JP2022525793A - Devices and methods for detecting difficult-to-see configurations - Google Patents

Abstract

A difficult-to-see configuration detector is disclosed. The impaired configuration detector includes a sensor plate array that includes three or more sensor plates, each configured to form a first end of the corresponding electric field and to acquire the sensor reading of the corresponding electric field. The corresponding electric field varies based on the proximity of the sensor plate to one or more surrounding objects and the material properties of each of the one or more surrounding objects. The three or more sensor plates include a first sensor plate having a first shape and a second sensor plate having a second shape different from the first shape of the first sensor plate. The impaired configuration detector also includes one or more common plates forming the second end of the corresponding electric field of the three or more sensor plates. [Selection diagram] FIG. 47.

Description

Cross-reference of related applications

This application was filed on March 21, 2019, claiming the priority of U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 360,913, the title of the invention being "devices and methods for detecting difficult-to-see configurations". The entire disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure generally relates to a device for detecting the presence of a difficult-to-see configuration behind an opaque solid surface, more specifically for arranging a beam and a bow behind a wall and an underfloor joist. It is about the device.

Placing difficult-to-see configurations such as beams, bows, joists and other elements behind walls and under the floor is a common challenge faced during construction, repair and remodeling activities. For example, there is often a desire to cut or drill walls, floors or other support surfaces to create openings in the surface, avoiding the underlying support elements. In these examples, it may be required to know the position of the support element prior to the start in order to avoid cutting or drilling the support element. In other cases, it may be desirable to secure a heavy object, such as a painting or shelf, to the support element by a support surface. In these cases, it is often desirable to attach fasteners that penetrate the support surface aligned with the underlying support element. However, the position of the support element cannot be visually detected due to the presence of the wall, floor or support surface in a fixed location.

Traditionally, various basic techniques have been adopted that have been limitedly successful in addressing the task of locating the underlying configuration, which is difficult to see due to the overlying surface. These techniques drive a small swivel claw across the overlying surface until it encounters the underlying support element, and then provide a hole over the unpositioned surface of the underlying support element. And include. The less destructive technique is a step of tapping the overlying surface to detect auditory changes in sound emanating from the surface when the support element is below or behind an area of the surface that is tapped. including. However, this technique is subject to testing because the accuracy of the results is highly dependent on the judgment and skill of the tapping listener to search for the underlying supporting elements, and the sound produced by tapping is tested. It is not effective because it is deeply affected by the type and density of.

Magnetic detectors are also employed, where detectors that rely on the presence of metal fasteners such as claws and screws that are present in the wall and in the support element to trigger the detector's reaction find the impaired support element. However, because the metal fasteners are spaced apart along the length of the support, the magnetic detector passes beyond the length of the support where the fasteners are not placed. This can lead to failure to detect the presence of a blind support element.

Electrical sensors have also been adopted to detect difficult-to-see configurations behind opaque surfaces. These detectors sense changes in the capacitance of the surface being tested due to the presence of configurations located behind, below or in the surface being tested. These changes in capacitance can be detected across various surfaces such as wood, sheet locks, stucco, gypsum, etc., and the changes do not depend on the surface or the presence of metal fasteners in the obscure configuration with respect to sensor activation. .. However, conventional electric detectors can suffer from major disadvantages. Conventional hard-to-see configuration detectors can make accurate compensation for the thickness and density of the detected surface difficult, which adversely affects accuracy.

The present disclosure advantageously addresses one or more of the above-mentioned defects in the field of detecting a difficult-to-see configuration by providing a difficult-to-use configuration detector that is accurate, simple to use and inexpensive to manufacture. The detector can be used by placing the device on the surface to be tested and reading the position of all configurations underneath the surface on which the device is placed. The detector can accurately display over different materials of the surface and different thicknesses of the surface.

Additional embodiments and advantages will be apparent from the detailed description of the following preferred embodiments that proceed with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is a figure which shows the advanced impaired vision configuration detector which is arranged on the part of the seat lock, and detects the impaired vision configuration according to one embodiment. It is a perspective view of the difficult-to-see configuration detector of FIG. It is a figure showing the sensor plate of the impaired vision configuration detector of FIG. 1 and the activated indicator that informs the position of the hidden disability configuration by a signal. It is a figure of the circuit of the impaired vision configuration detector according to one embodiment. It is a figure of the controller of the impaired vision configuration detector according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a hard-to-see configuration detector comprising a housing and having a light pipe and a button and a printed circuit board according to an embodiment. It is a figure of the prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector arranged on a relatively thinner surface. It is a figure of the prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector arranged on a relatively thick surface. FIG. 3 is a side view of a prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector showing the main sensing field zones for several sensor plates. It is a view from the front of the bottom surface of the prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector, showing the main sensing field zones for some sensor plates. It is a flow chart of a method of detecting a difficult-to-see configuration behind a surface according to one embodiment. It is a figure of the plate composition of the prior art for the impaired vision composition detector which has a common plate. It is a figure of the board composition for the impaired vision composition detector which has a shortened common board. It is a figure which shows the electric field line with respect to the plate structure of the prior art of FIG. It is a figure which shows the electric field line with respect to the plate structure of FIG. It is a figure which shows the electric field line with respect to the sensor board array which has a plurality of common boards. It is a flowchart which shows the method of detecting the difficult-to-see configuration behind a surface by the plate composition which has a shortened ground plane according to one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the electric field line for the sensor plate array which has a narrow end plate. It is a figure which shows the electric field line with respect to the sensor plate array which has a trapezoidal end plate. It is a figure which shows the impaired vision composition detector which is positioned on the part of the seat lock, and detects the impaired vision configuration according to one Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the difficult-to-sight configuration detector of FIG. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the sensor plate of the difficulty-impaired configuration detector of FIG. 20 together with an activated indicator, and the indicator signals the position of a hidden difficulty-impaired configuration. It is a figure of the circuit of the impaired vision configuration detector according to one embodiment. It is a figure of the controller of the impaired vision configuration detector according to one embodiment. It is a figure which shows the routing of the sensor board trace of the impaired vision composition detector according to one Embodiment. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the plurality of sensor plate traces has a substantially similar trace length and the trace is surrounded by an active shield. It is a figure of the sensor board composition of the impaired vision composition detector according to another embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a hard-to-see configuration detector comprising a housing and having a light pipe and a button and a printed circuit board according to an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the sensor board group which has four sensor boards. It is a figure which shows the sensor board group which has 6 sensor boards. It is a figure of the prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector arranged on a relatively thinner surface. It is a figure of the prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector arranged on a relatively thick surface. FIG. 3 is a side view of a prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector showing the main sensing field zones for several sensor plates. The front view of the bottom of the prior art impaired configuration detector is shown, showing the main sensing field zones for some sensor plates. It is a side view of the chassis of the core apparatus of the surface-fitting difficult-to-see configuration detector according to one embodiment. It is a perspective view of the chassis of the core apparatus of FIG. It is a flow chart of a method of detecting a difficult-to-see configuration behind a surface according to one embodiment. It is a figure which shows two different printed circuit boards in a laminated structure. It is a figure which defines the route of the sensor plate trace from a controller to a sensor plate, and shows the structure of the prior art which protects a sensor plate trace. It is sectional drawing which is the sectional view of the impaired vision composition detector according to one Embodiment, and is the figure which shows the electric field pattern. It is sectional drawing and is the figure which shows the electric field pattern according to the other embodiment. It is a figure of the sensor plate cluster including the active shielding central part, eight sensor plates, an active shielding plate, and a common plate. It is a figure of the sensor plate cluster including the active shielding center part, eight sensor plates, and an active shielding plate. It is a side view of the impaired vision configuration detector which is arranged on the plane according to one Embodiment, and includes a sensor plate cluster similar to the sensor plate cluster shown in FIG. 42. 11 is a diagram of a sensor plate cluster including a sensor plate, an active shielding plate, and a common plate, the end sensor plate having a smaller area than a sensor plate that does not exist at the end. It is a side view of the impaired vision configuration detector which is arranged on the plane according to one Embodiment, and includes a sensor plate cluster similar to the sensor plate cluster shown in FIG. 44. It is a side view of the impaired vision configuration detector arranged on a plane according to another embodiment. It is a figure of the board composition with respect to the impaired vision composition detector according to the embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure of the board composition with respect to the impaired vision composition detector according to the embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure of the board composition with respect to the impaired vision composition detector according to the embodiment of this disclosure.

In the following description, the accompanying drawings constituting a part of the description will be referred to. The accompanying drawings are presented to show specific exemplary embodiments in which the invention can be carried out. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to allow one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the techniques and embodiments described herein, and will include various embodiments disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. It is understood that it can be modified and other embodiments can be used. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be taken in a limited sense.

A number of currently available detectors (eg, impaired configuration detectors) use capacitance to detect obscure configurations behind the surface. Capacitance is the electrical quantity of an object's ability to hold or store an electric charge. A common form of energy storage device is a parallel plate capacitor whose capacitance is approximately equal to Eq. C = εr εo A / d. Here, A is the overlapping area of parallel plates, d is the distance between the plates, εr is the static relative permittivity (or the dielectric constant of the material between the plates), and εo is a constant. The dielectric material is an electrical insulator that can be polarized by applying an electric field. When the insulator is placed in an electric field, the molecules move out of the average equilibrium position, causing dielectric polarization. Due to the dielectric polarization, the positive charge moves towards the negative edge of the electric field and the negative charge moves in the opposite direction.

The dielectric constant (εr) of air is 1, while the hardest non-conductive materials have a dielectric constant greater than 1. In general, the dielectric constant at which a conventional capacitance sensor can function is a variation in the dielectric constant of a non-conductive material solid.

When the sensor plate on the blind configuration detector is placed in a position on the wall where there is no support behind the wall, the detector measures the capacitance between the wall and the air behind the wall. When the detector is placed in a position where the support is behind the wall, the detector then measures the capacitance between the wall and the support. The support has a higher dielectric constant than air. As a result, the detector shows an increase in capacitance, which can then be used to boot the display system.

Currently available hard-to-see configuration detectors generally have the same set of sensor plates arranged linearly (see, eg, FIG. 10). Each of the sensor plates performs sensor reading on the surface. Then the readings of the sensors are compared. It is determined that the sensor plate with the highest sensor reading is present at the position of the difficult-to-see configuration. However, the sensor plate located near the end of the group may not respond to the difficult-to-see configuration in the same way as the sensor plate located near the center. This problem can become particularly apparent when the impaired configuration detector moves from a thinner surface to a thinner or less dense surface to a thicker or denser surface.

Ideally, in the absence of a blind configuration, the sensor plates are all on the same surface, so each sensor plate on a thicker surface will have similar sensor readings to each other. However, the sensor reading of the sensor plate near the edges may produce a higher reading than the sensor plate near the center. The sensor plates present at the ends are isolated when an electric field is generated above the group of sensor plates. As a result, the sensor plate near the edge may respond disproportionately with high reading when placed on a thicker surface. Therefore, it can be difficult for the controller to determine if the sensor reading is high due to the presence of a blind configuration or because the detector is located on a thicker surface. This disclosure provides a solution.

In a difficult-to-see configuration detector having a large number of sensor plates, it is desirable that each sensor plate has a similar response to the same difficult-to-see configuration. In order to secure the same response from each sensor plate, it is possible to secure the same response to the difficult-to-see configuration by the appropriate geometric shape and arrangement of the sensor plates. Performance can also be improved by improving the shielding of the sensor plate trace. Further, the performance can be improved by enhancing the user's electrical coupling to the sensing circuit. Performance can also be improved by a mechanism that ensures that the sensor plate is flat with respect to the surface.

The present disclosure is directed to a difficult-to-see configuration detector and a method for detecting a difficult-to-see configuration detector. In an exemplary embodiment, the impaired configuration detector comprises a group of sensor plates, a multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB), a sensing circuit, a controller, a display circuit, a power controller and / or a housing.

The disclosed embodiments facilitate maintaining uniform or nearly uniform electric field lines generated by a group of sensor plates. Specifically, the electric fields of the two end sensor plates in the group of sensor plates are substantially similar to the electric fields of the non-end sensor plates. The electric fields generated by the end sensor plate and the non-end sensor plate can be oriented across each other.

The disclosed embodiments allow the location of the difficult-to-see configuration to be more accurately identified. Also, depending on the disclosed embodiments, it is possible to read instantly and accurately over various surfaces having different dielectric constants. In addition, the currently disclosed embodiments can improve the ability to read instantly and accurately across different surface thicknesses.

The disclosed embodiments also produce a detector that is easier to use. Numerous prior art detectors require more steps, longer time and more workmanship to readjust the unit for various surfaces to measure the position of the difficult-to-see configuration. The disclosed embodiments provide a more reliable sensor reading. The sensor reading from the sensor plate has the ability to self-adjust to the surface to be detected to provide a more reliable reading and to detect the configuration deeper. The reading error induced by the surface thickness of the sensor reading is significantly reduced. By removing the reading error in this way, the disclosed embodiment can detect the object deeper.

In some embodiments, in a set of sensor plates, it may be desirable for each sensor plate to have a response similar to that of the other sensor plates. For example, in one embodiment, it may be desirable to make the response from each sensor plate in the group of sensor plates similar to the response from each other sensor plate in the group. In some embodiments, a similar response is placed on the first surface or with respect to the first surface and the readings are recorded to form the first set of readings. Along with the first indication, when the impaired constitutive symptom detector is placed against a second surface (eg, a thicker surface, a denser surface, etc.) and a second set of readings is recorded. It can be meant that the difference between the set of degrees and the set of second readings can be similar for each of the corresponding sensor plates.

Otherwise, each of the sensor plates of one embodiment of the impaired configuration detector will generate similar readings when placed relative to the first surface and away from any support structure. can do. For example, the reading may be 100. Next, if the impaired configuration detector is placed against another surface away from the support structure or the like and has different, eg, density, thickness, dielectric constant, etc., each sensor plate of the impaired configuration detector will be Similar values such as 150 can be generated, and the difference in values generated by each sensor plate is generated by each sensor plate in the sensor plate group in the absence of a blind configuration (eg, support structure, etc.). It can be 50 so that the differences between the values to be made are essentially equal. Therefore, any variation in values (or differences in values) produced by a group of sensor plates can be due to the presence of a blind configuration (eg, a support structure, etc.).

In a typical embodiment, the presence of a support structure, such as a framework, behind the surface on which the impaired configuration detector is located is defined in the reading of each sensor plate that covers the support structure behind the surface. Differences can occur. For example, a first sensor plate that detects the framework behind the surface can produce, for example, an increase in reading of 50. Each other's sensor plates that pass through or lie on the framework can also result in similar sized increases in reading. In addition, each sensor plate can generate similar degrees of variation while a particular sensor plate is on the support structure. Moreover, support structures with different properties, such as density, thickness, material, etc., can cause characteristic changes, each such characteristic change being similar in each sensor plate. Can be done. Therefore, the impaired configuration detector can help both identify the presence of support structures and, to some extent, distinguish between support structures that have substantial differences. For example, steel provides a much stronger signal than wood, and in some embodiments it is possible to distinguish between wood and steel.

The sensor plates of one embodiment are rectangular, trapezoidal, triangular, or complex geometric shapes (eg, asymmetrical shapes) to generate a more uniform sensor field among multiple sensor plates within a sensor plate group. , Irregular shape). In other words, the shape of each sensor plate in the sensor plate group may be formed so as to generate a similar signal response in each sensor plate in the sensor group. At least some asymmetric or irregular shapes of the sensor plates may make it possible to achieve similar responses across each of the sensor plates by allowing better tuning for more similar responses. For example, in an embodiment including a plurality of sensor plates in which a sensor plate group is generally arranged in a row, the sensor plates near the center of the row may have a uniform (or nearly uniform) rectangular shape, while the center. Each sensor plate at the tip continuously with respect to both sides of the rectangular sensor plate "adjusts" the signal field across the assembly of sensor plates to form exclusively a single geometry for all of the sensor plates. It can take different forms so that it is more uniform than what can be produced by use. The preferred shape of each sensor plate and the preferred configuration of the sensor plate assembly of the sensor plate group may be identified through prototype testing by methods known to those of skill in the art, including physical prototype testing and computer-based simulation testing.

For example, the shape of the sensor plate may be determined by cutting a sensor plate of various shapes and testing them to test a physical prototype. In order to find the desired sensor plate shape, different shapes can be tested under different conditions, such as on surfaces with different surface thicknesses and different dielectric constants. Then, it will be necessary to compare the results of various tests to determine the magnitude of the fluctuation in the reading of the sensor plate. In some embodiments, sensor plate designs can be selected to minimize fluctuations in reading over various test conditions. While the process of testing a physical prototype to determine the ideal sensor plate design can be effective, it can be unusually stressful in some embodiments.

The simulation test is another example of how to determine the shape of the sensor plate. In some embodiments, the shape of the sensor plates may be determined by simulating them in software, such as by simulating electrostatic fields using finite element analysis software. Other approaches for analyzing the field to determine the shape of the plate may include the moment method (MoM) approach, the finite difference time domain (FDTD) approach, and the like. You can use the available software to perform these functions. As a non-limiting example, finite element analysis can be used to find sensor plate geometries that provide the most similar responses across all target conditions.

In some embodiments, different simulation models can be constructed that represent different target conditions. For example, it would be useful to run models with three different surface thicknesses, each with three different dielectric constants, which would be a total of nine different models. In this way, nine different target conditions can be tested. Each model may be tested individually to determine the simulated reading on the sensor plate. The results of various simulation tests can then be compared to determine the magnitude of the change in the reading of the sensor plate. In some embodiments, a sensor plate design that minimizes changes in reading can be selected. Various sensor plate geometries can be tested to determine designs that minimize changes in sensor plate reading over each of the target conditions.

In some embodiments, one approach to prototyping and / or simulation testing may be to divide the sensor plate into multiple parts and then simulate the individual parts independently. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concept of superposition can be relied on to combine the fields obtained from the parts together to obtain the sum of the resulting fields.

Prototyping and / or simulation tests are used to identify and identify the ideal shape of the sensor plate (potentially including thickness and / or components) and the ideal configuration of the sensor plate. When used for configuration, it can produce a uniform or near uniform and consistent signal response.

The present disclosure will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings below. However, the present disclosure can be embodied in many other various forms. The present disclosure should not be understood solely in the context of the embodiments described herein, but rather these embodiments are provided solely to convey the full scope of the disclosure thoroughly and completely to those of skill in the art. do.

FIG. 1 shows a impaired configuration detector 1 that is placed on a portion of a seat lock 2 (or similar surface) to detect the impaired configuration 3 according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 1 of FIG. FIG. 3 shows the sensor side surface of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 1, which includes a plurality of sensor plates 5 and a shortened common plate 33.

With reference to FIGS. 1-3, generally and overall, the impaired configuration detector 1 has three or more sensor plates 5, a sensing circuit (see FIG. 4), one or more indicators 6, and one. It includes one or more proximity indicators 39 and a housing 19 that provides or houses a handle 14, an active shield 23 and a battery cover 28.

Each of the three or more sensor plates 5 can obtain sensor readings that vary based on the proximity of the sensor plate 5 to one or more surrounding objects and the material properties of each of the one or more surrounding objects. .. The three or more sensor plates 5 can create a sensing field as a whole. The individual sensor plates 5 of the three or more sensor plates 5 are the three in the sensing field where the individual sensor plates 5 contribute more strongly to the sensing field than any other of the three or more sensor plates 5. It is possible to create a corresponding major sensing field zone that can be a dimensional geometric volume. All three or more sensor plates 5 can produce geometrically similar major sensing field zones. The sensing circuit can be combined with three or more sensor plates 5 to measure the sensor readings of the three or more sensor plates 5.

