Disclosed is a method of detecting the approach and/or contact of a user's hand to a door handle, the handle having a first outer surface oriented toward the vehicle and a second outer surface oriented toward the user, the handle including at least one detection electrode and an additional electrode, positioned face to face in advance. The method includes: the two electrodes are electrically connected to the same power supply source; a first capacitance value is measured at the terminals of the detection electrode; a second capacitance value is measured at the terminals of the additional electrode; and the first and second values are compared, during a measurement period, with one another and/or with a predetermined threshold value, in order to detect the approach of a user's hand toward the first outer surface or toward the second outer surface and/or the contact of his hand with one of these surfaces.

A proximity sensor includes a lead supported on an outer surface of a case structure and a sensor wire that extends from the lead and through an opening in the case structure. The sensor is formed by applying alternating layers of electrically conductive and non-conductive materials in a non-cured state. A base non-conductive layer is applied to an inner surface of the case structure around the sensor wire in a non-cured state. Once cured, a conductive layer is deposited onto the base non-conductive layer and encapsulates the sensor wire. A cover non-conductive layer is then deposited over portions of the conductive layer to insulate the conductive layer. Portions of the non-conductive layer are then removed such that an area of the conductive layer is exposed to define a sensor area.

A method for locating an object hidden beneath a surface using a locating device is disclosed. At least one coupling signal dependent on the object is received by a receiving means of the locating device. Once the locating device has been placed on the surface, a first value Ci of the coupling signal is detected and the first value Ci is defined as value CBG for a background subtraction. In particular, whilst the locating device and the surface are moved relative to one another, at least one further value C of the coupling signal is detected and the value CBG for the background subtraction is re-calibrated by the at least one further value C if the at least one further value C is lower than the value CBG for the background subtraction. The re-calibration is suspended if a valid value CBG is identified for the background subtraction.

A capacitive occupancy or proximity detector (10) comprises a heating circuit, an impedance measurement circuit (34, 36, 40) and a diagnostic circuit. The heating circuit includes a heating element (12). The impedance measurement circuit is connected to the heating element so as to measure impedance between the heating element and a node at ground potential. The diagnostic circuit is configured for measuring electrical resistance across the heating circuit and includes a heating current sensor (42), configured for sensing a heating current across the heating circuit, a current supply device (48) for driving a diagnostic current across the heating circuit and a current limiting ground path (50), configured for draining the diagnostic current and for blocking the heating current.

A capacitive sensor for detecting at a surface that an object is approaching which is designed to be flexurally rigid and/or torsionally rigid. The capacitive sensor includes a circuit carrier and/or a spacer element and/or a carrier. In this case, the circuit carrier is designed to be flexurally rigid and/or torsionally rigid and/or the spacer element is designed to be flexurally rigid and/or torsionally rigid and/or the carrier is designed to be flexurally rigid and/or torsionally rigid. The circuit carrier is in the form of a circuit board and is used for making electrical contact with the electrically conductive surfaces of the capacitive sensor. The spacer element is situated between the electrically conductive surfaces and the circuit carrier. The carrier is designed for connecting the capacitive sensor to a machine part, in particular to a machine part of an industrial robot.

Obscured feature detectors are disclosed that have both the capability to sense the location of obscured structural features and the ability to warn a user of obscured live electrical wires in the vicinity. An interleaving component, such as a MUX, can interleave the sensing of obscured features and the sensing of live wires. The interleaving component is configured to alternately couple the electrical wire sensing element to the electrical wire sensing circuitry or to the common plate separately. Coupling the live wire sensing element to the electrical wire sensing circuitry can allow sensing of a live electrical wire and coupling the live wire sensing element to a known reference signal can allow sensing of obscured features.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to apparatus and methods for unattended occupant protection system (UOPS) safety systems for passenger vehicles. The UOPS safety system may include a UOPS module. The module may be integrated with a vehicle data bus of the passenger vehicle. The module may be in communication with a plurality of UOPS sensors. The module may launch an equalization mode in response to determining, via the UOPS sensors, the presence of an unattended occupant in the passenger vehicle with a high or rising ambient temperature. The equalization mode may stabilize the ambient temperature of the passenger vehicle.

Aspects of the subject technology relate to systems and methods for identifying values of mud and formation parameters based on measurements gathered by an electromagnetic imager tool through machine learning. One or more regression functions that model mud and formation parameters capable of being identified through an electromagnetic imager tool as a function of possible tool measurements of the electromagnetic imager tool can be generated using a known dataset associated with the electromagnetic imager tool. One or more tool measurements obtained by the electromagnetic imager tool operating to log a wellbore can be gathered. As follows, one or more values of the mud and formation parameters can be identified by applying the one or more regression functions to the one or more tool measurements.

A steering-wheel grip sensor includes: a driven electrode having a planar shape and extending along a rim of a steering wheel; a sensor electrode having a planar shape and opposed to the driven electrode; a sine-wave generator that supplies a sinusoidal voltage to the driven electrode; a charge amplifier that includes a feedback capacitive element, detects a change in an amount of charge generated according to capacitance of the sensor electrode, and outputs the change in the amount of charge as a change in a voltage; a multiplication processor that multiplies the sinusoidal voltage by an output voltage from the charge amplifier; an integrator that smooths, by integration, a result of multiplication by the multiplication processor; and a grip determiner that determines whether the steering wheel is gripped, according to a level of the result smoothed.

A method of measuring a user's contact or proximity to a vehicle steering wheel, comprising the steps of measuring the user's contact or proximity to the vehicle steering wheel during a phase of use of the vehicle steering wheel resulting in generating of a measurement signal (SM), storing in a second memory unit at least part of the values of the measurements taken, adjusting the detection threshold (S2M/1M) based on the stored values and/or processing carried out on the stored values.