A front end for an inductive proximity sensor includes a coil for detecting an approaching metal object and a circuit board, wherein the coil is designed as a circuit board coil disposed in the circuit board, wherein a metal influencing element which is disposed in or on the circuit board has an opening to receive at least one electrical connecting element, wherein a through connection of the circuit board to an electrical connection plane, which serves for electrical connection of the circuit board to a control electronics of the proximity sensor, is made by the at least one electrical connecting element.

An automatic actuator assembly including a passive actuator assembly and a detection assembly is operatively coupled to an arc reduction assembly. The passive actuator assembly is coupled to the arc reduction assembly and structured to move the arc reduction assembly between a disengaged, first configuration and an engaged, second configuration.

The present disclosure relates to a proximity sensor for detecting the proximity of an object, the sensor including a sensing element (11), a detection circuitry (65), and a housing (5), the sensing element (11) being arranged in a front portion (21) of the housing (5) such that it is adapted to interact with the object through the front portion (21) and the detection circuitry being interconnected with the sensing element (11) in order to receive a detection signal from the sensing element (11), wherein the detection circuitry (65) is provided on a circuit board (15, 15A, 15B, 15C) extending at least through a middle portion (22) of the housing (5). To allow a better flexibility of the sensor along its length expansion, it is proposed that the housing (5) includes multiple segments (41, 42, 43, 44) that are consecutively arranged in a longitudinal direction (27) from a rear end (56) toward a front end (55) of the housing (5), wherein neighboring segments of said segments (41, 42, 43, 44) are linked to each other via a respective pivot axis (35, 39, 40) extending transversely with respect to said longitudinal direction (27), such that the housing (5) is bendable around each of said pivot axes (35, 39, 40), wherein both of said front portion (21) and said middle portion (22) each includes at least one of said segments (41, 42, 43, 44), and wherein the circuit board (15, 15A, 15B, 15C) includes at least one bendable section (61, 75, 76, 77, 85, 86) extending transversely with respect to said longitudinal direction (27), said bendable section (61, 75, 76, 77, 85, 86) being provided inside said neighboring segments (41, 42, 43, 44).

A sensor arrangement for determining at least one physical parameter of a sensor unit which is activated by at least one periodic excitation, comprising a detection region in which changes of the parameter in the surroundings of the sensor unit lead to an output signal from the sensor unit. The sensor unit is wired such that if there is no change of the parameter in the detection region the output signal is a zero signal at the output of the sensor unit, whereas if there are changes of the parameter in the detection region the output signal is a signal that is not zero and which has a specific amplitude and phase. By means of a closed-loop control, the non-zero signal in the receive path is adjusted to achieve an adjusted state at zero even in the presence of changes of the parameter in the detection region. Inherent in the control signal used for this adjustment is a deviation (x, y) of the control signal from the adjusted state, which deviation represents information about the parameter. To create a sensor arrangement and a method in which values of a physical parameter in a detection region can be clearly determined, in a four-quadrant representation of the deviation (x, y) in the form of a vector analysis in a phase space of the control signal, the angle of an imaginary vector (2.6) relative to the x axis of an x, y coordinate system, said vector leading from the origin (2.7) of the x, y coordinate system to a measuring point (2.5) and said origin corresponding to the adjusted state, represents a measurement for the change of the parameter along a direction, and/or the magnitude of the imaginary vector (2.6) represents a measurement for the change of the parameter along a further 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.

An automatic actuator assembly including a passive actuator assembly and a detection assembly is operatively coupled to an arc reduction assembly. The passive actuator assembly is coupled to the arc reduction assembly and structured to move the arc reduction assembly between a disengaged, first configuration and an engaged, second configuration.

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.

The present disclosure relates to a proximity sensor for detecting the proximity of an object, the sensor including a sensing element (11), a detection circuitry (65), and a housing (5), the sensing element (11) being arranged in a front portion (21) of the housing (5) such that it is adapted to interact with the object through the front portion (21) and the detection circuitry being interconnected with the sensing element (11) in order to receive a detection signal from the sensing element (11), wherein the detection circuitry (65) is provided on a circuit board (15, 15A, 15B, 15C) extending at least through a middle portion (22) of the housing (5).

To allow a better flexibility of the sensor along its length expansion, it is proposed that the housing (5) includes multiple segments (41, 42, 43, 44) that are consecutively arranged in a longitudinal direction (27) from a rear end (56) toward a front end (55) of the housing (5), wherein neighboring segments of said segments (41, 42, 43, 44) are linked to each other via a respective pivot axis (35, 39, 40) extending transversely with respect to said longitudinal direction (27), such that the housing (5) is bendable around each of said pivot axes (35, 39, 40), wherein both of said front portion (21) and said middle portion (22) each includes at least one of said segments (41, 42, 43, 44), and wherein the circuit board (15, 15A, 15B, 15C) includes at least one bendable section (61, 75, 76, 77, 85, 86) extending transversely with respect to said longitudinal direction (27), said bendable section (61, 75, 76, 77, 85, 86) being provided inside said neighboring segments (41, 42, 43, 44).

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 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.