Each sensor plate 5 forms the first end of the corresponding electric field. An electric field is generated or received in the sensor plate 5. The region of the common plate 33 can form the second end of the corresponding electric field of each sensor plate 5. The common plate 33 has a length extending along one side of each sensor plate 5. The length of the common plate 33 is shorter than the overall length dimension of the sensor plate 5. In one embodiment, the common plate 33 is connected to an invariant voltage. In one embodiment, the common plate 33 is connected to the circuit ground. In one embodiment, the common plate 33 is connected to an AC signal.

In certain embodiments, each sensor plate 5 can be part of a group 7 or array of sensor plates 5. Each group 7 can include two or more sensor plates 5, and can also include an active shielding plate 23. The sensor plate 5 and the active shielding plate 23 can exist on different planes. Nevertheless, if the sensor plate 5 and the active shielding plate 23 are driven simultaneously, in certain embodiments, the sensor plate 5 and the active shielding plate 23 may be part of the same group 7 of the sensor plates 5. can. Each sensor plate 5 has a geometric shape defined by its shape. Each sensor plate 5 also has a boundary line. In certain embodiments, the border can be composed of multiple parts. In certain embodiments, each portion of the border is the inner border 10 or the outer border 11. In one embodiment, if the sensor plate 5 has a portion of the boundary adjacent to the boundary of group 7, that portion includes the outer boundary 11. In one embodiment, if the sensor plate 5 has a portion of a boundary that is not adjacent to the boundary of group 7, that portion includes the inner boundary 10.

In the embodiment that senses the position of the difficult-to-see configuration 3, the sensor plate 5 can be driven by using a current source, and the difficult-to-see configuration detector 1 measures the time required for the sensor plate 5 to reach the threshold voltage. , This gives the sensor reading. In other embodiments, a chargeshare mechanism or a sigma-delta transducer is used to obtain the sensor reading. Other sensing circuits can also be adopted. In another embodiment, the radio frequency signal is placed on the sensor plate 5 to obtain the sensor reading. In each of these embodiments, the signal driven by the sensor plate 5 is sensed.

In certain embodiments, only one sensor plate 5 can be driven at a time. In these embodiments, the single sensor plate 5 can be isolated when creating the sensing field.

In one embodiment, the sensor plates 5 of the group 7 can all be driven simultaneously by the same signal. In these embodiments, the sensor plate 5 in group 7 can create a sensing field. In one embodiment, each of a large number of sensor plates 5 can be driven simultaneously with the same signal, or only a single sensor plate 5 can be sensed. Advantageously, by driving a large number of sensor plates 5 at the same time, it is possible to create a field line that goes deeper in the difficult-to-see configuration than when driving only a single sensor plate 5. Deeper field lines allow for deeper perception. In one embodiment, the sensor plate 5 of the group 7 and the active shielding plate 23 can all be driven simultaneously with the same signal, and the sensor plate 5 of the group 7 and the active shielding plate 23 can together create a sensing field. can.

Each sensor plate 5 has a main sensing field zone. In certain embodiments, the primary sensing field zone is the three-dimensional geometric volume of the sensing field, where the individual sensor plates 5 are more sensitive than the active shielding plate 23 (if present) or any other sensor plate 5. Related field line. In certain embodiments, it is desirable for each sensor plate 5 to have a similar primary sensing field zone. In certain embodiments, it is desirable that each sensor plate 5 has a geometrically similar major sensing field zone and within each principal sensing field zone a similar sensing field.

FIG. 3 shows 13 sensor plates 5 that are linearly arranged to form the sensor array 7. Each of the sensor plates 5 has a rectangular shape. Each sensor plate is configured to acquire a sensor reading that varies based on the proximity of the sensor plate 5 to one or more surrounding objects and the material properties of each of the one or more surrounding objects. ..

In certain embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, the sensor array 7 may include a sensor plate 5, each having a similar geometric shape. In one embodiment, the distance between adjacent sensor plates 5 can be about 2.0 millimeters. As shown, the shortened common plate 33 extends along the sensor array 7 along one side of each sensor plate 5. The length of the shortened common plate 33 is shorter than the overall length dimension of the sensor array 7. In some embodiments, the shortened common plate 33 may not extend along the sides of one or both end sensor plates.

In FIG. 3, the sensor plate 5 can create a sensing field as a whole. In certain embodiments, the active shielding plate 23 can contribute to the sensing field. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, each sensor plate 5 may have a similar main sensing zone. In this embodiment, the shortened common plate 33 provides each sensor plate 5 with a main sensing field zone that is geometrically more similar to the main sensing field zone described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 12, 15 and 16. Similarly, each sensor plate 5 may also have a similar sensing field within its respective major sensing field zone. As a result, the difficult-to-see configuration detector 1 assembled with the configuration of FIG. 3 can provide improved performance. The sensor readings for each of the sensor plates 5 may have similar value increases as the impaired configuration detector 1 moves from a thin surface to a thicker surface.

In certain embodiments, the serrated edge or border can have the same effective edge as a straight edge without serrations. In certain embodiments, an edge with a very thin curve can have the same effective edge as a straight edge without a thin curve. In certain embodiments, the sensor plate 5 having a slot therein has the same effective geometry as a different equivalent sensor plate 5 having no slot. In certain embodiments, the sensor plate 5 having a small hole therein may have the same effective geometry as an equivalent sensor plate 5 having no hole. Many other geometries are possible that can be virtually equivalence to other substantially equivalent geometries. Many other edges are possible that can be virtually equivalent to other substantially equivalent edges. If a geometry or edge has virtually equivalent properties to another geometry or edge, the two can be considered similar.

In one embodiment, the group 7 of the sensor plates 5 is configured such that each sensor plate 5 of the group 7 has the same geometric shape. In one embodiment, each sensor plate 5 in group 7 is radially symmetrical.

The plurality of indicators 6 can be toggled between the inactivated state and the activated state to indicate a position in a relatively high sensor reading range. The activated indicator 4 may indicate the position of the impaired configuration 3. The proximity indicator 39 can indicate that the impaired configuration detector 1 can be near the impaired configuration 3.

In FIG. 1-3, the indicator 6 is positioned on the layer above the sensor plate 5. In certain embodiments, an active shielding plate 23 may be present between the sensor plate 5 and the indicator 6 so that the indicator 6 does not interfere with the function of the sensor plate 5. In some embodiments, it may be desirable to position the indicator 6 on a layer above the sensor plate 5.

In one embodiment, the protective layer is placed at the bottom of the impaired configuration detector housing so that there is a protective layer between the surface 2 (eg, the seat lock) and the impaired configuration detector 1. .. In one embodiment, the inside of the protective agent is substantially filled so as to substantially eliminate the protective agent cavity. In certain embodiments, the protective agent is different from felt, velcro®, cloth or other materials with internal cavities. A layer of protective agent can help protect the bottom of the impaired configuration detector 1 from damage from knocks, collisions and abrasion. Protective agents can be made from solid parts of materials such as plastics or other non-conductive solid materials. The solid layer of plastic may provide a low friction surface on which the impaired configuration detector 1 can slide over the wall. Some embodiments of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 1 do not require sliding operation, but the low-friction surface moves the position of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 1 by sliding the difficult-to-see configuration detector 1. It can be beneficial to the user who can make the choice.

A protective layer made of plastic can be installed by pressure sensitive adhesive, adhesive or other means. The layer of protective agent can be a complete layer covering the entire surface and the layer can be a rectangular strip, a round part or another layer of plastic having other geometric shapes.

Protective agents that are substantially filled to virtually eliminate cavities may generate less static charge than prior art solutions, favorably providing a more consistent sensor reading. Can be done.

In one embodiment, the protective layer is UHMW-PE (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene). Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene has a small coefficient of friction. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene can also cause an increase in immunity due to changes in humidity, and can increase immunity from changes in humidity, and hardly absorbs moisture.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a circuit of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 1 according to one embodiment. The circuit includes a multiplexer 18, a power controller 20, a display circuit 25, a sensing circuit 27, and a controller 60.

The power controller 20 may include a power supply 22 and an on-off button 24. The power source 22 may include an energy source for feeding the indicator 6 and powering the capacitance-digital converter 21 and the controller 60. In certain embodiments, the power source 22 may include a DC battery supply. The on-off switch 24 can be used to activate the controller 60 and other components of the impaired configuration detector 1. In certain embodiments, the on-off switch 24 comprises a pushbutton mechanism that activates the components of the difficulty detector 1 for a selected time period. In one embodiment, the push button activates the component and continues to activate the component until the push button is released. In certain embodiments, the on-off switch 24 comprises a capacitance sensor capable of sensing the presence of a finger or thumb on the button. In certain embodiments, the on-off switch 24 may include a toggle switch or other type of button or switch.

The display circuit 25 may include one or more indicators 6 that are electrically coupled to the controller 60.

The sensing circuit 27 may include a voltage regulator 26 and a capacitance-to-digital converter 21. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the sensing circuit 27 includes a plurality of sensors, a voltage regulator 26 and a capacitance-to-digital converter 21. The voltage regulator 26 can be used to adjust the output of the power controller 20 as desired. In one embodiment, the voltage regulator 26 can be placed as close as possible to the capacitance-to-digital converter 21 to provide the battery power source 22 to the capacitance-digital converter 21. The sensing circuit 27 can be electrically coupled to the controller 60. One or more sensor plate traces 35 or conductive paths on the printed circuit board can connect the individual sensor plates 5 to the capacitance-to-digital converter 21. The connection of the sensor plate 5 to the capacitance-digital converter 21 can be made via the multiplexer 18. The multiplexer 18 can individually connect the sensor plate 5 to the capacitance-digital converter 21.

In certain embodiments, the multiplexer 18 can connect a single sensor plate 5 to the sensing circuit 27. In certain embodiments, the multiplexer 18 can connect two or more adjacent sensor plates 5 to the sensing circuit 27. In certain embodiments, the multiplexer 18 can connect two or more non-adjacent sensor plates 5 to the sensing circuit 27. In one embodiment, the multiplexer 18 is configured such that the sensing circuit 27 measures the capacitance of one sensor plate 5. In one embodiment, the multiplexer 18 is configured such that the sensing circuit 27 measures the total capacitance of two or more sensor plates 5.

The individual sensor plates 5 of the group 7 can be independently connected to the capacitance-digital converter 21 via the multiplexer 18. In one embodiment, the group 7 itself consists of a layer of copper on a printed circuit board.

In one embodiment, the two-layer printed circuit board is configured as a sensor board board 40 (see FIG. 6). In one embodiment, the first layer of the sensor plate board 40 comprises a sensor plate 5, and the second layer of the sensor plate board 40 comprises a shield. In one embodiment, the shield consists of a layer of copper that covers the entire surface of the second layer of the printed circuit board. In one embodiment, the copper layer is covered with a non-conductive layer of a solder mask. In some embodiments, there are holes in the layer of the solder mask. In one embodiment, the holes in the layer of the solder mask include solder pads suitable for forming solder joints.

In one embodiment, a four-layer printed circuit board is formed as an interconnect board suitable for connecting circuit components. In one embodiment, the interconnect board is configured with four layers of interconnects suitable for interconnecting the sensing circuit 27, the controller 60 and the display circuit 25. In one embodiment, one side of the printed circuit board is configured to mount the components and the second side of the printed circuit board is configured with solder pads.

In one embodiment, the sensor plate 5 is arranged on a first printed circuit board. In one embodiment, the interconnect circuit is located on a second printed circuit board. In one embodiment, the first printed circuit board is joined to the second printed circuit board.

In one embodiment, there is a solder pad on the sensor board board 40 that is complementary to the solder pad on the interconnect board. In one embodiment, the sensor board 40 and the interconnect board can be stacked and joined together. In certain embodiments, the binder that joins the two printed circuit boards together may be solder. In one embodiment, two printed circuit boards can be joined together using solder paste. In one embodiment, two printed circuit boards can be joined together with solder, and the process of joining two printed circuit boards together can be a standard SMT (Surface Mount Technology) process. The standard surface mounting technique process may include placing the solder paste in the desired position using a stencil. The standard surface mount technology process may include stacking one printed circuit board. In certain embodiments, pins can be used to ensure proper alignment of the two printed circuit boards. In certain embodiments, the final step in the surface mounting technology process can involve passing a reflow path through a laminated printed circuit board.

In one embodiment, the sensor plate 5, shield and circuit are arranged on a single printed circuit board. In one embodiment, a 6-layer printed circuit board is used. In one embodiment, a bottom layer of six layers of printed circuit boards is configured with the sensor plate 5. The fifth layer can be an active shield. The top four layers can connect the balance of the circuit.

In one embodiment, the sensor plate 5, shield and circuit are arranged on a single printed circuit board. In one embodiment, a four-layer printed circuit board is used. The first layer and the second layer of the printed circuit board are configured together with the interconnection circuit. In one embodiment, a four-layered bottom layer of a printed circuit board is configured with the sensor plate 5. The third layer can be an active shield.

Printed circuit boards can be manufactured from a variety of suitable materials, such as the more advanced materials used in radio frequency circuits such as FR-4, FR-406, or Rogers 4003C. Rogers 4003C and other radio frequency class printed circuit boards can provide improved performance over a wider temperature and humidity range.

As used herein, the term "module" can describe a unit that can perform any given functionality according to one or more embodiments of the invention. Any form of hardware or software, such as one or more processors, controllers 60, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), logic components, software routines or other mechanisms, or any of these. Modules can be implemented using combinations.

The various processes, also known as capacitance-to-digital conversion, that read the capacitance and convert it to a digital value are well described in the prior art. Many different methods are not described here and the reader refers to the prior art for details of the various capacitance-to-digital converter methods. One embodiment uses, for example, a Sigma Delta Capacitance-Digital Converter, which is incorporated into the AD7747 integrated circuit of Analog Devices, Inc. One embodiment uses a charge sharing method of capacitance-to-digital conversion.

In certain embodiments, the voltage regulator 26 may comprise an ADP150-2.8 from Analog Devices or an NCP702 from ON Semiconductor, which has very low noise. In certain embodiments, the controller 60 may include a C8051F317 from Silicon Labs or a number of other microcontrollers.

When the native sensor reading of the capacitance-to-digital converter 21 is used alone, the detection of the impaired configuration 3 may require a high degree of accuracy, which is higher than the accuracy that the capacitance-to-digital converter 21 can provide. May be requested. The native sensor reading is the raw value read from the capacitance-to-digital converter 21, and the raw value is the digital output of the capacitance-to-digital converter 21.

In one embodiment, a large number of native reads are performed and a large number of native read results are combined to produce a reading. In one embodiment, native reads are performed multiple times and multiple native read results are combined using two or more native reads with different configurations to produce a reading. In one embodiment, native reads are performed multiple times and the results of multiple native reads are aggregated or averaged to generate a reading. In certain embodiments, this improves the signal-to-noise ratio. Each native read may involve a read of one sensor plate 5. If a large number of sensor plates 5 are multiplexed with respect to the capacitance-to-digital converter 21, the native read can also involve reads from multiple sensor plates 5. In one embodiment, a large number of native reads are combined to produce a reading.

The signal-to-noise ratio can be improved by summing or averaging a large number of native reads, but may not reduce the non-linear effect of the capacitance-to-digital converter 21. The ideal capacitance-to-digital converter 21 is perfectly linear, meaning that its native sensor reading increases in direct proportion to the increase in perceived capacitance. However, many capacitance-to-digital converters 21 are not perfectly linear and changes in input capacitance may not be exactly proportional to the increase in native reading. Although these non-linearities can be reduced, it is desirable to implement a method to reduce the non-linearity effect when a high degree of accuracy is desired.

In one embodiment, the adverse effects of non-linearity can be mitigated by summing up a large number of native reads with slightly different configurations for each of the native reads. In one embodiment, a native read is performed using two or more different configurations.

For example, the bias current is one of the parameters that can be changed to produce different configurations. The bias current can be set to standard, standard + 20%, standard + 35% or standard + 50%. Different bias currents produce different native sensor readings, even if all other factors remain constant. Since each native reading has a different value, it is likely that each native reading will be subject to different non-linearities. Perhaps instead of summing or multiplying, the non-linearities can be partially offset against each other by summing or averaging the sensor readings that receive different non-linearities.

In one embodiment, there are two separate and independent capacitance-to-digital converters 21. In certain embodiments, each capacitance-to-digital converter 21 may have different non-linearities. Any single one by utilizing both capacitance-digital converters 21 and using the first converter for some of the reads and the second converter for some of the reads. The non-linearity effect can be reduced.

In one embodiment, native reading is performed on each sensor plate 5 with 12 different configurations.

After completing the sensor readings, in one embodiment, two different calibration algorithms can be performed, the first is the individual plate calibration which adjusts for the variation of the individual sensor plates 5, and the second is the surface density / thickness. It is a surface material calibration that adjusts the sensor reading to harmonize with the sword. Other embodiments can use only one of these two calibration algorithms. In some embodiments, other calibration algorithms can be used. In one embodiment, the calibration module implements the calibration algorithm.

In some embodiments, individual plate calibration is used first. With individual plate calibration, each sensor plate 5 can have individual and unique calibration values. In one embodiment, after the sensor readings are obtained, the calibration values of the individual plates are added or subtracted for each of the sensor readings. In other embodiments, individual plate calibration can be performed using multiplication, division, or other mathematical functions. In one embodiment, the calibration values of the individual plates are stored in the non-volatile memory. Individual plate calibration compensates for the irregularities of the individual sensor plates 5, and individual plate calibration is used to compensate for these irregularities. In one embodiment, after performing the individual plate calibration, the sensor reading of the sensor plate is measured while the impaired configuration detector 1 is present on a surface 2 similar to the surface 2 that calibrates the impaired configuration detector 1. If so, the sensor readings probably have the same calibration value. For example, there is no difficult-to-see configuration 3, and the sensor is read on the 1/2 inch (1/2 ", 12.7 mm) seat lock 2 for the 1/2 inch seat lock 2. If individual calibration values were produced, it would be possible to correct all of the sensor readings to common values after performing individual plate calibration. The sensor readings could be made of thicker material (eg 5/8 inch (5)). When performed on a / 8 ") seat lock 2), on a thinner material (eg, a 3/4 inch (3/8") seat lock 2), or on a different material (eg, 3/4 inch). When performed on (3/4 ") plywood), there may be some error in the values. The surface material composition can help correct this error.

In certain embodiments, a surface material configuration can be used.

In one embodiment, after calibrating the sensor readings on the sensor plate, the impaired configuration detector 1 determines if the impaired configuration 3 is present. In one embodiment, the lowest sensor board reading is subtracted from the highest sensor board reading. When this difference is larger than the threshold value, it is determined that the difficult-to-see configuration 3 exists.

If it is determined that the blind configuration 3 does not exist, all indicators 6 can be inactivated. If the impaired configuration 3 is present, the impaired configuration detector 1 initiates the process of determining the position and width of the impaired configuration 3.

In certain embodiments, pattern matching can be used to determine which light emitting diode to activate. In one embodiment, a pattern matching module is used to determine the position of the impaired vision configuration 3. The pattern matching module compares the calibrated and scaled sensor readings from the sensor plate 5 with some predetermined pattern. The pattern matching module determines which of the given patterns best matches the sensor reading. Then the set of indicators 6 corresponding to the best matching pattern is activated. Additional details regarding pattern matching are discussed in the prior art, such as US Pat. No. 8,884,633. The details are not repeated here and instead the reader is encouraged to refer directly to the details.

