation unit (333) is arranged to compute two difference values (V12, V34) between two pairs of samples corresponding to different voltage levels and to combine said difference values into an output value (V_out_raw) proportional to the charge transferred to the input of the charge-sense amplifier and an error value (error_bit) sensitive to a time derivative of a noise current din/dt.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.