In one embodiment, a sensor arrangement for the contactless sensing of angles of rotation on a rotating part includes a disk-shaped target, a coil arrangement, and an evaluation and control unit. The disc-shaped target is coupled to the rotating part and includes at least two metal surfaces that influence the inductances in the flat detection coils due to eddy current effects as a function of the degree of overlap. The disc-shaped target can generate at least one piece of information for ascertaining the instantaneous angle of rotation of the rotating part, in connection with the coil arrangement. The coil arrangement has has three flat detection coils uniformly distributed on the circumference of a circle. The evaluation and control unit can generate essentially sinusoidal evaluation signals which represent the changes in inductance of the detection coils and can evaluate them for calculating the angle of rotation.

Remote inductive sensing uses a sensor resonator with a remote sense inductor coupled to a resonator capacitor through a shielded transmission line. The T-line includes a signal line and a shield return line: the sense inductor is connected at a T-line sensing end between the signal line and the shield return line, and the resonator capacitor is connected at a T-line terminal end to at least the signal line. An inductance-to-data converter (IDC) is connected at the T-line terminal end to the signal line and shield return line (set to a common mode voltage). In operation, the IDC drives oscillation signals over the signal line to the sensor resonator to sustain a resonance state, with the sense inductor projecting a magnetic sensing field, and converts changes in oscillation drive signals, representing changes in resonance state resulting from a sensed condition, into sensor data corresponding to the sensed condition.

Object detection for wireless power transmitters and related systems, methods, and devices are disclosed. A controller for a wireless power transmitter is configured to receive a measurement voltage potential responsive to a tank circuit signal at a tank circuit, provide an alternating current (AC) signal to each of the plurality of transmit coils one at a time, and determine at least one of a resonant frequency and a quality factor (Q-factor) of the tank circuit responsive to each selected transmit coil of the plurality of transmit coils. The controller is also configured to select a transmit coil to use to transmit wireless power to a receive coil of a wireless power receiver responsive to the determined at least one of the resonant frequency and the Q-factor for each transmit coil of the plurality of transmit coils.

Disclosed is a method for controlling the voltage of an electrical apparatus of a motor vehicle. The method includes the steps of measuring (E2) the voltage at the terminals of the apparatus and measuring (E3) the strength of the output current of the apparatus, calculating (E4) the values of resistance, inductance and capacitance of the equivalent circuit on the basis of the measured current strength and the measured voltage, comparing (E7, E8, E9) the calculated values of resistance, inductance and capacitance with the values of resistance, inductance and capacitance, respectively, stored in a storage area of the electronic control unit, and initiating (E12) an action if the difference between at least one of the calculated values and the corresponding stored value is above a predetermined threshold.

Systems, devices and methods for sensing moisture within an electronic device are disclosed. A device may include a housing and a display defining and exterior of an electronic device and an interior of the electronic device. Further, the device may include an integrated circuit (IC) within the electronic device and comprising a control element. The device may also include a moisture sensor such as an inductive sensor, a capacitance sensor, or both. The moisture sensor, which may be part of the IC, together with the control element may sense moisture within the electronic device

Determining the inductance L of an electrical component includes a high current pulse being generated and conducted through the electrical component. The electronic component is arranged in an electrical resonant circuit, in series with a reference component and with at least one capacitor. The resonant circuit is excited to oscillate by the high current pulse. Electrical properties of the electrical component are measured for a measuring duration, and the inductance L of the electrical component is determined from the measured electrical properties. A voltage drop U across the electrical component and a reference voltage drop U.sub.R across the reference component having a known reference inductance L.sub.R is measured. The inductance L of the electrical component is calculated as a product of the reference inductance L.sub.R with a proportionality factor, which is dependent on the measured voltage drop U and the measured reference voltage drop U.sub.R.

A power conversion device includes a semiconductor power converter that converts direct current power into alternating current power for a motor, a common-mode reactor having first and second auxiliary windings added thereto, the common-mode reactor reducing common-mode current that may flow between the semiconductor power converter and the motor, a signal generator that superimposes an alternating current on the first auxiliary winding, and a detection circuit that detects a saturation state of the common-mode reactor on the basis of the superimposed current superimposed on the first auxiliary winding and a winding voltage generated in the second auxiliary winding by the superimposed current.

A method can include in a first phase of a sensing operation, controlling at least a first switch to energize a sensor inductance; in a second phase of the sensing operation that follows the first phase, controlling at least a second switch to couple the sensor inductance to a first modulator capacitance to induce a first fly-back current from the sensor inductance, the first fly-back current generating a first modulator voltage at the first modulator capacitance, and in response to the first modulator voltage, controlling at least a third switch to generate a balance current that flows in an opposite direction to the fly-back current at the first modulator node. The first and second phases can be repeated to generate a first modulator voltage at the first modulator capacitance. the modulator voltage can be converted into a digital value representing the sensor inductance. Related devices and systems are also disclosed.

A system for determining electrical characteristics of an electric load can comprise a signal modulation circuit that can include a first integral controller configured to control AC reference voltage based on a requested maximum AC current and an estimated maximum AC current, a second integral controller configured to control DC reference voltage based on a requested DC current and an estimated DC current, a signal demodulation circuit including an AC current estimation circuit configured to generate the estimated maximum AC current for the signal modulation circuit, a DC current estimation circuit configured to generate the estimated DC current for the signal modulation circuit, and a resistance and inductance (RL) estimation circuit configured to determine inductance of the electric load based on the estimated maximum AC current and phase shift, wherein the estimated maximum AC current is a value lower than a DC offset current value.

An apparatus (20) for use in inductive sensing includes a loop antenna (26) and a signal generator (24) for driving the antenna, these forming a resonator circuit (22). The resonator circuit is drivable in a drive state in which the antenna is driven at resonance to thereby generate electromagnetic signals. The arrangement further includes a switching means (28) for switchably inhibiting the drive state of the antenna This allows in use controllable switching of the antenna in and out of the drive state to thereby control switching signal generation on and off.