In one embodiment, the impaired configuration detector 1 comprises a single capacitance-to-digital converter 21. In certain embodiments, the sensor plate 5 can be individually connected to the capacitance-to-digital converter 21. In one embodiment, the sensor plate 5 can be individually connected to the capacitance-to-digital converter 21 via a multiplexer 18. In one embodiment, two or more sensor plates 5 can be connected to the capacitance-to-digital converter 21 at one time. In one embodiment, a large number of adjacent sensor plates 5 can be electrically connected to the capacitance-to-digital converter 21. In one embodiment, a large number of non-adjacent sensor plates 5 can be connected to the capacitance-to-digital converter 21. Since the sensor reading from each sensor plate 5 is equally affected by fluctuations to the capacitance-to-digital converter 21, a multiplexer 18 is used to connect the sensor plate 5 to a single capacitance-to-digital converter 21. By doing so, the consistency of the sensor reading of the sensor plate 5 can be improved. Factors that can affect the sensor reading from the capacitance-digital converter 21 can include, but are not limited to, process fluctuations, temperature fluctuations, voltage fluctuations, electrical noise, aging, and the like.

In one embodiment, the path of the sensor plate trace 35 is defined so that each of the plurality of sensor plate traces 35 has substantially the same capacitance, resistance, and inductance. In certain embodiments, it is desirable that each sensor plate trace 35 has the same electrical properties and that each sensor plate 5 can respond equally to the same detection.

In one embodiment, each sensor plate trace 35 from the capacitance-to-digital converter 21 to each sensor plate 5 has substantially the same length. In one embodiment, two or more of the sensor plate traces 35, from the capacitance-to-digital converter 21 to the sensor plate 5, are substantially the same length. In certain embodiments, sensor plate traces 35 with substantially the same length may have more equivalent capacitance, inductance and resistance. Sensor plate traces 35 of equal length can improve the uniformity of sensor reading, the sensor plate 5 can respond more equally to the same detection, and can provide higher immunity from environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity. Therefore, higher performance can be provided.

In one embodiment, each sensor plate trace 35, including the conductive path, has substantially the same width. In certain embodiments, both the width and length of each of the sensor plate traces 35 are substantially equivalent. In certain embodiments, the sensor plate trace 35 may have multiple portions. For example, the first portion of the trace may route the sensor plate trace 35 from the capacitance-digital converter 21 to the via. Vias can allow the sensor plate trace 35 to reach various layers of the printed circuit board where the second portion of the sensor plate trace 35 may be present. In certain embodiments, all sensor plate traces 35 can have the same length and width at each portion as the other traces at that portion. In certain embodiments, two or more of the sensor plate traces 35 may have the same width throughout the first portion. In certain embodiments, two or more of the sensor plate traces 35 may have the same width throughout the second portion. In certain embodiments, two or more of the sensor plate traces 35 may have the same length throughout the first portion. In certain embodiments, two or more of the sensor plate traces 35 may have the same length throughout the second portion.

In certain embodiments, the sensor plate trace 35 may have multiple portions. In one embodiment, the portion of the sensor plate trace 35 may be a wire bond that resides within the package of the integrated circuit and defines the signal path from the silicon component to the pins of the integrated circuit package. In certain embodiments, the portion of the sensor plate trace 35 may include a layer of copper on top of the first layer of the printed circuit board. In certain embodiments, the portion of the sensor plate trace 35 may include a layer of copper on top of a second layer of printed circuit board.

In one embodiment, the capacitance-to-digital converter 21 can read the total capacitance of the sensor plate 5 and the sensor plate trace 35. In some embodiments, it may be desirable to detect only the sensor reading on the sensor plate 5 and not the sensor plate trace 35. However, since the sensor plate 5 and the sensor plate trace 35 are electrically coupled to each other, a means for ensuring a stable and uniform capacitance on the sensor plate trace 35 may be desired. For example, it may be desirable to configure the sensor plate trace 35 so that the capacitance of the sensor plate trace 35 is uniform and stable. Therefore, it may be preferable to configure the sensor plate trace 35 so that the sensor plate trace 35 does not change. In certain embodiments, it may be preferable that the sensor plate traces 35 do not change from each other and any change in capacitance on a sensor plate trace 35 is reflected in each of the sensor plate traces 35.

In certain embodiments, it may be advantageous to shield the sensor plate trace 35. By shielding the sensor plate trace, the sensor plate trace 35 can be protected from an external electromagnetic field. Also in one embodiment, shielding the sensor plate trace 35 helps ensure that each of the sensor plate traces 35 has a similar environment to each of the other sensor plate traces 35, thereby helping the sensor plate traces. A more consistent environment can be favorably provided for 35.

In one embodiment, each sensor plate trace 35 from the capacitance-to-digital converter 21 to each sensor plate 5 is in substantially the same environment. In one embodiment, the paths of the plurality of sensor plate traces 35 are sufficiently separated to minimize capacitive coupling and inductive coupling between the plurality of sensor plate traces 35, and each sensor plate trace 35 is the other sensor plate trace 35. The sensor plate trace 35 can improve consistency because it may have a more similar environment. In certain embodiments, one or both sides of each sensor plate trace 35 are shielded by an active occlusion trace.

In certain embodiments, the user may be electrically coupled to the sensing circuit 27. In one embodiment, the quality of the sensor reading is improved when the conductive points of the sensing circuit 27 are coupled to the user. By electrically coupling the user to the sensing circuit 27, the sensing circuit 27 can be provided with an unchanged voltage level, which can result in higher sensitivity and higher quality sensor reading. For example, the prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector that drives the sensor plate 5 at 3.0 V may actually only drive the sensor plate 5 with a signal that is 3.0 V with respect to the ground. However, when the ground is floating, driving the sensor plate 5 at 3.0V can bring a signal of 1.5V on the sensor plate 5 and bring a signal of -1.5V on the ground. be able to. In certain embodiments, the quality of the sensor reading does not improve when the conductive points of the sensing circuit 27 are coupled to the user.

In certain embodiments, electrical coupling of the user to the sensing circuit 27 may result in a higher absolute voltage amplitude on the sensor plate 5. Part of this reason may be that the sensing circuit 27 is maintained at a stable level. Also, in certain embodiments, the user may be electrically coupled to the sensing circuit 27 to provide a more consistent sensor reading.

In one embodiment, the user is electrically coupled to the ground of the sensing circuit 27, as shown in FIG. In one embodiment, the user is electrically coupled to the voltage source of the sensing circuit 27. In one embodiment, the user is electrically coupled to different conductive points of the sensing circuit 27.

In certain embodiments, the user's hand may be electrically coupled to the sensing circuit 27 by direct contact with the sensing circuit 27. In certain embodiments, the conductive material, such as a wire, can electrically couple the user's hand to the sensing circuit 27. In certain embodiments, the buttons that the user may need to touch to activate the impaired configuration detector 1 may include a conductive material that may be electrically coupled to the sensing circuit 27. In certain embodiments, the button may include other conductive material such as aluminum or tin plated steel. In one embodiment, the aluminum button can be anodized, which can provide a pleasing cosmetic.

In certain embodiments, the housing 19 of the impaired vision detector 1 (see FIG. 2) may include a conductive material such as a conductive plastic. In certain embodiments, only a portion of the housing 19 may contain conductive plastic. The conductive housing or part of the conductive housing can be coupled to the conductive points of the sensing circuit 27, whereby the user can be coupled to the sensing circuit 27.

In certain embodiments, carbon black can be mixed with a plastic resin to provide conductivity. When carbon black is mixed in the plastic resin, many thermoplastics, including polypropylene and polyethylene, become conductive. In certain embodiments, the conductivity increases as the concentration of carbon black increases, and the conductivity of the plastic can be advantageously controlled. In certain embodiments, the plastic having a conductivity of less than 25,000 Ω cm is high enough to effectively couple the user to the sensing circuit 27. In certain embodiments, a high degree of conductivity may be desired. In certain embodiments, a lower degree of conductivity may be desired. In certain embodiments, it is advantageous for the user to be coupled to the sensing circuit by a path of less than about 50 MΩ.

In one prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector, changes in the position of the user's hand can change the sensor reading. This can happen with some prior art impaired configuration detectors because the hand forms part of the path between the sensor plate 5 and the ground. As a result, the sensor reading of the sensor plate 5 may change due to the change in the position of the hand. This can adversely reduce the accuracy of the sensor reading.

If the size and position of the user's hand can be made immutable, calibration adjustments can be made to mathematically remove the influence of the user's hand from the raw sensor reading. However, this may not be feasible in practice. In practice, the size, shape and position of the hands of various users may be too different to make calibration adjustments practically possible.

In order to improve the performance in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, in one embodiment, the conductive hand guard may be placed between the user's hand and the sensor plate 5. In certain embodiments, the hand guard can be grounded to the sensing circuit 27, as shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a controller 60 according to one embodiment. The controller 60 includes a processor 61, a clock 62, a random access memory (RAM) 64, a non-volatile memory 65 and / or other computer readable medium. The non-volatile memory 65 may include a program 66 (eg, in the form of program code or computer-readable instructions for performing work) and a calibration table 68. During work, the controller 60 can receive the program 66 and synchronize the functions of the capacitance-to-digital converter 21 and the display circuit 25 (see FIG. 4). The non-volatile memory 65 receives and stores the program 66, the look-up table (LUT), and the calibration table 68. Program 66 may include a number of suitable algorithms such as initialization algorithms, calibration algorithms, pattern matching algorithms, multiplexing algorithms, display management algorithms, active sensor activation algorithms and inactive sensor management algorithms.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a blind configuration detector including a housing, including a light pipe and a button and a printed circuit board, according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the housing 19 comprises an upper housing, an on-off switch 24, a handle 14, a plurality of light pipes 8, and a power compartment. In certain embodiments, the compatible core may be configured to elastically couple the housing 19 to the sensor plate board 40. In one embodiment, the sensor board board 40 is a multilayer printed circuit board having a top layer 44, a second layer 43, a third layer 42, and a bottom layer 41. In one embodiment, as described above with reference to FIG. 4, the sensor board board 40 is a multilayer printed circuit board that connects the capacitance-digital converter 21, the display unit 25, and the controller 60. In one embodiment, the housing 19 comprises plastic. In one embodiment, the housing 19 comprises ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic. In one embodiment, the conductive hand guard 56 shields the user's hand from the sensor board board 40. In one embodiment, the hand guard 56 is connected to the ground of the sensing circuit.

In certain embodiments, the handle 14 includes a gripping surface. In certain embodiments, a portion of the gripping surface comprises an elastomer that makes the handle 14 easier to grip. The handle 14 is preferably positioned so as not to hide the view of the indicator 6 when the user's hand is gripping the handle 14. In certain embodiments, the power compartment comprises a cavity for holding a suitable power source, such as a battery, and a battery cover for accessing the compartment.

In certain embodiments, the hand guard 56 may be configured so that there is no large linear path between the sensor plate and the user's hand. In certain embodiments, the housing 19 may be constructed of a conductive material that may include a hand guard 56. In certain embodiments, the conductive layer of the material of the hand guard 56 can be a layer of conductive plastic. In certain embodiments, the conductive layer of the material of the hand guard 56 can be a layer of a different conductive material such as conductive paint. In certain embodiments, the conductive layer of the material of the hand guard 56 can be a sheet of metal hidden within the housing 19. In certain embodiments, the hand guard 56 may include a portion of extruded aluminum that is soldered to the printed circuit board. In certain embodiments, the hand guard 56 may include tin-plated steel that can provide a rapid, easy and reliable solder joint. In certain embodiments, the entire layer of the printed circuit board may include the hand guard 56 (eg, the top layer of the printed circuit board (PCB)). In some embodiments, only a portion of the layer of the printed circuit board may include the hand guard 56, as it may not be necessary to include the entire layer for the hand guard 56. For example, the ring around the outside of the printed circuit board can be used as the effective hand guard 56.

In certain embodiments, the hand guard 56 is configured to minimize the effects of hand size and position. In some embodiments, the handguard 56 is positioned such that the handguard 56 is close to the hand, because in some embodiments the handguard 56 can be most effective when the handguard 56 is closest to the hand. In certain embodiments, the hand guard 56 may be electrically coupled to the ground of the sensing circuit 27 (see FIG. 4). In certain embodiments, the hand guard 56 may be coupled to the potential of the sensing circuit 27. In certain embodiments, different conductive points of the sensing circuit 27 may be electrically coupled to the hand guard 56. In one embodiment, the wire comprises an electric line between the hand guard 56 and the sensing circuit 27.

Prior art hard-to-see configuration detectors generally have the same set of sensor plates 105 linearly arranged, as shown, for example, in FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10. FIG. 7 is a prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector 101 located on a relatively thinner surface 12. FIG. 8 is a prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector 101 located on a relatively thicker surface 13. FIG. 9 shows a side view of the prior art hard-to-see configuration detector 101, with the main sensing field zones 15, 16 and 17 for some sensor plates 105 including the sensor plates A, B, C, D and E. show. FIG. 10 shows a front view of the bottom surface of the prior art hard-to-see configuration detector 101, showing the main sensing field zones 15, 16 and 17 for the sensor plates A, B, C, D and E.

Overall and collectively with reference to FIGS. 7-14, each sensor plate 105 performs sensor readings on surface 2. Then the sensor readings are compared. It is determined that the sensor plate 105 having the highest reading is present at the position of the difficult-to-see configuration. However, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the sensor plate 105 present near the end of the group does not respond to the difficult-to-see configuration in the same manner as the sensor plate 105 present near the center. There is. This problem is particularly apparent when the prior art impaired configuration detector 101 moves from a thinner surface to a thinner surface or a less dense surface 12 to a thicker surface or a denser surface 13. May become.

FIG. 7 represents a typical sensor reading of the prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector 101 placed on a relatively thin surface 12. The relatively thin surface 12 can be a seat lock with a thickness of 0.375 inches. FIG. 8 represents a typical sensor reading of a prior art impaired vision configuration detector 101 placed on a relatively thick surface 13. The relatively thick surface 13 can be a seat lock with a thickness of 0.625 inches.

In FIG. 7, the prior art hard-to-see configuration detector 101 is placed on a relatively thin surface 12. Each sensor plate 105 may have a calibration adjustment to have a reading (eg 100) to be calibrated. If this same prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector 101 is subsequently moved to another thicker surface 13 or a surface with a higher dielectric constant, the sensor reading will change. The figure of the same prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector 101 present on the thicker surface 13 is shown in FIG. Ideally, in the absence of a blind configuration, the plurality of sensor plates 105 are all on the same thicker surface 13, so that each of the sensor plates 105 on the thicker surface 13 has similar sensor readings to each other. Will have. However, it can be observed that the sensor reading of the sensor plate 105 near the edges produces a higher reading than the sensor plate 105 near the center. In FIG. 8, it can be seen that the sensor plate 105 near the center has a sensor reading of 200, while the sensor plate 105 at the ends has a sensor reading of 250.

In the prior art impaired configuration detector 101 of FIG. 8 and other prior art impaired configuration detectors, the sensor plate 105 present at the ends creates an electric field 9 extending above the edge of the group of sensor plates 105. Sometimes isolated. As a result, the sensor plate 105 near the end may respond with a more disproportionately higher reading when placed on the thicker surface 13. The controller 60 determines whether the elevated sensor reading is due to the presence of the impaired vision configuration or due to the prior art prior art impaired configuration detector 101 being placed on the thicker surface 13. It can be difficult to navigate disadvantageously. The disclosed embodiments can address these and other challenges.

FIG. 9 shows a field line for the prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector 101 of FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 9 represents a group of sensor plates 105 and also represents a two-dimensional representation of the field line for each sensor plate 105. The field line is for the purpose of explanation and represents an actual sensing field. The field line drawn is an equipotential electric field line. However, this figure does not limit the scope of this disclosure to just this type of field. A vector electric or magnetic field line can be illustrated, and the vector electric or magnetic field line is within the scope of the present disclosure. The sensing field can be an electric field, a magnetic field, or an electromagnetic field that is a combination of an electric field and a magnetic field.

In FIG. 9, there are 13 sensor plates 105. While all of the sensor plates 105 can be driven simultaneously by the same signal, one sensor plate 105 is sensed at a time. Since the sensor plates 105 are simultaneously driven by the same signal, the sensing field is defined by the fields created by the group of sensor plates 105, as shown in FIG. The active shielding plane is not shown, but in certain embodiments the active shielding can contribute to the sensing field. The five sensor plates 105 are called A, B, C, D, and E. The field line emitted from the sensor plate E is originally parallel to the sensor plate E. However, the field line emanating from the sensor plate A is not very parallel to the sensor plate A. Since these field lines do not have similar directions and intensities at each point in the main sensing field zone, the sensor plates A and E do not have similar sensing fields within these main sensing field zones.

On the other hand, since the volume of the sensing field that can be effectively sensed by the sensor plate D and the sensor plate E and the sensing field in the main sensing field zone are similar, the sensor plate D and the sensor plate E have similar main sensing field zones. Have. If the direction of the sensing field and the intensity of the sensing field are similar at each point in the main sensing field zone, then the sensing fields in the main sensing field zone are similar.

FIG. 10 shows the same concept from different angles or perspectives. In FIG. 10, the five sensor plates 105 are again referred to as A, B, C, D, E. Emphasize the approximate main sensing field zone for each of the sensor plates 105. On the two-dimensional diagram of FIG. 10, the main sensing field zone 15 for the sensor plate A is shown by the drawing of the sensing field line for the sensor plate A. On the two-dimensional diagram of FIG. 10, the main sensing field zone 16 for the sensor plate B is shown by the drawing of the sensing field line for the sensor plate B. On the two-dimensional diagram of FIG. 10, the main sensing field zone 17 for the sensor plate C is shown by the drawing of the sensing field line for the sensor plate C.

9 and 10 show the main sensing field zones in a two-dimensional diagram. However, in practice, there may be a three-dimensional major sensing field zone. For each sensor plate 105, there may be a three-dimensional zone containing a major sensing field zone for each given sensor plate 105. In contrast to the prior art embodiments of FIGS. 9 and 10, in certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the sensor plate 105 may have an equivalent primary sensing field zone. Each sensor plate 105 in the group with equivalent primary sensing field zones responds equally to surface changes. The present disclosure shows several configurations in which each sensor plate 105 of the group may have an equivalent primary sensing field zone. In certain embodiments, each sensor plate 105 with a similar primary sensing field zone can have similar sensor reading changes in response to changes in the detected surface.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of a method 200 for detecting a difficult-to-see configuration behind a surface according to an embodiment. As shown in the flow chart of FIG. 11, the first task can be the initialization of the detector (202), which can involve running the initialization algorithm. The detector can follow one embodiment described herein. After initialization, the sensor plate can be read (204). In certain embodiments, each sensor plate can be read multiple times, each time with a different configuration. This different configuration may include different drive currents, different voltage levels, different sensing thresholds or other different configuration parameters. Each of these readings on the sensor plate can be called a native reading. In one embodiment, a large number of native reads are added together to generate a reading. In certain embodiments, there may be separate reads for each sensor plate.

In certain embodiments, each of these readings performs a calibration adjustment, which is achieved by adding a predetermined calibration value for each reading (206). In one embodiment, after calibration, if the detectors are placed on a uniform surface, the readings for each of the sensor plates can be equal.

In one embodiment, the highest sensor board reading is compared to the lowest sensor board reading (208). This difference is then compared to the threshold (208). In one embodiment, if this difference is less than a predetermined threshold, all indicators may be turned off (210) to indicate the absence of a bow. When this difference is greater than a given threshold, it is possible to determine which indicator to activate. In certain embodiments, the index can be scaled to a predetermined range (212), which can involve setting the minimum value to a number such as 0 and scaling the maximum index to a value such as 100 mag. Then all medians can be scaled proportionally. The scaled readings can then be compared to a given pattern that is similarly scaled (214).

