Disclosed is a system and method for controlling handheld devices without contact by interacting with their wireless charging coils or other inductive coil antennae. The present disclosure utilizes the interaction between human body and the coil wherein the coil is used to send alternating magnetic field to interact with a control signal, such as a hand, instead of simply using the coil in the smart phone as a power receiver. The hand movement in front of the wireless charging coil changes the coil's conductivity distribution, which creates effective coil impedance also known as reflected impedance.

A detector (10) for detecting electrically conductive material is provided. The detector (10) comprises at least one transmitter (11) having a transmitter coil (12) and a supply source (13), a receiver (14) having a receiver coil (15), and an evaluation unit (16), wherein the transmitter coil (12) is connected to the supply source (13), the supply source (13) is configured to provide an alternating voltage or an alternating current when in use, the receiver (14) is designed as a resonant-circuit-free receiver, the receiver (14) is connected to the evaluation unit (16), and the evaluation unit (16) is configured to detect a signal induced in the receiver coil (15).

A control device configured for use in a load control system to control an electrical load external to the control device may comprise an actuation member having a front surface defining a capacitive touch surface configured to detect a touch actuation along at least a portion of the front surface. The control device includes a main printed circuit board (PCB) comprising a control circuit, a tactile switch, a controllably conductive device, and a drive circuit operatively coupled to a control input of the controllably conductive device for rendering the controllably conductive device conductive or non-conductive to control the amount of power delivered to the electrical load. The control device also includes a capacitive touch PCB that comprises a touch sensitive circuit comprising one or more receiving capacitive touch pads located on the capacitive touch PCB and arranged in a linear array adjacent to the capacitive touch surface.

A proximity sensor is provided with multiple channels and a proximity sensor chip (IC) connected to the multiple channels through a sensing line. The proximity sensor chip (IC) includes an internal temperature sensor, senses a first sensing value through the multiple channels, senses a second sensing value through the internal temperature sensor, and compensates the first sensing value through addition or subtraction of the second sensing value with respect to the first sensing value. The internal temperature sensor includes: a clock signal generator including a first oscillator and generating first clock signals variable according to temperature characteristics; and a temperature compensator generating second clock signals according to a setting condition corresponding to the first clock signals generated from the clock signal generator and outputting the second sensing value by counting the second clock signals through a second oscillator generating reference clock signals independent of temperature change.

One inductive sensor is configured to maintain a fixed frequency in a resonant circuit. One apparatus includes an inductance-to-digital converter (LDC). The LDC includes a digital filter to measure an inductance change of a sensor and convert the inductance change to a digital value. The LDC further includes a digital control loop to maintain a fixed frequency in the sensor. The sensor forms an oscillator in the digital control loop. An output of the digital control loop is representative of the inductance change of the sensor.

The present invention relates to a proximity sensor and a proximity sensing method. The proximity sensor includes a sensing element and a sensing circuit. The sensing circuit is coupled to the sensing element and transmits a first driving signal and a second signal to the sensing element, respectively. The sensing element receives the first driving signal and the second driving signal, respectively, and generates a first sensing signal and a second sensing signal, respectively. The sensing circuit generates a proximity signal according to the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal. Therefore, the present invention may improve the accuracy of sensing the proximity of the human body whether near to the sensor. In addition, the sensing circuit is further coupled to a radio-frequency circuit, and the sensing circuit transmits a driving signal or/and receives a sensing signal according to the state of the radio-frequency circuit, thereby reducing interference of the sensing circuit to the radio-frequency circuit.

This application relates to a mechanical button apparatus that includes a body where an upper portion thereof is closed and a lower portion thereof is opened and a bottom plate attached on a display screen of a display apparatus to cover the opened lower portion. The body includes an aperture member including a wing set expanded or contracted in a rotation direction of the body. The body also includes a photovoltaic (PV) cell array substrate including a PV cell configured to generate power for charging a battery and an optical sensor configured to convert light signals, reflected by the expanded or contracted wing set, into electrical signals. The body further includes a circuit substrate configured to operate with the power charged into the battery, calculate number of rotation manipulations of the body by using the electrical signals, and transmit the calculated number of rotation manipulations to the display apparatus.

This application relates to a mechanical button apparatus that includes a body where an upper portion thereof is closed and a lower portion thereof is opened and a bottom plate attached on a display screen of a display apparatus to cover the opened lower portion. The body includes an aperture member including a wing set expanded or contracted in a rotation direction of the body. The body also includes a photovoltaic (PV) cell array substrate including a PV cell configured to generate power for charging a battery and an optical sensor configured to convert light signals, reflected by the expanded or contracted wing set, into electrical signals. The body further includes a circuit substrate configured to operate with the power charged into the battery, calculate number of rotation manipulations of the body by using the electrical signals, and transmit the calculated number of rotation manipulations to the display apparatus.

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.

The invention concerns a robust user interface for electronic devices where a single measurement circuit is used to measured inductance values due to user press events through sealable surface, as well as capacitance values due to user proximity and/or touch events, and with both the measured inductance and capacitance values used to determine user input commands.