Adaptor component for a measuring system

• US 9,151,641 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2009
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elsi Technologies Oy (MariCap Oy)
• Original Assignee: Elsi Technologies Oy (MariCap Oy)
• Inventors: Rimminen, Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): Assouad, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRETLOW, DEMETRIUS R
• Application Number:
  US12/934,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20110068808A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,387 Days
• Field of Search: 324658-690, 345173-178
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2405 by varying dielectric

Abstract

The circuit arrangement according to the invention comprises a measuring apparatus that measures an electrical connection, and also one or more conductor patterns. The conductor pattern is connected to the measuring apparatus using an adaptor component, which fits the impedance produced by the conductor pattern to be suitable for the measuring apparatus.

Claims

1. A measuring apparatus comprising:

one or more coplanar conductor patterns, wherein each of the coplanar conductor patterns has a rectangular side surface and a flat top surface, and each of the flat top surfaces of the coplanar conductor patterns is at a same vertical level;

a measuring device configured to measure an impedance produced by an electrical connection between the one or more coplanar conductor patterns and a corresponding conductor pattern environment; and

a capacitor-based adaptor connected in series between the measuring device and the one or more coplanar conductor patterns and configured to adapt the impedance produced by the electrical connection to the measuring device,

wherein a measuring range of the measuring device, without the capacitor-based adaptor, is outside a range of impedance produced by the electrical connection,

wherein the capacitor-based adaptor is adapted to fit the impedance produced by the electrical connection to the measuring device, and

wherein the impedance produced by the electrical connection is measured by the measuring device to monitor a strength of the electrical connection in the one or more coplanar conductor patterns, and detect at least one object within a proximity of the one or more coplanar conductor patterns.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capacitor-based adaptor comprises one or more capacitors.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a capacitance measuring range of the capacitor-based adaptor extends to at most 100 pF.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the capacitor-based adaptor is configured to connect to a conductor pattern of the one or more conductor patterns that produces at least 101 pF capacitance.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a floor surface on which the at least one object is placed to be detected by the one or more coplanar conductor patterns,

wherein the one or more coplanar conductor patterns are installed as a group under the floor surface.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more coplanar conductor patterns are one or more coplanar capacitive conductor patterns, respectively, and

wherein each of the one or more coplanar conductor patterns is surrounded with insulation and connected only to a single sensor lead connected to the measuring device.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein each of the one or more coplanar capacitive conductor patterns produces a capacitance of 200 pF, and

wherein the capacitor-based adaptor is a 200 pF capacitor-based adaptor that raises the impedance produced by a corresponding 200 pF coplanar capacitive conductor pattern among the one or more coplanar capacitive conductor patterns to be sufficiently great to be measurable by the measuring apparatus.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the measuring device measures an alternating current of an electrical connection between each of the one or more coplanar capacitive conductor patterns and the other one or more coplanar capacitive conductor patterns, and between each of the one or more coplanar capacitive conductor patterns and a structure surrounding the one or more coplanar capacitive conductor patterns, and

wherein an alternating current used in a resistance measurement of the capacitor-based adaptor is inversely proportional to a capacitance of the capacitor-based adaptor.