In certain embodiments, there may be a set of predetermined patterns. A set of predetermined patterns can accommodate various combinations of hidden configurations that the detector may encounter. For example, a set of predetermined patterns may correspond to different positions with respect to a single bow. In certain embodiments, a given set of patterns may include a combination of two bow positions. A pattern matching algorithm can be used to determine which of a given pattern best fits the reading pattern. The detector can then activate the indicator corresponding to the given pattern that best fits (216).

In another embodiment, after calibrating the sensor plate readings, it is determined if a difficult vision configuration is present. The lowest sensor board reading can be subtracted from the highest sensor board reading. When this difference is larger than the threshold value, it is determined that a difficult-to-see configuration exists. If it is determined that the blind configuration does not exist, all indicators can be inactivated. If a difficult-to-see configuration is present, the process can begin to determine the position and width of the difficult-to-see configuration. In certain embodiments, all current sensor board readings can be scaled to scale the minimum reading to a predetermined value (eg 0) and the maximum reading to a second predetermined value (eg 100). All medians can be scaled proportionally. The scaled readings can be more easily compared to a given set of patterns.

FIG. 12 is a currently available impaired configuration detector 1200 with a group of sensor plates arranged in a typical plate configuration. As shown in the figure, the difficult-to-see configuration detector 1200 may include three or more sensor plates 1205, a common plate 1202, and an active shielding plate 1223.

The sensor plate 1205 of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 1200 is linearly arranged to form the sensor array 1207. As shown, the sensor plates 1205 can have the same geometry and can be evenly spaced. Each sensor plate 1205 has an inner boundary that extends along at least a portion of the inner boundary of one or more other sensor plates 1205 and an outer boundary that is located at the outer boundary of the sensor array 1207. The linear sensor array includes two end sensor plates 1210, 1212 and at least one non-end sensor plate 1214.

Each sensor plate 1205 is configured to acquire sensor readings that vary based on the proximity of the sensor plate 1205 to one or more surrounding objects and the material properties of each of the one or more surrounding objects. To. To facilitate sensor reading, certain areas of each sensor plate 1205 can form the first end of the corresponding electric field.

The common plate 1202 can form the second end of the corresponding electric field of each sensor plate 1205. The common plate 1202 has a length 1220 extending along the length 1222 of the sensor array, and the common plate 1202 extends along one outer boundary of each sensor plate 1205. As shown, the common plate 1202 extends above the overall length dimension of the sensor array 1207. Common plates in board configurations currently available are at least 17 millimeters longer than the sensor array, regardless of housing size or shape, shielding configuration or other reasons. The electric field of the end sensor plate formed of such a longer common plate is not uniform as compared to the electric field formed of a non-end sensor plate formed of such a longer common plate.

FIG. 13 is a bottom front view of the impaired vision configuration detector 1300 having a sensor plate cluster 1301 arranged in an improved plate configuration including a shortened common plate 1302. As shown, the difficult-to-see configuration detector 1300 may include three or more sensor plates 1305, a shortened common plate 1302, and an active shielding plate 1323.

In the illustrated embodiment, the sensor plates 1305 are linearly arranged to form the sensor array 1307. As shown, the sensor plates 1305 can have the same geometry and can be evenly spaced. In other embodiments, the sensor plates 1305 may vary in size and / or shape and may be spaced differently apart based on the location of the sensor plates 1305 in the sensor array 1307. The linear sensor array 1307 includes two end sensor plates 1312, 1312 and at least one non-end sensor plate 1314.

Each sensor plate 1305 is configured to acquire a sensor reading that varies based on the proximity of the sensor plate 1305 to one or more surrounding objects and the material properties of each of the one or more surrounding objects. To. To facilitate sensor reading, certain regions of each sensor plate 1305 can form the first end of the corresponding electric field.

The shortened common plate 1302 can form the second end of the corresponding electric field of each sensor plate. The shortened common plate 1302 has a length 1320 extending along the length 1322 of the sensor array 1307, and the common plate 1302 extends along the sensor array 1307. In certain embodiments, the shortened common plate 1302 may not extend along one or both of the end sensor plates 1302, 1312. In one embodiment, the length of the shortened common plate 1302 is shorter than the length of the sensor plate cluster 1301. In one embodiment, the sensor plate cluster 1301 includes a sensor plate 1305. In one embodiment, the sensor plate cluster 1301 includes a sensor plate 1305 and an active shielding plate 1323. In certain embodiments, the sensor plate cluster 1301 also includes a common plate 1302 and may include a circuit mounted on the side surface of the sensor plate cluster 1301 opposite to the sensor plate 1305. In one embodiment, the length of the shortened common plate 1302 is shorter than the length of the sensor plate array 1307.
In one embodiment, the length of the shortened common plate 1302 is shorter than the length of the sensor plate cluster 1301. In one embodiment, the length of the common plate is shorter than the total length of the sensor plate 1305 and the active shielding plate 1323. In the illustrated embodiment, the shortened common plate 1302 is centered along the sensor array 1307. In certain embodiments, the center of the shortened common plate 1302 can be offset.

The active shielding plate 1323 is arranged between the sensor plate 1305 and the shortened common plate 1302, and separates the sensor plate 1305 and the shortened common plate 1302. In the illustrated embodiment, the active shielding plate 1323 surrounds the shortened common plate 1303 along three sides of the shortened common plate 1303. In another embodiment, the active shielding plate 1323 can only be extended along the length 1320 of the shortened common plate 1302. However, having an active shielding plate 1323 that surrounds the common plate can reduce manufacturing complexity.

In certain embodiments, one sensor plate 1305 can be sensed at a time. In one embodiment, when one sensor plate 1305 is sensed, all sensor plates 1305 including the active shielding plate 1323 are driven with the same signal as the sensed sensor plate 1305. When driving the sensor array 1307 with the active shielding plate 1323 together, the field line of the corresponding electric field is on the perceived surface rather than the field line that would be possible if only a single sensor plate 1305 were driven. You can push it deeper. In certain embodiments, this allows the field line from the single sensor plate 1305 to penetrate deeper and the single sensor plate 1305 to sense deeper than if the single sensor plate 1305 were driven alone. ..

FIG. 14 shows the electric field generated by the plate configuration of the prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector 1200 of FIG. Each sensor plate 1205 is configured to provide a major coupling region 1402, 1412 to form the first end of the corresponding electric field 1406, 1408. Further, the common plate 1202 is configured to provide a corresponding main coupling region 1404, 1414, corresponding to the sensor plate 1205, and to form a second end of the corresponding electric fields 1406, 1408 of the sensor plate 1205.

The main coupling regions 1402 and 1412 are regions of the sensor plate 1205 to which the electric fields 1406 and 1408 are mainly coupled. In the illustrated prior art, the main coupling region 1402 of the end sensor plate 1210 resides on line 1420 with the corresponding principal coupling region 1404 of the common plate 1202. Similarly, the main coupling region 1404 of the non-end sensor plate 1214 resides on line 1422 with the corresponding major coupling region 1414 of the common plate 1202. As shown, the line 1420 of the main coupling region 1402 of the end sensor plate 1210 corresponds to the corresponding main coupling region 1404 of the common plate 1202 with respect to the corresponding major coupling region 1414 of the common plate 1202. It is approximately parallel to line 1422 of the main coupling region 1404.

As shown, the electric field 1406 formed from the end sensor plate 1210 in this configuration has a different geometry than the electric field 1408 formed from the non-end sensor plate 1214. The electric field generated by the surrounding sensor plate 1205 affects each of the other sensor plates 1205. The non-uniform electric field 1406 arises from an end sensor plate 1210 that does not have sensor plates 1205 along both sides. The non-uniformity of the electric field 1406 can result in inaccurate detection or omission of detection of difficult-to-see configurations. For example, the electric field 1406 generated by the end sensor plate 1210 may penetrate the surface more widely than the electric field 1408 generated by the non-end sensor plate 1214. Due to the different sensing regions, the end sensor plate 1210 may erroneously identify the difficult-to-see configuration.

FIG. 15 shows the electric fields 1506, 1508 generated between the end sensor plate 1310 and the non-end sensor plate 1314 in the plate configuration of the impaired vision configuration detector 1300 of FIG. The main coupling region (eg 1502, 1512) can couple the sensor plate 1305 to the shortened common plate 1302. Each sensor plate 1305 is configured to provide a major coupling region (eg 1502, 1512) to form the first end of the corresponding electric field. The shortened common plate 1302 is configured to provide a corresponding main coupling region (eg, 1504, 1514) corresponding to each of the sensor plates 1305 and to form a second end of the corresponding electric field of the sensor plate 1305.

For example, as illustrated, the end sensor plate 1310 is configured to provide the main coupling region 1502 and the non-end sensor plate 1314 is configured to provide the main coupling region 1512. The common plate 1302 so as to provide a corresponding main coupling region 1504 corresponding to the main coupling region 1502 of the end sensor plate 1310 and a corresponding major coupling region 1514 corresponding to the major coupling region 1512 of the non-end sensor plate 1314. It is composed.

As shown, the electric fields 1506, 1508 couple the main coupling regions 1502, 1512 of the sensor plate 1305 to the corresponding major coupling regions 1504, 1524 of the common plate 1302. The main coupling region 1502 of the end sensor plate 1310 resides on the first line 1520 with the corresponding principal coupling region 1504 of the common plate 1302. Further, the main coupling region 1512 of the non-end sensor plate 1314 resides on the line 1522 with the corresponding major coupling region 1514 of the common plate 1302.

In order to achieve a similar electric field, the first line 1520 and the second line 1522 are not parallel between the coupling regions of the sensor plate 1305 and the common plate 1302. The electric field generated by the adjacent sensor plate 1305 affects each of the other sensor plates 1305. Since the end sensor plate 1310 has only one adjacent sensor plate 1305, the electric field 1506 will naturally travel a longer distance than the electric field 1508 of the non-end sensor plate 1324. As shown in FIG. 14, longer distance paths can extend beyond the impaired configuration detector. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15, the shortened common plate 1302 draws the electric field 1506 to a position near the electric field 1508. This is because the size setting and arrangement of the shortened common plate 1302 is similar to the electric field 1506 from the end sensor plate 1310 and the electric field 1508 from the non-end sensor plate 1314, as compared to the prior art hard-to-see configuration detector. This is probably because the degree is high.

In certain embodiments, the electric field 1506 corresponding to the end sensor plate 1310 has a similar size, shape, orientation and / or geometry to the electric field 1508 corresponding to the non-end sensor plate 1314. In one embodiment, the electric field corresponding to each sensor plate 1305 has the same size, shape, orientation and / or geometry as each other sensor plate 1305. In certain embodiments, the electric fields corresponding to each of the groups of sensor plates 1305 have the same size, shape, orientation and / or geometry.

In certain embodiments, the size, shape, direction and / or geometry of similar electric fields are shown more consistently because each sensor plate 1305 can respond more uniformly to changes to the surface or detection. Bring the degree. Sensor plates 1305, which respond similarly, can better detect difficult-to-see configurations that reside deeper in the wall or that can be more difficult to detect. Similar electric fields can result in a impaired configuration detector that can be used on a variety of different surfaces and operate equally well on a variety of different surfaces. In addition, a difficult-to-see configuration detector that can detect deeper, more accurately, or deeper and more accurately can be the result.

In certain embodiments, the impaired configuration detector may have a common plate that is less than the overall length dimension of the three or more sensor plates. As a result of this configuration, an electric field with similar dimensions, shape and / or geometry can be formed. In certain embodiments, the impaired configuration detector may have a common plate that is less than the total length dimension of the three or more sensor plates plus 16 millimeters. The configuration of a common plate less than 16 mm in length in addition to the length of the sensor array can result in an electric field with similar size, shape, orientation and / or geometry. In other words, in certain embodiments, there may be a length defined as the length added to the array. The length added to the array can be up to 16 millimeters longer than the total length of the sensor array. In one embodiment, the length added to this array can be up to 1.5 times longer than the total length of the sensor array. In other words, the length of the common plate can be up to 1.5 times longer than the array by the width of the sensor plate (eg, the width of the end sensor plate). A difficult-to-see configuration detector having a common plate with a length less than the length added to the array can be called a shortened common plate. In certain embodiments, the impaired configuration detector with a shortened common plate may have multiple electric fields, each with a more similar size, shape, orientation and / or geometry.

As a result of the increased similarity of the electric fields, the impaired configuration detector can detect more accurately and / or deeper in the plane and / or deeper through the plane.

Multiple impaired configuration detectors with a shortened common plate each have a more similar size, shape, orientation and / or geometry as compared to the impaired configuration detector with a common plate described in the prior art. Can have an electric field. By making the size, shape, direction or geometric shape of the electric field associated with each sensor plate more uniform, it is possible to provide a more uniform reading for each sensor plate. Multiple sensor plates, each with a similar electric field, can respond more uniformly to different surface materials and thicknesses. For example, one embodiment of the impaired vision configuration detector having a shortened common plate can be placed on a specific surface, such as a 0.25 inch thick seat lock surface. Each sensor plate may have the same reading (eg, 100 units of reading, etc.) when placed on this surface. In this example, if the same impaired configuration detector is placed on different surfaces (eg, 0.50 inch thick seat locks), their readings may change to different values, but again each The readings of the sensor plates (eg, values in units of 200) can be similar. When the readings from each sensor plate provide similar readings, any variation in the readings of the sensor plates is difficult, regardless of the surface on which the impaired configuration detector is located. It may be due to the presence of visual composition. The impaired configuration detector with a shortened common plate allows the uniformity of the reading to be maintained higher than that of the prior art impaired configuration detector over various planes. The uniform reading, independent of the surface, allows for more accurate and deeper sensing, more accurate identification of configurations, and simultaneous and more accurate sensing of two objects. In certain embodiments, the shortened common plate may have the advantageous result of more accurately positioning the sensing field for each sensor plate in the range closer to the sensor plate. As a result, the impaired configuration detector can detect more accurately and deeper.

In the currently available impaired configuration detectors, the width of the common plate is less than 8.00 mm. In some embodiments of the improved impaired configuration detector, performance may be improved when the width of the common plate is greater than 8.00 millimeters. A impaired configuration detector with a common plate over 8.00 mm wide has a more similar size, shape, orientation and / or geometry as compared to the impaired configuration detector with a common plate described in the prior art. It may have multiple electric fields, each with its own geometry.

As shown in FIG. 15, the impaired configuration detector 1300 extends the main coupling region 1502 of the end sensor plate 1310 of the sensor array 1307 onto the first line 1520 with the corresponding major coupling region 1504 of one or more common plates. Can have in. Also, the impaired configuration detector 1300 may have a main coupling region 1512 of the non-end sensor plate 1314 of the sensor array 1307 on a second line 1522 with a corresponding principal coupling region 1514 of one or more common plates. In some embodiments, the first line 1520 and the second line 1522 are not parallel. This can result in an electric field with more similar dimensions, shapes and geometries.

In other words, if the start and end of the electric field corresponding to the non-end sensor plate 1314 is on the first line 1520, the start and end of the electric field corresponding to the end sensor plate 1310 is on the second line 1522. In the case, and when the first line and the second line are not parallel, the electric field 1506 corresponding to the end sensor plate 1310 is the first line and the second line 1520 with respect to the electric field 1508 corresponding to the non-end sensor plate 1314. , 1522 may be more similar than if they were parallel. As a result, each sensor plate 1305 may respond more uniformly to changes in the surface or detection. As a result, the impaired vision configuration detector 1300 can detect more accurately and deeply.

For example, if one of the sensor plates 1305 is given a particular reading when an object is placed near the sensor plate 1305 due to the presence of the impaired configuration, then the impaired configuration is relative to the sensor plate 1305. It would be desirable to have the same reading for each sensor plate 1305 when placed in the same position. With a uniform response just described, it can be perceived more independently of the material or thickness of the surface. As a result, the bow is more accurately sensed, regardless of the surface material or thickness.

The electric field 1506 formed from the end sensor plate 1310 and the electric field 1508 formed from the non-end sensor plate 1314 have a similar size and shape according to the plate configuration of the embodiment of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 1300 of FIG. Or have a posture. This is symmetric with the electric field shown in FIG. The uniformity of the electric field can improve the accuracy of the impaired configuration detector. Increased accuracy can result in an electric field for each sensor plate 1305 with similar reads (reads over similar depths and widths).

FIG. 16 shows the electric fields 1606, 1608 generated from the end sensor plate 1310 and the non-end sensor plate 1314 with respect to the plate configuration of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 1600 having the plurality of common plates 1601. As shown, the size of the plurality of common plates 1601 is determined, configured, and aligned with the electric field 1606 formed from the end sensor plate 1310 and the electric field 1608 formed from the non-end sensor plate 1314. It can have similar sizes, shapes and / or orientations. The plurality of sensor plates 1601 can be arranged linearly and extended along the length of the sensor array 1307.

Exactly as shown in FIG. 15, the main coupling region 1602 of the end sensor plate 1310 of the sensor array 1307 exists on the first line 1620 with the corresponding main coupling region 1604 of the plurality of common plates 1601. Further, the main coupling region 1612 of the non-end sensor plate 1314 of the sensor array 1307 exists on the second line 1622 with the corresponding principal coupling region 1614 of the plurality of common plates 1601. Due to the positioning of the plurality of common plates 1601, the first line 1620 and the second line 1622 are not parallel, and the electric field 1608 formed from the non-end sensor plate 1314 in the electric field 1606 formed from the end sensor plate 1310. Have a similar geometric shape to. The uniformity of the electric fields 1606, 1608 can improve the accuracy of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 1600. Each of the plurality of common plates 1601 can be activated independently. In certain embodiments, the plurality of common plates 1601 can be activated by coupling to an invariant voltage level such as 0 or 3 volts or any other invariant voltage level. In certain embodiments, the plurality of common plates 1601 can be activated by driving them with an AC voltage.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a method 1700 for detecting a difficult-to-see configuration behind a surface. The method may include step 1702 of performing a sensor reading between three or more sensor plates and a shortened common plate of the impaired vision configuration detector. Three or more sensor plates can be arranged linearly in the sensor array. The sensor reading can consist of a range of sensing fields formed between the three or more sensor plates and the common plate of the impaired configuration detector. The dimensions of the common plate may be less than the dimensions of the sensor array.

The method further includes step 1704 measuring the sensor readings of three or more sensor plates by a sensing circuit and step 1706 comparing the measured values of the sensor readings in different regions of the sensing field. The measured sensor reading can be a capacitance reading or an electromagnetic reading. In addition, the method can toggle the indicator from the inactive state to the active state (1708) to indicate the position of a range of sensing fields with a relatively high sensor reading.

FIG. 18 shows the impaired configuration detector 1800 with alternative configurations of a plurality of sensor plates 1805 according to other embodiments of the present disclosure. The difficult-to-see configuration detector 1800 includes an end sensor plate 1874 in the sensor array 1807, which has a smaller area than the non-end sensor plate. In this embodiment, the end sensor plate 1874 is narrower than the non-end sensor plate 1875 of the sensor array 1807. Each sensor plate 1805 of the sensor array 1807 is configured to be electrically coupled to the common plate 1876 by electric fields 1881 and 1882. Each sensor plate 1805 of the sensor array 1807 is configured to provide a main coupling region 1879, 1880 capable of forming a first end of the electric fields 1881, 1882. Further, the common plate 1876 provides the corresponding main coupling regions 1885, 1886 to correspond to the end sensor plates 1874 and the non-end sensor plates 1875, respectively, and the second end of the corresponding electric fields 1881, 1882 of each sensor plate 1805. It is configured to form a part.

The main coupling region 1879 of the end sensor plate 1874 resides on a first line 1883 extending from the major coupling region 1879 of the end sensor plate 1874 to the major coupling region 1885 of the common plate 1876. The main coupling region 1880 of the non-end sensor plate 1875 resides on a second line 1884 that reaches the main coupling region 1886 of the common plate 1876 from the major coupling region 1880 of the non-end sensor plate 1875.

