Method and apparatus for providing a switching signal in the presence of noise
First Claim
1. A method for controlling a switching circuit comprising:
- measuring signals from a sensor in response to an actuating object;
randomly sampling the measured signals; and
changing a state of an output signal based upon the randomly sampled measured signals.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A technique for controlling a switching circuit, such as a relay, includes one or more sensing circuits that generate signals based upon the presence of an actuating object and upon a randomly applied strobe signal. The generated signals are sampled and are used as a basis for determining the state of an output signal. The sensing circuit may generate the signals based upon capacitive coupling with the actuating object. The randomization of the sampling provides enhanced immunity to periodic or cyclic noise. Where more than one sensing circuit is included, the output of the circuits may be considered together for determining the state of the output signal, such as based upon predetermined ranges of signal levels. Signals of the sensing circuit may be sampled in the absence of the strobe to provide an indication of the relative noise level. If the noise level is determined to be elevated, the output signal may not change states.
9 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A method for controlling a switching circuit comprising:
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measuring signals from a sensor in response to an actuating object;
randomly sampling the measured signals; and
changing a state of an output signal based upon the randomly sampled measured signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for controlling a switching circuit comprising:
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generating signals from a sensor in response to an actuating object and a strobe signal applied to the sensor at random intervals;
sampling the generated signals; and
changing a state of an output signal based upon the sampled signals. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for controlling a switching circuit comprising:
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generating signals from a sensor in response to an actuating object and a strobe signal applied to the sensor at random intervals;
sampling the generated signals;
sampling noise-responsive signals from the sensor in the absence of the strobe signal; and
changing a state of an output signal based upon the generated signals and the noise-responsive signals. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method for controlling a switching circuit comprising:
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generating signals from a plurality of sensors in response to an actuating object and a strobe signal applied to the sensors at random intervals;
sampling the generated signals; and
changing a state of an output signal based upon the sampled signals from the plurality of sensors. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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26. A system for controlling a switching circuit comprising:
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a sensing circuit configured to generate signals in response to an actuating object and strobe signals applied to the sensing circuit at random intervals;
a sampling circuit for sampling the signals generated by the sensing circuit; and
a switching circuit configured to change a state of an output signal based upon the sampled signals. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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28. A system for controlling a switching circuit comprising:
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a first capacitive sensing circuit configured to generate first signals in response to an actuating object and first strobe signals applied to the first sensing circuit at random intervals;
a second capacitive sensing circuit configured to generate second signals in response to an actuating object and second strobe signals applied to the second sensing circuit at random intervals;
a sampling circuit for sampling the first and second signals; and
a switching circuit configured to change a state of an output signal based upon the sampled first and second signals. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30)
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31. A system for controlling a switching circuit comprising:
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a capacitive sensing circuit configured to generate signals in response to an actuating object and strobe signals applied to the sensing circuit at random intervals;
a sampling circuit for sampling the signals generated by the sensing circuit, and to sample noise-responsive signals generated by the sensing circuit in the absence of the strobe signals; and
a switching circuit configured to change a state of an output signal based upon the sampled signals. - View Dependent Claims (32)
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33. A system for controlling a switching circuit comprising:
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means for generating signals from a sensor in response to an actuating object and a strobe signal applied to the sensor at random intervals;
means for sampling the generated signals; and
means for changing a state of an output signal based upon the sampled signals.
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34. A system for controlling a switching circuit comprising:
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means for generating signals from a sensor in response to an actuating object and a strobe signal applied to the sensor at random intervals;
means for sampling the generated signals;
means for sampling noise-responsive signals from the sensor in the absence of the strobe signal; and
means for changing a state of an output signal based upon the generated signals and the noise-responsive signals.
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35. A system for controlling a switching circuit comprising:
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means for generating signals from a plurality of sensors in response to an actuating object and a strobe signal applied to the sensors at random intervals;
means for sampling the generated signals; and
means for changing a state of an output signal based upon the sampled signals from the plurality of sensors.
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Specification