A downhole apparatus including a tubular body, first and second ports in a wall of the body, and a fluid pressure-responsive valve arrangement having a locked first configuration associated with a first pressure in which the first port is open and the second port is closed, an unlocked second configuration associated with a second pressure higher than the first pressure in which the first port is open and the second port is closed, and a third configuration associated with a third pressure lower than the second pressure in which the second port is open and the first port is closed.

A hover button sensor unit, comprising: a power supply circuit (5-1), a capacitive sensor, a capacitance-to-digital conversion circuit (3), a control module, an acousto-optic feedback control circuit (5-3), and a communication circuit (5-2); The capacitive sensor is a convex structural arrangement of a central electrode (1-1) and a peripheral electrode (1-2). The capacitance-to-digital conversion circuit (3) measures self-capacitance and mutual capacitance of the central electrode (1-1) and the peripheral electrode (1-2) after human finger approaching, to calculate and determine whether a finger enters the area range and its dwell time, so that the control module outputs a control logic signal of the button; detecting the proximity of the human finger to the effective hover trigger area range above a certain central electrode (1-1) by means of the button formed by the sensor unit, providing three-state response to the human finger entering the effective hover trigger area range above a certain central electrode (1-1) by the acousto-optic feedback control circuit (5-3); The above mentioned technical scheme is reasonable in structural design, which can effectively resist various interference, fully utilize a low-cost of capacitance detection and mature CDC chip technology and provide a commercialized technical solution which can be popularized for hygienic sensitivity.

A system to detect the passage of a small animal through an opening. The system includes a first capacitor and a second capacitor arranged sequentially along a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the opening. Each of the capacitors includes two electrodes arranged on the outside of the opening and having substantially a U shape. An evaluation unit is electrically connected to the two capacitors to evaluate the change in capacitance of at least one of the two capacitors produced by the passage of an animal through the opening.

A cover material, in particular a seat cover material, having an upper side and a lower side and at least one seam that runs over at least a part of the cover material and that is visible on the upper side. An electrically conductive element that generates an electric field is arranged on the lower side in the region where the seam runs.

Stretchable electronic structure comprising one intrinsically fragile thin film integrated on or within a soft heterogeneous substrate. The invention also relates to a process for manufacturing such a structure.

A sensor arrangement for capacitive touch and non-touch detection has a transmission electrode and a predefined number of receiving electrodes coupled with an evaluation unit. The evaluation unit operates in a non-touch detection mode and in a touch detection mode, wherein the transmission electrode generates an alternating electric near field, and in the non-touch detection mode, the evaluation unit evaluates signals from the receiving electrodes to determine non-touch gestures or a three-dimensional position of an object. In the touch detection mode a surface touch detection area defined by the predefined number of electrodes is divided into a plurality of segments wherein within each segment at least two electrodes of the predefined number of electrodes contribute with a portion of their electrode surface area such that different electrode surface area ratios are formed for each of the plurality of segments.

The present invention provides a capacitive controller for detecting at least one detecting plate and at least one reference plate surrounding each detecting plate. All of the reference plates are electrically coupled to the same first wire, and each reference plate is electrically coupled to a second wire. When an electrical signal is provided to the first wire and each second wire, one or more detecting plates touched or approached can be detected simultaneously based on the signal difference between each second wire and the first wire.

A sense array having at least 3 sets of sense elements disposed substantially parallel with each other, with one of the sense elements of the first set extends between two of the sense elements of the second set and another one of the sense elements of the first set extends between two of the sense elements of the third set.

A touch pad for an electronic device is provided. The touch pad includes a circuit board member; and a detection member mounted in at least one area of the circuit board member to detect a user's contact, wherein the detection member includes a plurality of film layers; and detection patterns disposed on at least two adjacent film layers, among the plurality of film layers, so as to be misaligned with each other, wherein the detection patterns at least partially overlap each other.

A method of assembling a capacitive touch device is disclosed. The method comprises providing a flexible sheet having first and second faces and first and second wings divided by a fold line. The flexible sheet supports capacitive touch switches, contact lands and conductive tracks interconnecting the capacitive touch switches and the contact lands on the first face of the flexible sheet. The method comprises providing adhesive on the first face of the flexible sheet so as to bond the first and second wings and to bond a circuit board to flexible sheet. The method comprises placing a circuit board on the flexible sheet, the circuit board having contact pads which are aligned with the contact lands and folding the flexible sheet along the fold line so as to bond the first and second wings with the circuit board interposed between the first and second wings.