In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, an inductive sensor assembly includes a shaft and a multilayered printed circuit board (PCB). The shaft includes a first end. The first end has a bottom surface. A target including a flat forming a straight edge is integrally formed into the first end of the shaft. The PCB includes a transmitter coil and a two part receiving coil. The two part receiving coil has a first receiving coil and a second receiving coil. The first receiving coil is on a different layer of the PCB than the second receiving coil in an axial direction. The target is rotated about a central axis of the two part receiving coil. The straight edge of the target and the bottom surface is detected by the two part receiving coil.

A touch sensing module is provided. The touch sensing module includes a flexible substrate including a coil portion including a plurality of layers and one or more coil patterns formed in at least one layer of the plurality of layers, and an extension portion that extends from the coil portion, and a sensing circuit, electrically connected to the coil pattern. The extension portion is configured to have a form in which at least one of the plurality of layers is extended.

An electronic device comprising a housing and an actuating element movable relative to the housing, wherein the actuating element comprises at least one metallic component, wherein the device comprises an inductive sensor for detecting a position and/or movement of the actuating element, wherein the inductive sensor comprises: a first measuring resonant circuit having a sensor coil, and an oscillation generator configured to generate an excitation oscillation and to at least temporarily apply the excitation oscillation to the first measuring resonant circuit.

The invention relates to a sensor for determining an output value, the sensor having: a detection unit configured to detect a sensor signal; a preprocessing unit configured to determine an intermediate signal on the basis of the sensor signal and of a predefined reference signal; and an evaluation unit that is trained in accordance with a machine learning method and that is configured to determine the output value on the basis of the intermediate signal.

To improve toughness of a non-contact type safety door switch. A safety switch includes a metallic casing integrated as a first part of an enclosure, having an opening in a front side, a cover integrated as a front part of the enclosure, covering the opening, the cover having a surface as a front surface of the enclosure, a wireless means, a determination means, an output means, circuit substrates provided inside the metallic casing and the cover, on which the wireless means, the determination means and the output means are mounted, and attachment holes on a side surface of the metallic casing, the side surface being adjacent to the front surface of the enclosure for attaching the casing.

Systems and methods for measuring an operating current and an operating voltage of an inductive proximity sensor in an improved manner. The proposed method is to measure and process the sensing parameters in a ratiometric way. A proximity sensing electronics unit receives an input signal from a proximity sensor that was derived by dividing the sensor's current by the sensor's supply voltage which produces that operating current. The division result, i.e., the quotient, is properly scaled to represent the sensor's state. The circuitry ratiometrically determines its operation status by eliminating common mode effects and variations of sensor state thresholds, allowing additional sensing parameters and health status to be measured and monitored without extending the operational range of the sensor.

Systems and methods for measuring an operating current and an operating voltage of an inductive proximity sensor in an improved manner. The proposed method is to measure and process the sensing parameters in a ratiometric way. A proximity sensing electronics unit receives an input signal from a proximity sensor that was derived by dividing the sensor's current by the sensor's supply voltage which produces that operating current. The division result, i.e., the quotient, is properly scaled to represent the sensor's state. The circuitry ratiometrically determines its operation status by eliminating common mode effects and variations of sensor state thresholds, allowing additional sensing parameters and health status to be measured and monitored without extending the operational range of the sensor.

A method is provided for sensing proximity of a target. The method includes sensing inductance associated with a magnetic field, wherein the inductance is affected by the target when the target is proximate the magnetic field. The method further includes providing the sensed inductance for processing. The processing includes determining an inductance value from at least the sensed inductance and estimating a parameter of a gap between a location of sensing the inductance and the target as a function of the inductance value and application of a nonlinear model of a relationship between the gap and inductance,

A proximity sensor for detecting the proximity of an object, including a sensing element, a detection circuitry provided on a circuit board, and a housing with a rear portion adjoining a rear end of the housing and a front portion adjoining a front end of the housing, the sensing element being arranged inside the front portion of the housing to interact with the object through the front portion, the detection circuitry being interconnected with the sensing element to receive a detection signal from the sensing element, the housing including side walls extending in a longitudinal direction from the rear end to the front end of the housing, the side walls surrounding the circuit board. To allow a better flexibility of the sensor along its length expansion, the circuit board includes at least one bendable section extending in a transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal direction and that the side walls substantially consist of at least one flexible material in a region surrounding the bendable section of the circuit board such that the sensor is bendable through the transverse direction.

A user may provide finger press input to a surface such as a touch sensitive input surface. The input surface may be formed from a two-dimensional touch sensor overlapping a display of an electronic device. The electronic device and an associated device such as a finger-mounted device may form a system for gathering the finger press input from the user. A sensor may be used in monitoring when the finger-mounted device and a user's finger in the device approach the input surface of the electronic device. In response to detection of the finger near the input surface, actuators in the finger-mounted device may squeeze the finger inwardly to cause a finger pad on the finger to protrude outwardly towards the input surface, thereby softening impact between the finger and the input surface. The electronic device may also have an array of components to repel the finger-mounted device.