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Capacitive sensor with orthogonal fields

  • US 9,395,171 B2
  • Filed: 11/05/2012
  • Issued: 07/19/2016
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2012
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A proximity sensor comprising:

  • a first pair of electrodes aligned along a first axis;

    a second pair of electrodes aligned along a second axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis;

    a signal generator configured to apply a first signal across the first pair of electrodes to produce a first electric field and to apply a second signal across the second pair of electrodes to produce a second electric field that is substantially perpendicular to the first electric field, wherein the first and second electric fields are produced concurrently;

    a detector configured to concurrently detect a first change in the first signal due to an object interacting with the first electric field and a second change in the second signal due to the object interacting with the second electric field; and

    a comparator configured to determine a distance of the object from the first and second pair of electrodes based on a ratio of the first and second changes.

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