In the configuration of FIG. 18, the common plate 1876 has a length 1878, which is longer than the length 1888 of the sensor array 1807. In certain embodiments, the length 1878 of the common plate 1876 can be equal to (or closely similar to) the length of the shielding plate 1877 placed between the common plate 1876 and the sensor array 1807. The non-end sensor plate 1875 has a length 1873 and a width 1871 that are the same as (or closely similar to) the length and width of the other non-end sensor plates 1875 of the sensor array 1807, respectively. The end sensor plate 1874 has a length 1872 equal to (or closely similar to) the length 1873 of the non-end sensor plate 1875, but has a width 1870 that is smaller than the width 1871 of the non-end sensor plate 1875.

It can be seen that the total area of the end sensor plate 1874 is smaller than the total area of the non-end sensor plate 1875. By making the sensor area smaller, the responsiveness to the change of the surface 2 of the end sensor plate can be reduced, and the responsiveness of the end sensor plate more closely matches the responsiveness of the non-end sensor plate. In a prior art impaired configuration detector, the end sensor plate and the non-end sensor plate each respond differently to a changing surface 2 or a changing impaired configuration 3. This responsiveness issue is discussed in the dialogs around FIGS. 7 and 8. The end sensor plate 1879 can have a smaller area and can be less responsive to different surfaces and different blind configurations, so that the end sensor plate 1879 responds more similarly to the non-end sensor plate 1875. Can be done. Further, in the electric field 1881 formed between the end sensor plate 1874 and the common plate 1876, the width 1870 of the end sensor plate 1874 is the same as (or closely similar to) the width 1871 of the non-end sensor plate 1875. ) Will be smaller than when. In other words, as the width 1870 of the end sensor plate 1874 becomes narrower, the electric field 1881 becomes smaller, and the shape of the electric field 1881 is that of the electric field 1882 between the non-end sensor plate 1875 and the common plate 1876. More similar in shape (including more similar detection depth to the surface). In contrast to the electric field 1406 that couples the wide end sensor plate 1210 of FIG. 14 to the common plate 1202, the electric field 1881 between the coupling regions 1879, 1880 of the narrower end sensor plate 1874 and the common plate 1876 of FIG. It does not disperse as rapidly as the end sensor plate, which has the same width as the non-end sensor plate 1875. The electric field 1881 between the end sensor plate 1874 and the common plate 1876 is more similar to the electric field between the non-end sensor plate 1875 and the common plate 1876. As described above, the more similar shapes of the electric fields 1881, 1882 cause the reading of the sensor plate to change more as expected, thereby more accurately detecting the impaired configuration.

In some embodiments according to the configuration shown in FIG. 18, if the size, shape, orientation and / or geometric shape of the electric field 1881, 1882 is relatively small between the sensor plates 1874, 1875 of the sensor array 1807, the sensor plates. 1874, 1875 can respond similarly to obstacles in the path of the currents 1881, 1882 of the sensor plates 1874, 1875, respectively. Alternatively, the greater uniformity between the end electric field 1881 and the non-end electric field 1882 allows each of the sensor plates 1805 to respond more uniformly to the detected surface or object changes. Because it can, it enables more consistent reading. Sensor plates 1805, which respond similarly, can better detect difficult-to-see configurations that reside deeper in the wall or that can be more difficult to detect. Similar electric fields 1881,1882 may result in a impaired configuration detector that can be used on a variety of different surfaces and can operate equally well on each of a variety of different surfaces. The impaired configuration detector 1800 with a uniform end electric field 1881 and a non-end electric field 1882 can sense deeper or more accurately, or deeper and more accurately.

FIG. 19 shows the impaired configuration detector 1900, which is similar to FIG. 18 and has an alternative end sensor plate configuration according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The end sensor plate 1981 has a different shape from other sensor plates. In the difficult-to-see configuration detector 1900 of FIG. 19, the end sensor plate 1981 has a trapezoidal shape. In one embodiment, the shape of the end sensor plate 1981 is different from the shape of the other sensor plates, so that the end sensor plate 1981 can detect the difficult-to-see configuration more similar to the non-end sensor plate.

The end sensor plate 1981 may have the same length 1985 as the non-end sensor plate 1982, but the bottom width 1984 is wider than the top width 1988. In certain embodiments, the bottom width 1984 of the end sensor plate 1981 can be equal to the bottom width 1986 of the non-end sensor plate 1982, and the top width 1988 of the end sensor plate 1981 can be made smaller. In one embodiment, the bottom width 1984 of the end sensor plate 1981 can be wider than the width 1986 of the non-end sensor plate 1982, and the top width 1988 of the end sensor plate 1981 can be wider than the width 1986 of the non-end sensor plate 1982. Can be equal to. In one embodiment, both the top width 1988 and the bottom width 1984 can be wider than the width 1986 of the non-end sensor plate 1982, the bottom width 1984 of the end sensor plate 1981 and the top width 1988 of the end sensor plate 1981. Make it bigger than. In one embodiment, both the top width 1988 and the bottom width 1984 can be narrower than the width 1986 of the non-end sensor plate 1982, the bottom width 1984 of the end sensor plate 1981 and the top width 1988 of the end sensor plate 1981. Make it wider than.

FIG. 20 shows a impaired configuration detector 2001 that is located on a portion of the seat lock 2002 (or similar surface) to detect the impaired configuration 2003 according to one embodiment. FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 2001 of FIG. FIG. 22 shows the sensor side surface of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 2001 including a plurality of sensor plates 2205.

With reference to FIGS. 20-22, generally and overall, the impaired configuration detector 2001 has three or more sensor plates 2205, a sensing circuit (see FIG. 23), and one or more indicators 2006 and one. Includes one or more proximity indicators 2039 and a housing 2019 that provides or houses a handle 2014, an active shield 2623 (see FIG. 26), and a battery cover 2028.

Each of the three or more sensor plates 2205 can obtain sensor readings that vary based on the proximity of the sensor plate 2205 to one or more surrounding objects and the material properties of each of the one or more surrounding objects. .. The three or more sensor plates 2205 create a sensing field as a whole. The individual sensor plates 2205 of the three or more sensor plates 2205 are the three in the sensing field where the individual sensor plates 2205 contribute more strongly to the sensing field than any other of the three or more sensor plates 2205. Create a corresponding major sensing field zone that can be a dimensional geometric volume. All three or more sensor plates 2205 produce all the major sensing field zones that are geometrically similar. The sensing circuit is coupled with three or more sensor plates 2205 to measure the sensor readings of the three or more sensor plates 2205.

In certain embodiments, each sensor plate 2205 can be part of group 2207 of the sensor plate 2205. Each group 2207 can include two or more sensor plates 2205 and can also include an active shielding plate 2623. The sensor plate 2205 and the active shielding plate 2623 can be present on different planes. Nevertheless, if the sensor plate 2205 and the active shield plate 2623 are driven simultaneously, in one embodiment the sensor plate 2205 and the active shield plate 2623 are part of the same group 2207 of the sensor plate 2205. Can be done. Each sensor plate 2205 has a geometric shape defined by its shape. Each sensor plate 2205 also has a boundary line. In certain embodiments, the border can be composed of multiple parts. In certain embodiments, each portion of the boundary is the inner boundary 2210 or the outer boundary 2211. In one embodiment, if the sensor plate 2205 has a border portion adjacent to the border of group 2207, that portion includes the outer border 2211. In one embodiment, if the sensor plate 2205 has a portion of the boundary that is not adjacent to the boundary of group 2207, that portion includes the inner boundary 2210.

In an embodiment that senses the position of the difficult-to-see configuration 2003, a current source can be used to drive the sensor plate 2205, and the difficult-to-see configuration detector 2001 measures the time it takes for the sensor plate 2205 to reach the threshold voltage. , This gives the sensor reading. In another embodiment, a charge-sharing mechanism is used to obtain the sensor reading. In another embodiment, the radio frequency signal is placed on the sensor plate 2205 to obtain the sensor reading. In each of these embodiments, the signal is driven and sensed by the sensor plate 2205.

In certain embodiments, only one sensor plate 2205 can be driven at a time. In these embodiments, the single sensor plate 2205 can be isolated when creating the sensing field.

In one embodiment, the sensor plates 2205 of the group 2207 are all driven simultaneously by the same signal. In these embodiments, the sensor plate 2205 of the group 2207 can create a sensing field. In one embodiment, a large number of sensor plates 2205 can be driven simultaneously with the same signal, or only a single sensor plate 2205 can be sensed. Advantageously, by driving a large number of sensor plates 2205 at the same time, it is possible to create a field line that goes deeper in the difficult-to-see configuration than when driving only a single sensor plate 2205. Deeper field lines allow for deeper perception. In one embodiment, the sensor plate 2205 of the group 2207 and the active shielding plate 2623 can all be driven simultaneously with the same signal, creating a sensing field together.

Each sensor plate 2205 has a main sensing field zone. In one embodiment, the primary sensing field zone is the three-dimensional geometric volume of the sensing field, where the individual sensor plates 2205 can be more sensitive than the active shielding plate 2623 (if present) or any other sensor plate 2205. Related field line. In certain embodiments, it is desirable for each sensor plate 2205 to have a similar primary sensing field zone. In certain embodiments, it is desirable that each sensor plate 2205 has a geometrically similar major sensing field zone and a similar sensing field within each principal sensing field zone.

FIG. 22 shows group 2207 of eight sensor plates 2205. Each of the eight sensor plates 2205 has a triangular shape. Each triangular sensor plate 2205 has two portions, each with an inner boundary 2210. Each sensor plate 2205 also has one portion with an outer boundary 2211.

In certain embodiments, as shown in FIG. 22, group 2207 may include eight triangular sensor plates 2205, each having a similar geometry. Group 2207 of the sensor plate 2205 can be placed in a square area, the length of each side of the square area being about 3 inches (76.2 mm). In certain embodiments, each of the sensor plates 2205 may be in the shape of an isosceles triangle. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 22, the sensor plate 2205 can be arranged so that the hypotenuses of the two triangular sensor plates 2205 are adjacent to each other. In one embodiment, the two sensor plates 2205 with adjacent hypotenuses approach a square and may fit within one quadrant of group 2207 of the sensor plates 2205. In one embodiment, there can be two such triangles located in each quarter compartment, and as shown in FIG. 22, the entire group 2207 comprises eight sensor plates 2205. In some embodiments, the distance between adjacent sensor plates 2205 can be about 2.0 millimeters.

In FIG. 22, the eight sensor plates 2205 can create a sensing field as a whole. In certain embodiments, the active shielding plate 2623 can contribute to the sensing field. In the embodiment of FIG. 22, each sensor plate 2205 may have a similar main sensing field zone. In this embodiment, the radial symmetry of the sensor plates 2205 makes it possible to provide each sensor plate 2205 having a geometrically similar main sensing zone. Similarly, each sensor plate 2205 may also have a similar sensing field within its respective major sensing field zone. As a result, the impaired configuration detector 2001 assembled with the configuration of FIG. 22 can provide improved performance. The sensor reading for each of the sensor plates 2205 may have a similar increase in value as the impaired configuration detector 2001 moves from a thin surface to a thicker surface.

In certain embodiments, the serrated edge or border can have the same effective edge as a straight edge without a serrated shape. In certain embodiments, an edge with a very thin curve can have the same effective edge as a straight edge without a thin curve. In one embodiment, the sensor plate 2205 having a slot therein has the same effective geometry as the equivalent sensor plate 2205 which differs in that it does not have a slot. In certain embodiments, the sensor plate 2205 having a small hole therein may have the same effective geometry as an equivalent sensor plate 2205 having no hole. Many other geometries are possible that can be virtually equivalence to other substantially equivalent geometries. Many other edges are possible that can be virtually equivalent to other substantially equivalent edges. If a geometry or edge has virtually equivalent properties to another geometry or edge, the two can be considered similar.

In one embodiment, the group 2207 of the sensor plates 2205 is configured such that each sensor plate 2205 of the group 2207 has the same geometric shape. In one embodiment, each of the sensor plates 2205 of the group 2207 is radially symmetrical.

Multiple indicators 2006 can be toggled between the inactive state and the active state to indicate the position of the region of relatively high sensor reading within the sensing field. The activated indicator 2004 can indicate the position of the impaired vision configuration 2003. Proximity indicator 2039 can indicate that the impaired vision configuration detector 2001 can be near the impaired vision configuration 2003.

In FIG. 20-22, the indicator 2006 is located on the layer above the sensor plate 2205. In certain embodiments, an active shielding plate 2623 may be present between the sensor plate 2205 and the indicator 2006 so that the indicator 2006 does not interfere with the function of the sensor plate 2205. In certain embodiments, it is desirable to position the indicator 2006 on a layer above the sensor plate 2205 so that each of the sensor plates 2205 can have a distance similar to the distance from the sensor plate 2205 to the edge of the corresponding printed circuit board. There is.

In one embodiment, a layer of protective agent is placed at the bottom of the hard-to-see configuration detector 2001 so that there is a layer of protective agent between the surface 2002 and the hard-to-see configuration detector 2001. In one embodiment, the inside of the protective agent is substantially filled so as to substantially eliminate the protective agent cavity. In certain embodiments, the protective agent is different from felt, velcro, cloth or other materials with internal cavities. A layer of protective agent can help protect the bottom of the impaired configuration detector 2001 from damage from knocks, collisions and abrasion. Protective agents can be made from solid parts of materials such as plastics or other non-conductive solid materials. The solid layer of plastic may provide a low friction surface on which the impaired configuration detector 2001 can slide over the wall. Certain embodiments of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 2001 do not require sliding operation, but the low friction surface allows the user to choose to move the position by sliding the difficult-to-see configuration detector 2001. Can be beneficial.

A protective layer made of plastic can be installed by pressure sensitive adhesive, adhesive or other means. The layer of protective agent can be a complete layer covering the entire surface and the layer can be a rectangular strip, a round part or another layer of plastic having other geometric shapes.

Protective agents that are substantially filled to virtually eliminate cavities may generate less static charge than prior art solutions, favorably providing a more consistent sensor reading. Can be done.

In one embodiment, the protective layer is UHMW-PE (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene). Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene has a low coefficient of friction. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene can also cause an increase in immunity due to changes in humidity, and can increase immunity from changes in humidity, and hardly absorbs moisture.

FIG. 23 is a diagram of a circuit of the impaired vision configuration detector 2301 according to one embodiment. The circuit includes a multiplexer 2318, a power controller 2320, a display circuit 2325, a sensing circuit 2327, and a controller 2360.

The power controller 2320 may include a power supply 2322 and an on-off button 2324. The power supply 2322 may include an energy source for feeding the indicator 2306 and powering the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321 and the controller 2360. In certain embodiments, the power supply 2322 may include a DC battery supply. The on-off switch 2324 can be used to activate the controller 2360 and other components of the impaired configuration detector 2001. In certain embodiments, the on-off switch 2324 comprises a pushbutton mechanism that activates the components of the impaired detector 2001 for a selected time period. In one embodiment, the push button activates the component and continues to activate the component until the push button is released. In one embodiment, the on-off switch 2324 comprises a capacitance sensor capable of sensing the presence of a finger or thumb on the button. In certain embodiments, the on-off switch 2324 may include a toggle switch or other type of button or switch.

The display circuit 2325 may include one or more indicators 2306 that are electrically coupled to the controller 2360.

The sensing circuit 2327 may include a voltage regulator 2326 and a capacitance-to-digital converter 2321. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 23, the sensing circuit 2327 includes a plurality of sensors, a voltage regulator 2326 and a capacitance-to-digital converter 2321. The voltage regulator 2326 can be used to adjust the output of the power controller 2320 as desired. In one embodiment, the voltage regulator 2326 can be placed as close as possible to the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321 to provide the battery power supply 2322 to the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321. The sensing circuit 2327 can be electrically coupled to the controller 2360. One or more sensor plate traces 2335 or conductive paths on the printed circuit board can connect the individual sensor plates 2305 to the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321. The connection of the sensor plate 2305 to the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321 can be made via the multiplexer 2318. The multiplexer 2318 can individually connect the sensor plate 2305 to the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321.

In one embodiment, the multiplexer 2318 can connect a single sensor plate 2305 to the sensing circuit 2327. In certain embodiments, the multiplexer 2318 can connect two or more adjacent sensor plates 2305 to the sensing circuit 2327. In one embodiment, the multiplexer 2318 can connect two or more non-adjacent sensor plates 2305 to the sensing circuit 2327. In one embodiment, the multiplexer 2318 is configured such that the sensing circuit 2327 measures the capacitance of one sensor plate 2305. In one embodiment, the multiplexer 2318 is configured such that the sensing circuit 2327 measures the total capacitance of two or more sensor plates 2305.

The individual sensor plates 2305 of group 2307 can be independently connected to the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321 via a multiplexer 2318. In one embodiment, the group 2307 itself comprises a layer of copper on a printed circuit board.

In one embodiment, the two-layer printed circuit board is configured as a sensor board 2740 (see FIGS. 27 and 37). In one embodiment, the first layer of the sensor plate board 2740 comprises a sensor plate 2305 and the second layer of the sensor plate board 2740 comprises a shield. In one embodiment, the shield comprises a layer of copper covering the entire surface of the second layer of the printed circuit board. In one embodiment, the copper layer is covered with a non-conductive layer of solder mask. In some embodiments, there are holes in the layer of the solder mask. In one embodiment, the holes in the layer of the solder mask include solder pads suitable for forming solder joints.

In one embodiment, a four-layer printed circuit board is formed as an interconnect board suitable for connecting circuit components. In one embodiment, the interconnect board is configured with four layers of interconnects suitable for interconnecting the sensing circuit 2327, the controller 2360 and the display circuit 2325. In one embodiment, one side of the printed circuit board is configured to mount the components and the second side of the printed circuit board is configured with solder pads.

In one embodiment, the sensor plate 2305 is arranged on a first printed circuit board. In one embodiment, the interconnect circuit is located on a second printed circuit board. In one embodiment, the first printed circuit board is joined to the second printed circuit board.

In one embodiment, there is a solder pad on the sensor plate board 2740 that is complementary to the solder pad on the interconnect board. In one embodiment, the sensor board 2740 and the interconnect board 3751 can be stacked and joined together (see, eg, FIG. 37). In certain embodiments, the binder that joins the two printed circuit boards together may be solder. In one embodiment, two printed circuit boards can be joined together using solder paste. In one embodiment, two printed circuit boards can be joined together with solder, and the process of joining two printed circuit boards together can be a standard surface mounting technique (SMT) process. The standard surface mounting technique process may include placing the solder paste in the desired position using a stencil. The standard surface mount technology process may include stacking one printed circuit board. In certain embodiments, pins can be used to ensure proper alignment of the two printed circuit boards. In one embodiment, the final step in the surface mounting technology process can involve passing a reflow path through a laminated printed circuit board (eg, FIG. 37 is an interconnect laminated on top of a sensor board board 2740). Shows board 3751).

In one embodiment, the sensor plate 2305, shield and circuit are arranged on a single printed circuit board. In one embodiment, a 6-layer printed circuit board is used. In one embodiment, a bottom layer of six layers of printed circuit boards is configured with the sensor plate 2305. The fifth layer can be an active shield. The top four layers can connect the balance of the circuit.

In one embodiment, the sensor plate 2305, shield and circuit are arranged on a single printed circuit board. In one embodiment, a four-layer printed circuit board is used. The first layer and the second layer of the printed circuit board are configured together with the interconnection circuit. In one embodiment, a four-layer bottom layer consisting of a printed circuit board is configured with the sensor plate 2305. The third layer can be an active shield.

Printed circuit boards can be manufactured from a variety of suitable materials, such as the more advanced materials used in radio frequency circuits such as FR-4, FR-406, or Rogers 4003C. Rogers 4003C and other radio frequency class printed circuit boards can provide improved performance over a wider temperature and humidity range.

