The present invention provides a pressure detection circuit including an oscillator unit, configured to output an oscillation signal as a count clock signal of a counter unit; and the counter unit, connected to the oscillator unit and configured to acquire a frequency of the oscillation signal and count. The pressure detection circuit further includes a comparator unit, connected to the counter unit, and configured to detect a voltage variation obtained by a pressure conversion, and send a signal to control the counter unit to count or stop counting; a voltage converter unit, connected to one input terminal of the comparator unit, and configured to supply a fixed or variable comparable voltage to the comparator unit; a constant current source charging unit, connected to the other input terminal of the comparator unit, and configured to supply a linearly and gradually increased comparison voltage to the comparator unit; a charge/discharge control unit, connected to the constant current source charging unit, and configured to control the constant current source charging unit to charge or discharge, such that the comparable voltage output by the voltage converter unit is compared to cause an output terminal of the comparator unit to enable counting of the counter unit; wherein the oscillator unit or the voltage converter unit further includes a pressure acquiring unit, as a component of the voltage converter unit or the oscillator unit, configured to convert a pressure into a variation of the comparable voltage or the frequency of the oscillation signal. The invention also provides a pressure input device pressure detection device. The invention has the technical effects of high sensitivity and resolution, power saving, and wide applicability.

The invention relates to a method for monitoring the function of a capacitive pressure measurement cell (10) which has a measuring capacitor (C.sub.M) and a reference capacitor (C.sub.R), to which an internal excitation voltage U.sub.E0 in the form of an alternating square-wave signal is applied. According to the invention, in order to allow the detection of a disturbing influence on the measurement result owing to, in particular, moisture-induced leakage currents, it is proposed that the corresponding voltage values U.sub.1, U.sub.2 be sensed from the voltage signal U.sub.COM during the falling and/or rising signal curve at least two defined times t.sub.1, t.sub.2, and the two pairs of values t.sub.1; U.sub.1 and t.sub.2; U.sub.2 are used to determine a linear equation U=f(t), wherein the linear equation U=f(t)

within the falling or rising signal curve is used to calculate the time t.sub.x at which the voltage value U.sub.x set as a threshold value or switchover point in the comparator-oscillator (SG) is reached, wherein—either the time t.sub.x is compared with the actual switchover time of the comparator-oscillator (SG) and an error signal is generated in the event of significant deviation,—or the time t.sub.x is used to define a hypothetical switchover point of the comparator-oscillator (SG), from which a hypothetical working frequency is calculated, and an error signal is generated if there is significant deviation of said hypothetical working frequency from the actual working frequency of the comparator-oscillator (SG).

A personal monitoring system includes one or more passive biometric sensors and a communication device. A passive biometric sensor is operable to sense a body condition of a body in accordance with a sense signal at a sense frequency to produce sensed data of a body condition. The passive biometric sensor is further operable to transmit an e-field signal via the body regarding the sensed data, wherein the e-field signal is in accordance with an e-field transmit/receive frequency. The communication device is operable to receive the e-field signal via the body. The communication device is further operable to recover the sensed data from the received e-field signal.

A capacitive sensor arrangement includes a sensing electrode having a capacitance (Cx) which depends on the presence of an object in a detection space; a measurement device connected to the sensing electrode and configured to detect the capacitance (Cx) of the sensing electrode; and a conducting structure, wherein the capacitance (Cx) of the sensing electrode depends on a potential of the conducting structure. In order to obtain a reliable capacitive measurement, the measurement device is connected to a power supply between a first potential (Vs) and a second potential (GND), the measurement device being connected to the second potential exclusively via the structure.

A capacitance detection device includes: a sensor unit including a plurality of sensor elements; row control lines; column control lines; a control circuit supplying a charging voltage to the sensor element; and an equipotential circuit outputting a potential equal to the potential of the sensor element subject to measurement. The control circuit applies a charging voltage to the row control line connected to the sensor element and connects the column control line connected to the sensor element to the ground potential side. The control circuit causes the equipotential circuit to set a potential of at least one of the row control lines other than the row control line connected to the sensor element subject to measurement and the column control lines other than the column control line connected to the sensor element subject to measurement to a potential equal to the potential of the sensor element subject to measurement.

A capacitive pressure sensor (1) using mutual capacitance type is provided. The capacitive pressure sensor (1) comprises a dielectric layer (2), a ground electrode (3), transmission electrodes (4), reception electrodes (5) and a controller (6). The transmission electrodes and reception electrodes have a matrix structure (FIG. 3). An electric field is generated between the transmission electrodes and the reception electrodes by the controller. When the dielectric layer is deformed by a pressure applied to the ground electrode, a capacitance of the dielectric layer changes. The controller detects the unit detection area (10) where the capacitance changes and the pressure corresponding to the change in the capacitance.

There is provided an electric toothbrush including a toothbrush head, a toothbrush handle and a force sensing array. The force sensing array is arranged on the toothbrush head and/or the toothbrush handle. When the force sensing array is arranged on the toothbrush head, it is able to detect the force uniformity of brush hairs. When the force sensing array is arranged on the toothbrush handle, it is able to control the vibration strength of the brush hairs and detect the pressing force of the brush hairs.

A pressure sensor device includes an electrically insulative substrate, a base electrode layer, spacer portions, a guard electrode layer, and a membrane plate. A sensing electrode portion and monitoring electrode portions are located on the membrane plate and face the substrate. In a case where the monitoring electrodes are mounted on a circuit board, the monitoring electrodes detect at least one of stress or strain occurring in or on the spacer portions.

The present application relates to a sensor with a time-sharing regional shielding function and a robot. The sensor comprises a plurality of sensor units, each of which comprises regions contained in four multifunctional layers. Four parallel-plate capacitors are contained in the multifunctional layers. The multifunctional layers realize the regional shielding function through the time-sharing switching of analog switches and the control of a bus.

A biometric sensor includes a body surface sensor and an e-field signal transmitter. The body surface sensor create a drive-sense signal at a first frequency based on one or more sensing parameters. When operably coupled to a body via one or more electrodes, the body surface sensor provides the drive-sense signal to the body and detects an effect on the drive-sense signal based on electrical characteristics of the body. The body surface sensor generate a data signal based on the detected effect, wherein the data signal represents the body’s electrical characteristics. The e-field signal transmitter generates an outbound signal reference at a second frequency based on the data signal and one or more transmit parameters. The e-field transmitter drives the outbound reference signal to the body, wherein the outbound reference signal is transmitted within at least a portion of the body as an outbound e-field signal at the second frequency.