Contact or movement gestures between a first body part and a second body part can be detected. Sense circuitry can be configured to sense a signal at the sense electrode (e.g., configured to contact the second body part) in response to a drive signal applied to the drive electrode (e.g., configured to contact the first body part). Processing circuitry can be configured to detect contact in accordance with a determination that one or more criteria are met (e.g., an amplitude criterion and a non-distortion criterion). Additionally or alternatively, processing circuitry can be configured to detect a movement gesture in accordance with a determination that one or more criteria are met (e.g., a contact criterion and a movement criterion).

A sensor device has: a sensor unit that outputs a sinusoidal detection signal having an amplitude matching a physical quantity to be detected; a reference signal creator that creates a first sinusoidal reference signal having the same frequency and phase as the detection signal; and a demodulator that multiplies the detection signal by the first reference signal and creates, as a first demodulation signal matching the physical quantity, a signal matching a direct-current component included in a signal resulting from the multiplication. The reference signal creator creates a sinusoidal second reference signal having the same frequency as the detection signal but being out of phase with the detection signal. The demodulator multiplies the detection signal by the second reference signal and creates, as a second demodulation signal matching a noise component superimposed on the detection signal, a signal matching a direct-current component included in a signal resulting from the multiplication.

A system for generating a control signal for a capacitive sensor includes a waveform generator configured to generate a digital waveform, a first sigma-delta modulator (SDM) configured to generate a first output corresponding to the control signal based on the digital waveform and first adjustment data and a second SDM configured to generate a second output corresponding to an offset signal based on the digital waveform and second adjustment data. The first SDM is configured to selectively adjust a phase and an amplitude of the control signal and the second SDM is configured to selectively adjust a phase and an amplitude of the offset signal.

An apparatus comprises a circuit board having a first conductive pad on a circuit board surface and a conductive overlay, which has a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface and is configured to deflect in response to a touch on the first surface. A protrusion protrudes from the second surface and is configured to be a second conductive pad. The circuit board, the conductive overlay, and the protrusion are arranged such that the second surface faces the circuit board surface and is separated from the first conductive pad by a first distance. The protrusion and the first conductive pad are separated by a second distance and have an overlapping area. The apparatus may also comprise a spacer configured to separate the first conductive pad from the second surface by the first distance and from the protrusion by the second distance.

A method may include receiving an input signal from a force sensor configured to sense a force associated with a human interaction with a virtual button, comparing the input signal to at least one behavioral model, the at least one behavioral model comprising one or more parameters associated with a valid human interaction with the virtual button, and determining whether a valid human interaction with the virtual button occurred based on the comparing.

A sensing system adapted to determine changes in phase when a capacitive object enters into the phase detection zone created by a pair of transmitting conductors. One of the transmitting conductors has a receiving conductor located proximate to it and transmits a signal at a certain frequency. The other transmitting conductor transmits a signal that is phase shifted from the signal transmitted by the other transmitting conductor. Capacitive objects entering the space between the two transmitting conductors impacts the phase. Measurements of the change in phase are used to determine the position of an object between the two transmitting conductors.

The invention relates to an inductive proximity switch. The object of the invention to present a very simplified inductive position sensor, which can be reliably used for detecting a zero crossing of its output voltage when a target moves by will be solved by an inductive proximity switch comprising a transmitter coil, a receiver coil, an integrated circuit for excitation of the transmitter coil and a signal processing unit for processing a received signal from the receiver coil, wherein an oscillator excites a resonant circuit comprising the transmitter coil and a parallel capacitor for inducing a voltage in the receiver coil, wherein the receiver coil comprises two symmetrical segments with opposite orientation that are connected in series, wherein the transmitter coil surrounds the segments of the receiver coil or the transmitter coil is surrounded by the segments of the receiver coil.

A method for detecting contact with a manually activated steering or control device, in particular a vehicle steering wheel, comprises the following steps: applying an alternating voltage to at least one conductor arrangement (10) which is arranged on the steering or control device, and has at least one conductor line with a significant ohmic resistance; determining the current profile in the conductor arrangement (10); determining the real component and the virtual component of the instantaneous alternating current resistance of the conductor arrangement (10); determining the capacitance or the change in capacitance of the conductor arrangement (10); determining the phase shift; and evaluating the determined values. A device for carrying out the method comprises a steering or control device, in particular a vehicle steering wheel, a conductor arrangement (10) which is arranged on the steering or control device and which has at least one conductor line with a significant ohmic resistance, and a control and evaluation device which is configured to apply an alternating voltage to the conductor arrangement (10), to measure the current profile in the conductor arrangement (10) and to evaluate the determined values.

A method for detecting contact with a manually activated steering or control device, in particular a vehicle steering wheel, comprises the following steps: applying an alternating voltage to at least one conductor arrangement (10) which is arranged on the steering or control device, and has at least one conductor line with a significant ohmic resistance; determining the current profile in the conductor arrangement (10); determining the real component and the virtual component of the instantaneous alternating current resistance of the conductor arrangement (10); determining the capacitance or the change in capacitance of the conductor arrangement (10); determining the phase shift; and evaluating the determined values. A device for carrying out the method comprises a steering or control device, in particular a vehicle steering wheel, a conductor arrangement (10) which is arranged on the steering or control device and which has at least one conductor line with a significant ohmic resistance, and a control and evaluation device which is configured to apply an alternating voltage to the conductor arrangement (10), to measure the current profile in the conductor arrangement (10) and to evaluate the determined values.

A method of operating a capacitive loading-mode sensor system with regard to generating a trigger signal indicative of an occurrence of an event. The capacitive loading-mode sensor system includes at least one capacitive sensor and a sensor control unit configured for operating the at least one capacitive sensor in loading mode and including a signal generating unit and a signal evaluation unit. Based on acquired real part and imaginary part of the momentary sensor output signal, an absolute value of change of at least one out of a complex impedance or a complex admittance sensed by the at least one capacitive sensor is determined, and a trigger signal is generated by the signal evaluation unit if at least one predetermined condition concerning the determined absolute value of change of the complex impedance or the complex admittance is fulfilled.