Linear capacitive sensor system
First Claim
1. A capacitive sensor system comprising:
- A. a capacitive sensor including first and second plate elements and means for coupling said first and second plate elements to first and second terminals, respectively, said plate elements having opposed, electrically conductive surfaces, said opposed surfaces being substantially parallel and spaced apart by a predetermined fixed distance, and including an electrically conductive diaphragm member positioned substantially parallel to and between said opposed surfaces, said diaphragm member being movable in the direction perpendicular to the plane of said opposed surfaces,B. at least one diode detector network coupled across said first and second terminals, each of said diode detector networks including a pair of oppositely directed series connected diodes and means for coupling said series connected pair of diodes across said first and second terminals, and means for resistively shunting each of said diodes in said diode networks, and further including means for noninductively coupling the junction between said diodes to said diaphragm member, andC. means for coupling a substantially constant amplitude a.c. signal across said first and second terminals,whereby the net d.c. voltage across the diodes of said diode detector networks is representative of the position of said diaphragm with respect to said plate elements.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A capacitive sensor system including a sensor with two fixed plate elements having opposed planar, electrically conductive surfaces serving as electrodes. The sensor further includes a movable, electrically conductive diaphragm positioned between the electrodes. At least one diode detector network is coupled across the electrodes. The diode detector networks each include a pair of oppositely directed series connected diodes with the junction between the diodes of each network being coupled to the diaphragm. In embodiments having only one diode detector network, the junction between the two diodes may be directly or capacitively coupled to the diaphragm. In embodiments having two such diode detector networks, the diodes of the second network are oppositely directed with respect to the corresponding diodes in the first network, and the junction between the diodes in the second network are capacitively coupled to the diaphragm while the junction between the diodes in the first diode network may be either directly or capacitively coupled to the diaphragm. The system further includes a coupler for coupling a constant amplitude a.c. signal across the electrodes of the sensor. The net d.c. voltage across the diodes of the diode detector networks is representative of the position of the diaphragm between the two sensor electrodes.
37 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A capacitive sensor system comprising:
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A. a capacitive sensor including first and second plate elements and means for coupling said first and second plate elements to first and second terminals, respectively, said plate elements having opposed, electrically conductive surfaces, said opposed surfaces being substantially parallel and spaced apart by a predetermined fixed distance, and including an electrically conductive diaphragm member positioned substantially parallel to and between said opposed surfaces, said diaphragm member being movable in the direction perpendicular to the plane of said opposed surfaces, B. at least one diode detector network coupled across said first and second terminals, each of said diode detector networks including a pair of oppositely directed series connected diodes and means for coupling said series connected pair of diodes across said first and second terminals, and means for resistively shunting each of said diodes in said diode networks, and further including means for noninductively coupling the junction between said diodes to said diaphragm member, and C. means for coupling a substantially constant amplitude a.c. signal across said first and second terminals, whereby the net d.c. voltage across the diodes of said diode detector networks is representative of the position of said diaphragm with respect to said plate elements. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A displacement sensor system, comprising
a capacitive sensor including a pair of fixed elements with spaced parallel electrically conductive surfaces aligned along an axis substantially normal to said surfaces defining therebetween a continuum of parallel equipotential surfaces and a movable element mounted for axial displacement midway between said fixed elements having an electrically conductive surface substantially parallel to the surface of said fixed elements, a first capacitor half being formed by said movable element and one of said fixed elements and a second capacitor half being formed by said movable element and the other one of said fixed elements, means for applying a nonrectified a.c. signal across said capacitive sensor such that nonrectified a.c. signals appear across both said capacitor halves, detector means for shifting the baseline of that portion of the a.c. signal developed across one capacitor half in accordance with its amplitude, and for shifting the base line of and inverting that portion of the a.c. signal developed across the other capacitor half in accordance with its amplitude, and output means coupled to said detector means for combining the opposed baseline shifted a.c. signals to produce a d.c. output signal representing the differential amplitudes of the a.c. signals across said capacitor halves caused by displacement of said movable element.
Specification