As used herein, the term "module" can describe a unit that can perform any given functionality according to one or more embodiments of the invention. Any form of hardware or software, such as one or more processors, controllers 2360, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), logic components, software routines or other mechanisms, or any of these. Modules can be implemented using combinations.

The various processes, also known as capacitance-to-digital conversion, that read the capacitance and convert it to a digital value are well described in the prior art. Many different methods are not described here and the reader refers to the prior art for details of the various capacitance-to-digital converter methods. One embodiment uses, for example, a Sigma Delta Capacitance-Digital Converter, which is incorporated into the AD7747 integrated circuit of Analog Devices, Inc. One embodiment uses a charge sharing method of capacitance-to-digital conversion.

In certain embodiments, the voltage regulator 2326 may comprise an ADP150-2.65 from Analog Devices or an NCP702 from ON Semiconductor, which has very low noise. In certain embodiments, the controller 2360 may include a C8051F317 from Silicon Laboratories or a number of other microcontrollers.

When the native sensor reading of the capacitance-to-digital converter 21 is used alone, the detection of the impaired configuration 2003 may require a high degree of accuracy, which is higher than the accuracy that the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321 can provide. May be requested. The native sensor reading is the raw value read from the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321 and the raw value is the digital output of the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321.

In one embodiment, a large number of native reads are performed and a large number of native read results are combined to produce a reading. In one embodiment, a large number of native reads are performed and a large number of native read results are combined using two or more native reads with different configurations to generate a reading. In one embodiment, native reads are performed multiple times and the results of multiple native reads are aggregated or averaged to generate a reading. In certain embodiments, this improves the signal-to-noise ratio. Each native read may involve a read of one sensor plate 2305. Native reads can also involve reads from multiple sensor plates 2305 if multiple sensor plates 2305 are multiplexed with respect to the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321. In one embodiment, a large number of native reads are combined to produce a reading.

Summing or averaging a large number of native reads can improve the signal-to-noise ratio, but may not reduce the non-linear effect of the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321. The ideal capacitance-to-digital converter 2321 is perfectly linear, meaning that its native sensor reading increases in direct proportion to the increase in perceived capacitance. However, many capacitance-to-digital converters 2321 are not perfectly linear and changes in input capacitance may not be exactly proportional to the increase in native reading. Although these non-linearities can be reduced, it is desirable to implement a method to reduce the non-linearity effect when a high degree of accuracy is desired.

In one embodiment, the adverse effects of non-linearity can be mitigated by summing up a large number of native reads with slightly different configurations for each of the native reads. In one embodiment, a native read is performed using two or more different configurations.

For example, the bias current is one of the parameters that can be changed to produce different configurations. The bias current can be set to standard, standard + 20%, standard + 35% or standard + 50%. Different bias currents produce different native sensor readings, even if all other factors remain constant. Since each native reading has a different value, it is likely that each native reading will be subject to different non-linearities. Perhaps instead of summing or multiplying, the non-linearities can be partially offset against each other by summing or averaging the sensor readings that receive different non-linearities.

In one embodiment, there are two separate and independent capacitance-to-digital converters 2321. In certain embodiments, each capacitance-to-digital converter 2321 may have different non-linearities. Any single one by utilizing both capacitance-digital converters 2321 and using the first converter for some of the reads and the second converter for some of the reads. The non-linearity effect can be reduced.

In one embodiment, native reading is performed on each sensor plate 2305 with 12 different configurations.

After completing the sensor readings, in one embodiment, two different calibration algorithms can be performed, the first is the individual plate calibration which adjusts for the variation of the individual sensor plates 2305, and the second is the surface density / thickness. It is a surface material calibration that adjusts the sensor reading to harmonize with the sword. Other embodiments can use only one of these two calibration algorithms. In some embodiments, other calibration algorithms can be used. In one embodiment, the calibration module implements the calibration algorithm.

In some embodiments, individual plate calibration is used first. Individual plate calibration allows each sensor plate 2305 to have individual and unique calibration values. In one embodiment, after the sensor readings are obtained, the calibration values of the individual plates are added or subtracted for each of the sensor readings. In other embodiments, individual plate calibration can be performed using multiplication, division, or other mathematical functions. In one embodiment, the calibration values of the individual plates are stored in the non-volatile memory. Individual plate calibration compensates for the irregularities of the individual sensor plates 2305, and individual plate calibration is used to compensate for these irregularities. In one embodiment, after performing the individual plate calibration, the sensor reading of the sensor plate is acquired while the impaired configuration detector 2001 is present on it on a surface similar to the surface 2002 that calibrates the impaired configuration detector 2301. If so (see FIG. 22), the sensor readings are likely to have the same calibration value. For example, there is no blind configuration 2003, sensor readings are performed on a 1/2 inch (1/2 ") seat lock 2002, and individual calibration values are given to the 1/2 inch seat lock 2002. If you produce, it is believed that after performing individual plate calibration, all of the sensor readings can be corrected to a common value. The sensor reading can be made of thicker material (eg 5/8 inch (5/8 "). When performed on a thinner material (eg, a 3/4 inch (3/8 ") seat lock 2002), or when performed on a different material (eg, 3/4 inch (3/4"). ) Plywood), there may be some error in the values. The surface material composition can help correct this error.

In certain embodiments, a surface material configuration can be used.

In one embodiment, after calibrating the sensor readings on the sensor plate, the impaired vision configuration detector 2301 determines if the impaired vision configuration 2003 is present. In one embodiment, the lowest sensor board reading is subtracted from the highest sensor board reading. When this difference is larger than the threshold value, it is determined that the difficult-to-see configuration 2003 exists.

If it is determined that the blind configuration 2003 is absent, all indicators 2306 can be inactivated. If a hard-to-see configuration 2003 is present, the hard-to-see configuration detector 2301 initiates the process of determining the position and width of the hard-to-see configuration 2003.

In certain embodiments, pattern matching can be used to determine which light emitting diode to activate. In one embodiment, a pattern matching module is used to determine the position of the impaired vision configuration 2003. The pattern matching module compares the calibrated and scaled sensor readings from the sensor plate 2305 with some predetermined pattern. The pattern matching module determines which of the given patterns best matches the sensor reading. The set of indicators 2306 corresponding to the best matching pattern is then activated. Additional details regarding pattern matching are discussed in the prior art, such as US Pat. No. 8,884,633. The details are not repeated here and instead the reader is encouraged to refer directly to the details.

In one embodiment, the impaired configuration detector 2301 comprises a single capacitance-to-digital converter 2321. In one embodiment, the sensor plate 2305 can be individually connected to the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321. In one embodiment, the sensor plate 2305 can be individually connected to the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321 via a multiplexer 2318. In one embodiment, two or more sensor plates 2305 can be connected to the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321 at one time. In one embodiment, a large number of adjacent sensor plates 2305 can be electrically connected to the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321. In one embodiment, a large number of non-adjacent sensor plates 2305 can be connected to the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321. Since the sensor reading from each sensor plate 2305 is equally affected by fluctuations to the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321, a multiplexer 2318 is used to connect the sensor plate 2305 to a single capacitance-to-digital converter 2321. By doing so, the consistency of the sensor reading of the sensor plate 2305 can be improved. Factors that can affect the sensor reading from the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321 can include, but are not limited to, process fluctuations, temperature fluctuations, voltage fluctuations, electrical noise and aging.

In one embodiment, the sensor plate trace 2335 is routed so that each of the plurality of sensor plate traces 2335 has substantially the same capacitance, resistance, and inductance. In certain embodiments, it is desirable that each sensor plate trace 2335 has the same electrical properties and each sensor plate 2305 be able to respond equally to the same detection.

In one embodiment, the respective sensor plate traces 2335 from the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321 to the respective sensor plates 2305 are substantially the same length (see FIG. 25). In one embodiment, two or more of the sensor plate traces 2335, from the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321 to the sensor plate 2305, are substantially the same length. In certain embodiments, sensor plate traces 2335 with substantially the same length may have more equivalent capacitance, inductance and resistance. Equal length sensor plate traces 2335 can improve the uniformity of sensor readings, the sensor plate 2305 can respond more equally to the same detection, and provide higher immunity from environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity. Therefore, higher performance can be provided.

In certain embodiments, each sensor plate trace 2335, including the conductive path, has substantially the same width. In certain embodiments, both the width and length of each of the sensor plate traces 2335 are substantially equivalent. In certain embodiments, the sensor plate trace 2335 may have multiple portions. For example, the first part of the trace may route the sensor plate trace 2335 from the capacitance-digital converter 2321 to the via. Vias can cause the sensor plate trace 2335 to reach various layers of the printed circuit board where the second portion of the sensor plate trace 2335 may be present. In certain embodiments, all sensor plate traces 2335 may have the same length and width at each portion as the other traces at that portion. In certain embodiments, two or more of the sensor plate traces 2335 may have the same width throughout the first portion. In certain embodiments, two or more of the sensor plate traces 2335 may have the same width throughout the second portion. In certain embodiments, two or more of the sensor plate traces 2335 may have the same length throughout the first portion. In certain embodiments, two or more of the sensor plate traces 2335 may have the same length throughout the second portion.

In certain embodiments, the sensor plate trace 2335 may have multiple portions. In one embodiment, the portion of the sensor plate trace 2335 may be a wire bond that resides within the package of the integrated circuit and defines the signal path from the silicon component to the pins of the integrated circuit package. In certain embodiments, the portion of the sensor plate trace 2335 may include a layer of copper on top of the first layer of the printed circuit board. In certain embodiments, the portion of the sensor plate trace 2335 may include a layer of copper on top of a second layer of printed circuit board.

In one embodiment, the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321 can read the total capacitance of the sensor plate 2305 and the sensor plate trace 2335. In some embodiments, it may be desirable to detect only the sensor reading on the sensor plate 2305 and not the sensor plate trace 2335. However, since the sensor plate 2305 and the sensor plate trace 2335 are electrically coupled, a means for ensuring a stable and uniform capacitance on the sensor plate trace 2335 may be desired. For example, it may be desirable to configure the sensor plate trace 2335 so that the capacitance of the sensor plate trace 2335 is uniform and stable. Therefore, it may be preferable to configure the sensor plate trace 2335 so that the sensor plate trace 2335 does not change. In certain embodiments, it may be preferred that the sensor plate traces 2335 do not change with each other and any change in capacitance on a sensor plate trace 2335 is reflected in each of the sensor plate traces 2335.

In certain embodiments, it may be advantageous to shield the sensor plate trace 2335. By shielding the sensor plate trace, the sensor plate trace 2335 can be protected from an external electromagnetic field. Also in one embodiment, the sensor plate trace 2335 is shielded to help ensure that each of the sensor plate traces 2335 has a similar environment to each of the other sensor plate traces 2335. A more consistent environment can be favorably provided to the 2335.

In one embodiment, the respective sensor plate traces 2335 from the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321 to the respective sensor plates 2305 are in substantially the same environment. In one embodiment, the paths of the multiple sensor plate traces 2335 are well separated to minimize capacitive coupling and inductive coupling between the multiple sensor plate traces 2335, with each sensor plate trace 2335 being the other sensor plate trace 2335. The sensor plate trace 2335 can improve consistency because it may have a more similar environment. In certain embodiments, one or both sides of each sensor plate trace 2335 is shielded by an active occlusion trace (see, eg, FIG. 25).

In certain embodiments, the user 2329 may be electrically coupled to the sensing circuit 2327. In one embodiment, the quality of the sensor reading is improved when the conductive points of the sensing circuit 2327 are coupled to the user 2329. By electrically coupling the user 2329 to the sensing circuit 2327, the sensing circuit 2327 can be provided with an unchanged voltage level, which can result in higher sensitivity and higher quality sensor reading. For example, the prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector that drives the sensor plate 2305 at 3.0 V may actually only drive the sensor plate 2305 with a signal that is 3.0 V with respect to the ground. However, when the ground is floating, driving the sensor plate 2305 at 3.0V can bring a signal of 1.5V on the sensor plate 2305 and bring a signal of -1.5V on the ground. be able to.

In certain embodiments, the user 2329 can be electrically coupled to the sensing circuit 2327 to result in a higher absolute voltage amplitude on the sensor plate 2305. Part of this reason may be that the sensing circuit 2327 is maintained at a stable level. Also in certain embodiments, the user 2329 can be electrically coupled to the sensing circuit 2327 to provide a more consistent sensor reading.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 23, the user 2329 is electrically coupled to the ground of the sensing circuit 2327. In one embodiment, the user 2329 is electrically coupled to the voltage source of the sensing circuit 2327. In one embodiment, the user 2329 is electrically coupled to different conductive points of the sensing circuit 2327.

In certain embodiments, the hand of the user 2329 may be electrically coupled to the sensing circuit 2327 by making direct contact with the sensing circuit 2327. In certain embodiments, the conductive material, such as a wire, can electrically couple the user 2329's hand to the sensing circuit 2327. In certain embodiments, the buttons that the user 2329 may need to touch to activate the impaired configuration detector 2301 may include a conductive material that may be electrically coupled to the sensing circuit 2327. In certain embodiments, the button may include other conductive material such as aluminum or tin plated steel. In one embodiment, the aluminum button can be anodized, which can provide a pleasing cosmetic.

In certain embodiments, the housing 2019 of the impaired vision detector 2301 (see FIG. 21) may include a conductive material such as a conductive plastic. In certain embodiments, only part of the housing 2019 may contain conductive plastic. The conductive housing or part of the conductive housing can be coupled to the conductive points of the sensing circuit 2327, whereby the user 2329 can be coupled to the sensing circuit 2327.

In certain embodiments, carbon black can be mixed with a plastic resin to provide conductivity. When carbon black is mixed in the plastic resin, many thermoplastics, including polypropylene and polyethylene, become conductive. In certain embodiments, the conductivity increases as the concentration of carbon black increases, and the conductivity of the plastic can be advantageously controlled. In certain embodiments, the plastic having a conductivity of less than 25,000 Ω cm is high enough to effectively couple the user 2329 to the sensing circuit 2327. In certain embodiments, a high degree of conductivity may be desired. In certain embodiments, a lower degree of conductivity may be desired. In certain embodiments, it is advantageous for the user 2329 to be coupled to the sensing circuit by a path of less than about 50 MΩ.

In one prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector, the sensor reading may change due to changes in the position of the user's hand 2329. This can happen with some prior art impaired configuration detectors because the hand forms part of the path between the sensor plate 2305 and the ground. As a result, the sensor reading of the sensor plate 2305 may change due to the change in the position of the hand. This can adversely reduce the accuracy of the sensor reading.

If the size and position of the user 2329's hand can be made immutable, calibration adjustments can be made to mathematically remove the influence of the user's hand from the raw sensor reading. However, this may not be feasible in practice. In practice, the size, shape and position of the hands of the various users 2329 may be too different to make calibration adjustments practically possible.

In order to improve the performance in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, in one embodiment, the conductive hand guard may be placed between the hand of the user 2329 and the sensor plate 2305. In certain embodiments, the hand guard can be grounded to the sensing circuit 2327, as shown in FIG.

FIG. 24 is a diagram of a controller 2360 according to one embodiment. Controller 2360 includes processor 2461, clock 2462, random access memory (RAM) 2464, non-volatile memory 2465 and / or other computer readable media. Non-volatile memory 2465 may include program 2466 (eg, in the form of program code or computer-readable instructions for performing work) and calibration table 2468. During work, the controller 2360 can receive the program 2466 and synchronize the functions of the capacitance-to-digital converter 2321 and the display circuit 2325 (see FIG. 23). The non-volatile memory 2465 receives and stores the program 2466, the look-up table, and the calibration table 2468. Program 2466 may include a number of suitable algorithms such as initialization algorithms, calibration algorithms, pattern matching algorithms, multiplexing algorithms, display management algorithms, active sensor activation algorithms and inactive sensor management algorithms.

FIG. 25 shows the routing of the sensor plate trace 2535 of the impaired vision configuration detector according to one embodiment. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 25, each of the sensor plate traces 2535 has substantially similar trace lengths, and the sensor plate trace 2535 is surrounded by an active shielding trace 2536. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 25, one or both sides of each of the sensor plate traces 2535 are shielded by the active shielding trace 2536. In one embodiment, the path of the active shielding trace 2536 is defined so that the distance from the sensor plate trace 2535 is constant on both sides of each sensor plate trace 2535. In one embodiment, the active shielding trace 2536 is substantially parallel to the sensor plate trace 2535. In certain embodiments, the active shielding trace 2536 is positioned such that the active shielding trace 2536 protects the sensor plate trace 2535 from external electromagnetic fields. In one embodiment, for each sensor plate trace 2535 and its corresponding active shielding trace 2536, the capacitance between each sensor plate trace 2535 and each corresponding active shielding trace 2536 is substantially the same. The sensor plate trace 2535 and the active shielding trace 2536 are positioned. In one embodiment, two active shield traces 2536 are associated with the sensor plate trace 2535, and one active shield trace 2536 is positioned on each side of the sensor plate trace 2535. In certain embodiments, the sensor plate trace 2535 and the active shielding trace 2536 are positioned such that there is a constant distance between the sensor plate trace 2535 and the corresponding active shielding trace 2536 along these lengths. In certain embodiments, each active shielding trace 2536 is positioned a certain distance from the corresponding sensor plate trace 2535. In certain embodiments, a portion of each sensor plate trace 2535 and a portion of each active shielding trace 2536 comprises a copper trace on a printed circuit board. In one embodiment, both the sensor plate trace 2535 and the active shielding trace 2536 are placed on the same layer of printed circuit board. In one embodiment, the active shielding trace 2536 is driven at a fixed voltage level. In one embodiment, the active shielding trace 2536 is driven at a voltage similar to the drive voltage for the sensor plate trace 2535.

In certain embodiments, the path of the active shielding trace 2536 may be routed along the length of the sensor plate trace 2535 as long as possible, at a distance of about 0.6 millimeters from each sensor plate trace 2535. In one embodiment, the width of the sensor plate trace 2535 is about 0.15 millimeters throughout the sensor plate trace 2535.

In one embodiment, the shield is configured such that a shielding layer is present above each sensor plate trace 2535 and below each sensor plate trace 2535. The shielding layer of one embodiment is a layer of copper present on a layer adjacent to the printed circuit board. As a result, the sensor plate trace 2535 can be shielded by the layer above the sensor plate trace 2535 described above, the layer below the sensor plate trace 2535 described above, and the layers on both sides of the sensor plate trace 2535. In one embodiment, the occlusion on the sensor plate trace 2535, the occlusion under the sensor plate trace 2535, and the occlusion at both layers of the sensor plate trace 2535 are all electrically coupled to each other.

In one embodiment, the shield is an active shield. The active shield is a shield driven at the same potential as the sensor plate to be sensed. In certain embodiments, the voltage wave driven on the sensor plate 2505 and the shield can have a triangular shape. In certain embodiments, the voltage wave driven on the sensor plate 2505 and the shield can have a sinusoidal shape. In certain embodiments, the voltage waves driven on the sensor plate 2505 and the shield can have different wave shapes.

Currently available impaired configuration detectors may include a sensor plate trace that connects the sensing circuit to the sensor plate. Some currently available impaired configuration detectors do not use a shield that protects the sensor plate trace from interference. These detectors may be configured to keep potential interference at a safe distance from the sensor plate trace.

Other currently available impaired configuration detectors may have a shield capable of protecting the sensor plate trace for a portion of the length of the sensor plate trace. Some currently available impaired configuration detectors can protect up to 82% of the length of the sensor plate trace. An example of a currently available impaired configuration detector for shielding is shown in FIG. In the currently available impaired configuration detectors that provide shielding, the ground layer of the printed circuit board layer below the sensor board trace and the portion of the sensor board trace that resides on the top layer of the printed circuit board are the printed circuit board. The trace can be routed so that there is a portion of the sensor plate trace that exists in the lower layer and a via that connects to it. Regarding the portion of the sensor plate trace existing on the lower layer of the printed circuit board, the first active shielding surface existing on the upper layer of the sensor plate trace of the printed circuit board and the lower layer of the sensor plate trace of the printed circuit board are present. There is a second active shielding surface to be used. The first active shield surface, the second active shield surface and the shield trace are all combined together and driven as an active shield. The active shield may contain up to 82% of the length of the sensor plate trace.

In these currently available impaired configuration detectors, the material between the trace and the ground layer can absorb moisture. The material present under one trace may absorb more moisture than the material present under another trace. As a result, exposure to moisture can change the relative sensor reading of the sensor plate trace. In other words, when exposed to moisture, the humidity can cause one sensor reading to vary more than the sensor readings of other sensor plates. Moisture absorption changes between the trace and the ground are not necessary, not due to the presence of a blinding composition.

The present disclosure provides an improved impaired configuration detector with a shield capable of protecting the sensor plate trace by more than 82% of the length of the sensor plate trace.

FIG. 25 also shows an improved method that can route the sensor plate trace 2535 and provide better performance. In FIG. 25, there is a very short sensor plate trace 2535 connecting the sensing circuit 2527 to the via 2534. The length of this sensor plate trace 2535 can be only 1 mm or 2 mm. The length of this sensor plate trace 2535 is shortened as short as possible. The via 2534 connects the portion of the sensor plate trace 2535 existing on the uppermost layer of the printed circuit board to the portion of the sensor plate trace 2535 existing on the lower layer of the printed circuit board. With respect to the portion of the sensor plate trace 2535 existing on the lower layer of the printed circuit board, the first active shielding surface 2537 existing in the layer above the sensor plate trace 2535 of the printed circuit board and below the sensor plate trace 2535 of the printed circuit board. There is a second active shielding surface 2538 present in the layer of. The first active shield surface 2537, the second active shield surface 2538 and the shield trace are all coupled together and all driven as an active shield.

When both the sensor plate trace 2535 and the active shielding trace 2536 are driven by the same signal, the sensor plate trace 2535 and the active shielding trace 2536 have the same potential, and the static between the sensor plate trace 2535 and the active shielding trace 2536 is static. Capacitance may not be important. As a result, when the printed circuit board absorbs moisture and the dielectric constant of the printed circuit board changes, the change in the dielectric constant of the printed circuit board can have no effect on the sensor reading. The change in capacitance between the sensor plate trace 2535 and the active shield (eg, the active shield trace 2536) does not affect the sensor reading. As a result, the sensor plate trace 2535 may be able to maintain the calibration value better, and the impaired configuration detector may be able to better determine the position of the impaired configuration.

FIG. 26 is a diagram of the sensor plate configuration of the difficult-to-see configuration detector according to one embodiment. In this illustrated embodiment, each of the 11 different sensor plates 2605 has a similar primary sensing field zone. FIG. 26 shows a sensor plate group 2607 including 11 sensor plates 2605 and an active shielding plate 2623. In this embodiment, the group 2607 of the 11 sensor plates 2605 exists on the bottom layer (for example, the fourth layer) of the printed circuit board. In this embodiment, the active shielding plate 2623 covers the entire third layer of the printed circuit board. In certain embodiments, one sensor plate 2605 can be sensed at a time. In one embodiment, when one sensor plate 2605 is sensed, all sensor plates 2605 including the active shielding plate 2623 are driven by the same signal as the sensed sensor plate 2605. When driving together Group 2607 with active shielding plate 2623, the field line can be pushed deeper into the perceived surface than could be possible if driving only a single sensor plate 2605. can. In certain embodiments, this allows the field line from the single sensor plate 2605 to penetrate deeper and the single sensor plate 2605 to sense deeper than if the single sensor plate 2605 were driven alone. ..

In the embodiment of FIG. 26, when both the group 2607 and the active shield plate 2623 are driven by the same signal, the combination of the group 2607 and the active shield plate 2623 can generate a sensing field. In this embodiment, the similarity of the configurations of each of the 11 sensor plates 2605 can provide each sensor plate 2605 with a geometrically similar main sensing zone. Similarly, each sensor plate 2605 may also have a similar sensing field within its respective major sensing field zone.

The configuration of the sensor plate 2605 and the active shield plate 2623 in FIG. 26 helps to provide a similar main electric field zone for each of the sensor plates 2605. Each of the 11 sensor plates 2605 has a similar outer boundary 2611. Also, each of the 11 sensor plates 2605 has a similar area and a similar inner boundary 2610. Each of the 11 sensor plates 2605 also has a similar electrical environment. Each sensor plate 2605 is surrounded on both sides by another sensor plate 2605 or an active shielding plate 2623. Both the active shield plate 2623 and the adjacent sensor plate 2605 can be driven in the same manner, so that the active shield plate 2623 and the adjacent sensor plate 2605 can each provide an equivalent electrical environment. As a result, each of the 11 sensor plates 2605 in FIG. 26 may have a geometrically similar major sensing field zone.

The shapes of the sensor plates 2605 of 11 in FIG. 26 are not the same. It may be ideal to have the 11 sensor plates 2605 identical, but on 4 of the 11 sensors 2605 (2 sensor plates 2605 on each side) so that more similar major sensing field zones can be obtained. Make adjustments to it. In this embodiment, achieving a more equivalent primary sensing field zone may be preferable to having the same sensor plate geometry. Nevertheless, all of the 11 sensor plates 2605 may have substantially the same area, the same outer boundary 2611, a similar inner boundary 2610 configuration and a similar electrical environment. The configuration with these similarities may provide each sensor plate 2605 with an equivalent primary sensing field zone.

In certain embodiments, it may be beneficial to have a similar electrical environment that extends beyond the inner boundary 2610 of the sensor plate 2605 for 1 to 1.5 times the desired sensing depth. For example, if a sensing depth of 1 inch (25.4 mm) is desired, then around each sensor plate 2605, a similar electrical crossing the inner boundary 2610 of each sensor plate 2605 by 1 inch to 1.5 inches. Having an environment can be beneficial.

FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view of a hard-to-see configuration detector including a housing 2719, including a light pipe 2708 and a button 2724 and a printed circuit board 2740 according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 27, the housing 2719 comprises an upper housing, an on-off switch 2724, a handle 2714, a plurality of light pipes 2708, and a power compartment. In certain embodiments, the conforming core (see conforming core device 3449 in FIG. 34) may be configured to elastically couple the housing 2719 to the sensor plate board 2740. In one embodiment, the sensor board 2740 is a multilayer printed circuit board having a top layer 2744, a second layer 2743, a third layer 2742 and a bottom layer 2741. In one embodiment, as described above with reference to FIG. 23, the sensor board 2740 is a multilayer printed circuit board that combines the capacitance-digital converter 2321, the display unit 2325, and the controller 2360. In one embodiment, the housing 2719 comprises plastic. In one embodiment, the housing 2719 comprises ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic. In one embodiment, the conductive hand guard 2756 shields the user's hand from the sensor board 2740. In one embodiment, the hand guard 2756 is connected to the ground of the sensing circuit.

In certain embodiments, the handle 2714 comprises a gripping surface. In certain embodiments, a portion of the gripping surface comprises an elastomer that makes it easier to grip the handle 2714. The handle 2714 is preferably positioned so as not to hide the view of the indicator 2706 when the user's hand is gripping the handle 2714. In certain embodiments, the power compartment comprises a cavity for holding a suitable power source, such as a battery, and a battery cover for accessing the compartment.

In certain embodiments, the hand guard 2756 may be configured so that there is no large linear path between the sensor plate and the user's hand. In certain embodiments, the housing 2719 may be constructed of a conductive material that may include a hand guard 2756. In certain embodiments, the conductive layer of the material of the hand guard 2756 can be a layer of conductive plastic. In certain embodiments, the conductive layer of the material of the hand guard 2756 can be a layer of a different conductive material such as conductive paint. In certain embodiments, the conductive layer of the material of the hand guard 2756 can be a sheet of metal hidden within the housing 2719. In certain embodiments, the hand guard 2756 may include tin-plated steel that may provide a rapid, easy and reliable solder joint. In certain embodiments, the entire layer of the printed circuit board may include a hand guard 2756. In some embodiments, only a portion of the layer of the printed circuit board may include the hand guard 2756, as it may not be necessary to include the entire layer for the hand guard 2756. For example, the ring around the outside of the printed circuit board can be an effective hand guard 2756.

In certain embodiments, the hand guard 2756 is configured to minimize the effects of hand size and position. In some embodiments, the handguard 2756 is positioned such that the handguard 2756 is close to the hand, because in some embodiments the handguard 2756 may be most effective when the handguard 2756 is closest to the hand. In certain embodiments, the hand guard 2756 may be electrically coupled to the ground of the sensing circuit 2327 (see FIG. 23). In certain embodiments, the hand guard 2756 may be coupled to the potential of the sensing circuit 2327. In certain embodiments, different conductive points of the sensing circuit 2327 may be electrically coupled to the hand guard 2756. In one embodiment, the wire comprises an electric line between the hand guard 2756 and the sensing circuit 2327.

FIG. 28 shows a sensor plate group 2801 with four sensor plates 2805. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 28, the sensor plate group 2801 may include four similar sensor plates 2805. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 28, each triangular sensor plate 2805 has two sides, each forming an inner boundary 2810, and one side forming an outer boundary 2811. In FIG. 28, each of the four sensor plates 2805 is symmetrical in the radial direction. From these four sensor plates 2805, three different sensing zones can occur. For example, three different readings may appear if the bow is placed at any position perpendicular to the sensor plate 2805. Each reading is a reading for one of the three sensing zones. The first zone may correspond to the sensor plate on the left side. The second zone may correspond to the top and bottom sensor plates (eg, it can be understood that the top and bottom sensor plates will each have the same reading because they can sense the same part of the vertical ridge). The third zone may correspond to the right sensor plate. Relative readings for each of the three zones could be used to determine the location of the vertical ridge.

FIG. 29 shows a sensor plate group 2901 with six sensor plates 2905. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 29, the sensor plate group 2901 may include six similar sensor plates 2805. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 29, each sensor plate 2905 is triangular and has two linear side surfaces each forming an inner boundary 2910 and one linear side surface forming an outer boundary 2911. In certain embodiments, each sensor plate 2905 has substantially the same area.

FIG. 30-32 is a diagram of a prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector. Prior art hard-to-see configuration detectors generally have the same set of sensor plates 3005 linearly arranged, as shown, for example, in FIGS. 30, 31, 32 and 33. FIG. 30 is a prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector 3001 located on a relatively thinner surface 3012. FIG. 31 is a prior art hard-to-see configuration detector 3001 located on a relatively thicker surface 3113. FIG. 32 shows a side view of the prior art hard-to-see configuration detector 3001 showing the main sensing field zones 3215, 3216, 3217 for some sensor plates 3005, including the sensor plates A, B, C, D, E. show. FIG. 33 shows a front view of the bottom surface of the prior art hard-to-see configuration detector 3001 and shows the main sensing field zones 3215, 3216, 3217 for the sensor plates A, B, C, D, E.

Overall and collectively with reference to FIGS. 30-33, each sensor plate 3005 performs sensor readings on a surface and detects a difficult-to-see configuration behind the surface. Then the sensor readings are compared. It is determined that the sensor plate 3005 having the highest reading is present at the position of the difficult-to-see configuration. However, as shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, the sensor plate 3005 located near the end of the group does not respond to the difficult-to-see configuration in the same manner as the sensor plate 3005 located near the center. There is. This problem is particularly apparent when the prior art impaired configuration detector 3001 moves from a thinner surface to a thinner surface or a less dense surface 3012 to a thicker surface or a denser surface 3113. May become.

FIG. 30 represents a typical sensor reading of the prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector 3001 placed on a relatively thin surface 3012. The relatively thin surface 3012 can be a seat lock with a thickness of 0.375 inches (9.525 mm). FIG. 31 represents a typical sensor reading of the prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector 3001 placed on a relatively thick surface 3113. The relatively thick surface 3113 can be a seat lock with a thickness of 0.625 inches (15.875 mm).

In FIG. 30, the prior art hard-to-see configuration detector 3001 is placed on a relatively thin surface 3012. Each sensor plate 3005 may have a calibration adjustment to have a reading (eg 100) to be calibrated. If this same prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector 3001 is then moved to another thicker surface 3113 or a surface with a higher dielectric constant, the sensor reading will change. The figure of the same prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector 3001 present on the thicker surface 3113 is shown in FIG. Ideally, in the absence of a blinding configuration, the plurality of sensor plates 3005 are all on the same thicker surface 3113, so that each of the sensor plates 3005 on the thicker surface 3113 has similar sensor readings to each other. Will have. However, it can be observed that the sensor reading of the sensor plate 3005 near the edges produces a higher reading than the sensor plate 3005 near the center. In FIG. 31, it can be seen that the sensor plate 3005 near the center has a sensor reading of 200, while the sensor plate 3005 at the ends has a sensor reading of 250.

In the prior art impaired configuration detector 3001 of FIG. 31 and other prior art impaired configuration detectors, the sensor plate 3005 present at the ends creates an electric field 3009 extending above the edge of the group of sensor plates 3005. Sometimes isolated. As a result, the sensor plate 3005 near the end may respond with a more disproportionately higher reading when placed on the thicker surface 3113. The controller 2360 determines whether the elevated sensor reading is due to the presence of the impaired vision configuration or due to the prior art impaired configuration detector 3001 being placed on the thicker surface 3113. It can be difficult to navigate disadvantageously. The disclosed embodiments can address these and other challenges.

FIG. 32 shows the field lines for the prior art difficult-to-see configuration detector 3001 of FIGS. 30 and 31. FIG. 32 represents a group of sensor plates 3005 and also represents a two-dimensional representation of the field line for each sensor plate 3005. Field lines are for illustration purposes and represent practical sensing fields. The field line drawn is an equipotential electric field line. However, this figure does not limit the scope of this disclosure to just this type of field. A vector electric or magnetic field line can be illustrated, and the vector electric or magnetic field line is within the scope of the present disclosure. The sensing field can be an electric field or a magnetic field or an electromagnetic field that is a combination of an electric field and a magnetic field.

In FIG. 32, there are 13 sensor plates 3005. While all of the sensor plates 3005 can be driven simultaneously by the same signal, one sensor plate 3005 is sensed at a time. Since the sensor plates 3005 are simultaneously driven by the same signal, the sensing field is defined by the fields created by the group of sensor plates 3005, as shown in FIG. The active shielding plane is not shown, but in certain embodiments the active shielding can contribute to the sensing field. The five sensor plates 3005 are called A, B, C, D, and E. The field line emitted from the sensor plate E is originally parallel to the sensor plate E. However, the field line emanating from the sensor plate A is not very parallel to the sensor plate A. Since these field lines do not have similar directions and intensities at each point in the main sensing field zone, the sensor plates A and E do not have similar sensing fields within these main sensing field zones.

On the other hand, since the volume of the sensing field that can be effectively sensed by the sensor plate D and the sensor plate E and the sensing field in the main sensing field zone are similar, the sensor plate D and the sensor plate E have similar main sensing field zones. Have. If the direction of the sensing field and the intensity of the sensing field are similar at each point in the main sensing field zone, then the sensing fields in the main sensing field zone are similar.

FIG. 33 shows the same concept from different angles or perspectives. In FIG. 33, the five sensor plates 3005 are again referred to as A, B, C, D, E. Emphasize the approximate main sensing field zone for each of the sensor plates 3005. On the two-dimensional diagram of FIG. 33, the main sensing field zone 3215 for the sensor plate A is shown by the drawing of the sensing field line for the sensor plate A. On the two-dimensional diagram of FIG. 33, the main sensing field zone 3216 for the sensor plate B is shown by the drawing of the sensing field line for the sensor plate B. On the two-dimensional diagram of FIG. 33, the main sensing field zone 3217 for the sensor plate C is shown by the drawing of the sensing field line for the sensor plate C.

32 and 33 show the main sensing field zones in two dimensions. However, in practice, there may be a three-dimensional major sensing field zone. For each sensor plate 3005, there may be a three-dimensional zone containing a principal sensing field zone for each given sensor plate 3005. In contrast to the prior art embodiments of FIGS. 32 and 33, in certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the sensor plate 3005 may have an equivalent primary sensing field zone. Each sensor plate 3005 in the group having an equivalent primary sensing field zone responds equally to surface changes. The present disclosure shows several configurations in which each sensor plate 3005 in the group may have an equivalent primary sensing field zone. In certain embodiments, each sensor plate 3005 with a similar primary sensing field zone can have similar sensor reading changes in response to changes in the detected surface. In one embodiment, in the group of sensor plates 3005, the sensor plates 3005 are each radially symmetrical.

FIG. 34 is a side view of the chassis of the conforming core device 3449 of the surface conforming difficult vision configuration detector according to one embodiment. FIG. 35 is a perspective view of the chassis of the conforming core device 3449 of FIG.

The present disclosure provides various embodiments of a surface-matched difficult-to-see configuration detector. Because conventional detectors have a sensor plate 2205 that is tightly connected together, so that the dimensions of the impaired configuration detector generally function on curved surfaces that are typical of many building surfaces. In addition, it remains relatively small. The surface-fitting impaired configuration detector disclosed herein can be a larger configuration detector that can adapt to surface contours, minimize air gaps, and provide various performance improvements. The improvements described in the present disclosure can be applied to both relatively small conventional detectors and larger configuration detectors.

In certain embodiments, the impaired configuration detector has one or more flexible printed circuit boards (such as a sensor board board 2740) capable of adapting to the contours of the surface to be detected by bending. The flexible printed circuit board comprises a flexible substrate. Other flexible substrates may also be used, which may be made of wood, paper, plastic or other flexible material. Rigid flexible printed circuit boards can also be used.

One or more printed circuit boards in the housing 2019, flexible media (bubble rubber, springs, gels, hinges, concentrics, fluids such as encapsulated air, or other suitable compressible or flexible It can be connected flexibly using a medium, etc.). In certain embodiments, the housing 2019 can be flexible. In certain embodiments, the housing 2019 is partially flexible. In certain embodiments, the housing 2019 has a plastic leaf spring that is integrated, or another type of spring or configuration that provides flexibility. In one embodiment of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 2001, the sensor plate 2205 can be mounted on the printed circuit board, and the printed circuit board is mounted on the outside of the housing 2019. In one embodiment, the printed circuit board is connected to the housing 2019 via a bubble rubber ring. In one embodiment, the bubble rubber ring is formed in the shape of an approximately ring that is about 7 mm thick and about 6 mm wide along the long sides and about 5 mm thick along the short sides. Approximately follows the perimeter of housing 2019. A bubble rubber ring can be adhered to the housing 2019 and the printed circuit board using a durable adhesive such as a pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive.

In one embodiment, the bubble rubber ring is compressible and the printed circuit board is flexible, which allows the impaired configuration detector 2001 to follow the curvature and unevenness of the surface 2002 to be pressed against. can. Various flexible and / or compressible materials may be suitable for flexible media. Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) bubble rubber, which is evaluated to be compressed by 25% under a pressure of 1.5 pounds per square inch (about 10342.14 Pa), can be used. Other types of foam rubber such as polyurethane foam or silicone rubber foam can also be used. In one embodiment, the flexible medium mounted between the printed circuit board and the housing 2019 is not conductive or partially conductive to the extent that it does not interfere with the operation of the impaired configuration detector 2001. Is desirable.

In certain embodiments, the conforming core device 3449 can flexibly connect the housing 2019 to a printed circuit board, as shown, for example, in FIGS. 34 and 35. In certain embodiments, the conforming core device 3449 may have two or more pivots 3452. In one embodiment, the pivot 3452 is a flexible joint. In one embodiment, the pivot 3452 is a ball joint. In one embodiment, the pivot 3452 is a hinge. In one embodiment, the pivot 3452 is a living hinge. A living hinge is a thin flexible hinge made from the same material as the two rigid parts to which it connects. In certain embodiments, the pivot 3452 can be one of a number of other flexible mechanisms.

In one embodiment, the conforming core device 3449 comprises a spindle 3453, as shown in FIGS. 34 and 36. In certain embodiments, the spindle 3453 comprises a shaft member. In one embodiment, the spindle 3453 comprises a shaft member and two pivots 3452. In one embodiment, each pivot 3452 of the spindle 3453 couples the spindle 3453 to the minor axis 3454. In one embodiment, each small shaft 3454 comprises a shaft member and three pivots 3452. In one embodiment of the small shaft 3454, there is one pivot 3452 near the center of each small shaft 3454 and two additional pivots 3452 at each end of each small shaft 3454. In one embodiment, there are four foot portions 3455 that are coupled to the spindle 3453. In certain embodiments, each foot 3455 has a pivot 3452. In one embodiment, the pivot 3452 is coupled to the pivot 3452 of each of the four foot portions 3455 at each end of the two small shafts 3454. In one embodiment, each foot 3455 is coupled to a printed circuit board. In certain embodiments, the printed circuit board can be bent to fit the contours of the surface 2002.

In one embodiment, the foot 3455 couples the printed circuit board to the small shaft 3454, as shown in FIGS. 34 and 35.

In one embodiment, the conforming core device 3449 comprises a main shaft 3453, two small shafts 3454, and four foot portions 3455. In one embodiment, there are six pivots 3452 in the conforming core device 3449. In certain embodiments, there are seven or more pivots 3452. In certain embodiments, there are less than six pivots 3452.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 35, all of the pivots 3452 are living hinges and the entire conforming core device 3449 comprises a single injection molded plastic part.

FIG. 36 is a flow chart of method 3600 for detecting a difficult-to-see configuration behind a surface according to one embodiment. As shown in the flow chart of FIG. 36, the first task can be the initialization of the detector (3602), which may involve running the initialization algorithm. The detector can follow one embodiment described herein. After initialization, the sensor plate can be read (3604). In certain embodiments, each sensor plate can be read multiple times, each time with a different configuration. This different configuration may include different drive currents, different voltage levels, different sensing thresholds or other different configuration parameters. Each of these readings on the sensor plate can be called a native reading. In one embodiment, a large number of native reads are added together to generate a reading. In certain embodiments, there may be separate reads for each sensor plate.

In certain embodiments, each of these readings performs a calibration adjustment, which is achieved by adding a predetermined calibration value for each reading (3606). In one embodiment, after calibration, if the detectors are placed on a uniform surface, the readings for each of the sensor plates can be equal.

In one embodiment, the highest sensor board reading is compared to the lowest sensor board reading (3608). This difference is then compared to the threshold (3608). In one embodiment, if this difference is less than a predetermined threshold, all indicators may be turned off (3610) to indicate the absence of a bow. When this difference is greater than a given threshold, it is possible to determine which indicator to activate. In certain embodiments, the index can be scaled to a predetermined range (3612), which can involve setting the minimum value to a number such as 0 and scaling the maximum index to a value such as 100 mag. Then all medians can be scaled proportionally. The scaled readings can then be compared to a given pattern that is similarly scaled (3614).

In certain embodiments, there may be a set of predetermined patterns. A set of predetermined patterns can accommodate various combinations of hidden configurations that the detector may encounter. For example, a set of predetermined patterns may correspond to different positions with respect to a single bow. In certain embodiments, a given set of patterns may include a combination of two bow positions. A pattern matching algorithm can be used to determine which of a given pattern best fits the reading pattern. The detector can then activate the indicator corresponding to the given pattern that best fits (3616).

In another embodiment, after calibrating the sensor plate readings, it is determined if a difficult vision configuration is present. The lowest sensor board reading can be subtracted from the highest sensor board reading. When this difference is larger than the threshold value, it is determined that a difficult-to-see configuration exists. If it is determined that the blind configuration does not exist, all indicators can be inactivated. If a difficult-to-see configuration is present, the process can begin to determine the position and width of the difficult-to-see configuration. In certain embodiments, all current sensor board readings can be scaled to scale the minimum reading to a predetermined value (eg 0) and the maximum reading to a second predetermined value (eg 100). All medians can be scaled proportionally. The scaled readings can be more easily compared to a given set of patterns.

FIG. 37 shows two different printed circuit boards in a laminated configuration according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The sensor board 3740 and the interconnection board 3751 can be stacked and bonded to each other. The sensor plate board 3740 may include one or more sensor plates. The interconnection board 3751 may include a plurality of indicators 3706. The sensor board 3740 and / or the interconnect board 3751 can be a plurality of printed circuit boards or can be integrated into a printed circuit board. In certain embodiments, the binder that joins the two printed circuit boards 3740, 3751 together may be solder. In one embodiment, two printed circuit boards 3740, 3751 can be glued together using solder paste. In one embodiment, the two printed circuit boards 3740, 3751 can be soldered together and the process of bonding the two printed circuit boards 3740, 3751 together can be a standard surface mounting technique (SMT) process. The standard surface mount technology process may include stacking one printed circuit board. In certain embodiments, pins can be used to ensure proper alignment of the two printed circuit boards 3740, 3751. In certain embodiments, the final step in the surface mounting technique process can involve passing a reflow path through the laminated printed circuit boards 3740, 3751.

In other embodiments, both the sensor board and the circuit can be assembled on a single printed circuit board. A 1.6 mm thick printed circuit board containing four layers of copper can be used. In one embodiment, a first layer of copper is present on the top surface and all electrical components are soldered to that layer. The second layer of copper can be located about 0.35 mm below the first layer of copper and is about 0.35 mm of printed circuit board between the first and second layers of copper. Exists. The third layer of copper can be located about 0.1 mm below the second layer of copper and is about 0.1 mm of printed circuit board between the second and third layers of copper. Exists. The fourth layer of copper can be located about 0.35 mm below the third layer of copper and is about 0.1 mm of printed circuit board between the third and fourth layers of copper. Exists. In one embodiment, the vias can be pierced to selectively connect the four layers of copper.

In one embodiment, a 0.8 mm thick final layer of substrate material can be placed to cover four layers of copper. In one embodiment, there are no holes through the layers of the 0.8 mm thick substrate. A layer of 0.8 mm thick substrate can help protect the circuit from electrostatic discharge. Alternatively, a layer made of plastic or other non-conductive material can be used to shield the circuit from electrostatic discharge and physically protect the printed circuit board. In certain embodiments, in addition to the protective layer of the circuit board, a layer made of plastic can be used. It can be understood that the layers and thicknesses shown herein are merely examples of one embodiment. Other layers and combinations of thicknesses and materials can also be used.

In certain embodiments, the sensor plate may be placed on top of four layers of copper. Shields can be used to electrically protect the sensor plate from electrical interference from ambient conditions (including the user's hand). In certain embodiments, the shield may be placed on top of a first layer of copper. In certain embodiments, instead of using a mesh, stripe, or other pattern that can provide less than substantially all areas of the shield, a solid shield covers virtually the entire range of the shield. Can be covered.

In one embodiment, the conductive path connecting the sensor plate to the capacitance-to-digital converter comprises a sensor plate trace. In one embodiment, the sensor plate traces are placed primarily on the second layer of copper and the shield against the signal is placed on the first and fourth layers of copper.

In one embodiment, the interconnect board 3751 soldered to the sensor board board 3740 is coated with a layer of epoxy, epoxy globs, or other conformal coating that can improve the reliability of the solder joints. In one embodiment, the interconnect board 3751 on the sensor board board 3740 is wire-bonded to the printed circuit board by chip-on-board technology. Chip-on-board technology consists of (1) attaching the bare die to the printed circuit board, (2) wire bonding (electrically connecting the signal on the bare die to the printed circuit board), and (3) bare die and wire. It may involve the step of coating the bond with a coating consisting of epoxy or other suitable material. Chip-on-board technology can improve the reliability of solder coupling.

In certain embodiments, an integrated circuit having a package containing an external read (such as a QFP package, a TSOP package, a SOIC package, a QSOP package or another package) is used. Components with external leads can improve the reliability of soldering.

FIG. 38 shows the configuration of the prior art that defines the path of the sensor plate trace 3835 from the controller of the sensing circuit 3827 to the sensor plate 3805 and protects the sensor plate trace 3835. In this prior art, the path of the sensor plate trace 3835 is defined so that the ground layer 3833 on the printed circuit board exists under the sensor plate trace 3835. The via 3834 connects the portion of the sensor plate trace 3835 existing on the uppermost layer of the printed circuit board to the portion of the sensor plate trace 3835 existing on the lower layer of the printed circuit board. With respect to the portion of the sensor plate trace 3835 that exists on the lower layer of the printed circuit board, the first active shielding surface 3837 that exists in the layer above the sensor plate trace 3835 of the printed circuit board and the bottom of the sensor plate trace 3835 of the printed circuit board. There is a second active shielding surface 3838 present in the layer of. All of the first active shielding surface 3738, the second active shielding surface 3838 and the shielding trace 3836 are combined together and driven as an active shielding object. Prior art active shields may include up to 82% of the length of the sensor plate trace 3835.

In these prior art detectors, the material between the sensor plate trace 3835 and the ground layer 3833 can absorb moisture. The material present under some of the sensor plate traces 3835 may absorb more moisture than the material present under other sensor plate traces 3835. As a result, exposure to moisture can change the relative sensor reading of the sensor plate trace 3835. In other words, when exposed to moisture, the sensor reading of one sensor plate 3805 may change more than the sensor reading of another sensor plate 3805 due to the humidity. No change due to moisture absorbed between the sensor plate trace 3835 and the ground is unnecessary, not due to the presence of a blind configuration. According to the present disclosure, the improved impaired configuration detector can protect the sensor plate trace 3835 by more than 82% of the length of the sensor plate trace 3835.

FIG. 39 is a cross-sectional view of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 3901 according to another embodiment, showing an electric field pattern. FIG. 39 shows the direction of the electric field lines 3904, 3905 according to the above-described embodiment, where the electric field lines 3904, 3905 are curved around the side surface of the blind configuration detector 3901. FIG. 39 represents a impaired configuration detector 3901 with electric field lines 3904, 3905 extending from the sensor plate 3908 and terminating on the common plates 3906, 3907. The sensor plate 3908 is arranged at the bottom of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 3901, and the common plates 3906 and 3907 are arranged on the side surface of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 3901. A shielding plate 3909 (eg, an active shield) is installed between the sensor plate 3908 and the common plate 3906, 3907, with electric field lines 3904, 3905 below, outside and above the sides of the impaired configuration detector 3901. To be extended to.

The common plate 3906, 3907 can include a single plate or a number of different plates that are electrically connected so that the common plate 3906, 3907 is along the various aspects of the impaired configuration detector 3901. Maintains a uniform voltage while extending. In order to ensure that the electric field lines 3904 and 3905 do not extend linearly from the sensor plate 3908 to the common plate 3906 and 3907, or do not penetrate the difficult-to-see configuration detector 3901, the shielding plate 3909 is attached to the sensor plate 3908 and the common plate 3906. It can be positioned between and 3907. The shield plate 3909 can hold the same charge or voltage as the sensor plate 3908, and the capacitance between the shield plate 3909 and the sensor plate 3908 may be insignificant. When the shield plate 3909 has the same voltage or charge as the sensor plate 3908, the electric field lines 3904, 3905 from the sensor plate 3908 are not attracted to the shield plate 3909 and have different potentials (eg, common plate 3906, 3907). Will bend around the shield 3909 to reach. The shielding plate 3909 may be advantageously positioned so that the electric field lines 3904, 3905 are oriented around the edge or side of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 3901. For example, in one embodiment, the shielding plate 3909 may be placed on a layer directly above the sensor plate 3908 to cover the entire area of the sensor plate 3908. In one embodiment, the shielding plate 3909 can then extend around the end (or tip) of the sensor plate 3908, and a portion of the shielding plate 3909 extending over the sensor plate 3908 is with the sensor plate 3908. It can extend below the shielding plate 3909 itself until it is in the same plane. The portion of the shield plate 3909 that resides on the same plane as the sensor plate 3908 can then extend to the tip of the impaired vision configuration detector 3901, thereby forming a lip 3910 around the sensor plate 3908. Ideally, the shielding plate 3909 can reach from the sensor plate 3908 to the common plate 3906, 3907 only by bending the electric field lines 3904, 3905 around the side surface of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 3901.

In some applications, it may be desirable to diverge the electric field lines 3904, 3905 from the impaired configuration detector 3901 so that the electric field lines 3904, 3905 orbit around the sides of the impaired configuration detector 3901. If the electric field lines 3904, 3905 are curved around the side surface of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 3901, the electric field lines 3904, 3905 can penetrate further into the plane than if limited to the area immediately in front of the sensor plate. Yes, this allows the sensor plate 3908 to provide a more accurate or more consistent reading. In some applications, it may be desirable to sense not just in front of the sensor plate 3908, but around the sides of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 3901.

FIG. 40 is a cross-sectional view of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 4001 according to another embodiment, showing an electric field pattern. FIG. 40 shows the directions of the electric field lines 4004, 4005 curved outside, above, and around the side surface of the impaired vision configuration detector 4001. The difficult-to-see configuration detector 4001 includes a housing 4019 and a sensor board board 4040 (eg, a printed circuit board). In certain embodiments, the housing 4019 may include an upper housing, an on-off switch 4024, a handle 4014, and a plurality of light pipes 4018. The sensor board board 4040 may be a multilayer printed circuit board having a top layer 4044, a second layer 4043, a third layer that can be an active shield 4009, and a bottom layer including the sensor board 4008. Additional components of the sensor board board 4040 may include the components described in connection with FIG.

FIG. 40 represents the impaired configuration detector 4001 forming the electric field lines 4004, 4005 extending from the sensor plate 4008 and terminating on one or more common plates 4006. The sensor plate 4008 is positioned at the bottom of the impaired vision configuration detector 4001, and one or more common plates 4006 are arranged on a different plane than the sensor plate 4008, and the impaired vision configuration detector 4001 is configured to have a disability through that surface. It is positioned so that the distance from the surface where it can be detected is larger. The common plate 4006 can include a single plate or a number of different plates that are electrically connected, thereby maintaining a uniform voltage. A shield plate 4009 (eg, an active shield) is placed between the sensor plate 4008 and the common plate 4006. An electric field (due to each of the electric field lines 4004 and 4005) is formed between the sensor plate 4008 and the common plate and 4006, and the shielding plate 4009 lowers the electric field lines 4004 and 4005 around the side surface of the blind configuration detector 4001. Extend outward, up. As stated separately, the shielding plate 4009 limits the electric field lines 4004, 4005 from extending in a straight line from the sensor plate 4008 to the common plates 4006, 4007.

As the shield plate 4009 is an active shield driven by the same charge or voltage as the sensor plate 4008, the capacitance between the shield plate 4009 and the sensor plate 4008 is small, and the influence on the sensing of the sensor plate 4008 is eliminated. obtain. When the shield plate 4009 has the same voltage or charge as the sensor plate 4008, the electric field lines 4004, 4005 generated from the sensor plate 4008 reach the plate having a different potential (common plate 4006, etc.), so that the shield plate 4009 Will not be attracted to and will not bend around the shield plate 4009. As described, the shielding plate 4009 can be advantageously positioned so that the electric field lines 4004, 4005 are directed downwards and then outward and around the edges or sides of the impaired configuration detector 4001. For example, in one embodiment, the shielding plate 4009 is placed on a layer directly above the sensor plate 4008 (away from the surface on which the difficult-to-see configuration detector 4001 can detect an object through that surface) and the entire area of the sensor plate 4008. Can be covered.

By configuring the electric field lines 4004, 4005 to bend the side surface of the impaired configuration detector 4001, the electric field lines 4004, 4005 are more likely than the electric field lines 4004, 4005 are restricted to just in front of the sensor plate. It can further penetrate into the sensed object 4090 and / or further into the plane to sense the impaired object. By penetrating deeper into the electric field lines 4004, 4005, the sensor plate 4008 provides a more accurate and / or consistent reading (especially changes in the thickness of the perceived object 4090 and / or the thickness of the detection surface). obtain.

The embodiments of the present specification can be used for various purposes other than the detection of the difficult-to-see configuration. FIG. 40 provides an example of using an embodiment of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 4001 for sensing an object 4009. For example, in a manufacturing or production line environment involving the handling or testing of biological material, the disclosed embodiments can be utilized to detect whether the electrochemical properties of the product have changed. As a further example, if the product at hand is of a type such as fruit or vegetable, the dielectric (eg, relative static permeability of the product) of the product will increase as the product decomposes or the maturity of the product changes. Can change. Capacitance is a function of relative static permeability (otherwise known as permittivity) between two capacitive plates of material, so when products of different maturity pass through the sensing field. , The capacitance measured by the embodiment can vary. In this example, the impaired configuration detector according to one embodiment of the present disclosure can be used to detect whether the maturity of the product is within the desired specifications. Since the impaired configuration detector can use a large number of sensor plates, the measurement can provide a more detailed analysis than when using only a single pair of capacitive plates.

Other applications of the disclosed embodiments may involve investigating the electrical properties of various materials. In some situations, it may be important to measure certain electrical properties of a material without changing the position, shape or structural integrity of the material. Capacitance can be measured, and possibly the measured value can be compared to the measured value of the reference sample, with respect to the material at hand or by disclosure embodiments close to that material. The measured capacitance, or the difference in capacitance when compared to reference material, can provide various details regarding the electrical properties of the material at hand.

The disclosed embodiments can also be used to provide details regarding the curvature or shape of the surface. When utilizing embodiments disclosed along curved or angled surfaces, for example, the reading of the sensor plate can result in different values depending on the distance of the sensor plate from the surface. From the variation of the sensor values, the disclosed embodiments may provide insight into the slope or angle of the surface.

The sensor value can also vary depending on the texture of the material in the sensing field. For example, if the material at hand is porous, granular, coarse, smooth, fibrous or textured, the disclosed embodiments can be utilized to provide the details to be woven. In one application, the disclosed embodiments can be used to make inferences about the density of a given material and to determine other quality properties of the product that depend on the dielectric constant of the product.

Other applications of the disclosed embodiments may involve determining whether the container is filled to the appropriate level or has the appropriate amount of items.

FIG. 41 is a diagram of a sensor plate cluster 4100 including a sensor plate 4013, an active shielding plate 4102, an active shielding center portion 4101, and a common ring 4105. FIG. 41 represents eight sensor plates 4103. The sensor plates 4103 are arranged radially around the center position. During operation, the sensor plate 4103, the active shielding plate 4102, and the active shielding center 4101 are all driven simultaneously by a common signal. The sensor plate 4103, the active shielding plate 4102, and the active shielding center 4101 do not have to be electrically coupled to each other, but are driven by the same signal, so that the electric fields generated by them are when they are coupled to each other. Can be equivalent to the electric field that would be generated in. The sensor plate 4103, the active shielding plate 4102, and the active shielding central portion 4101 can together form the first end portion of the common electric field.

There is a common ring 4105 capable of forming the second end of the common electric field. In one embodiment, the common ring 4105 is driven at 0 volts. In other embodiments, the common ring 4105 can be driven with different constant or AC voltages. Although there is a common electric field generated by the sensor plate 4103, the active shield plate 4102 and the active shield center 4101 all driven together, each component still contributes to a particular portion of the common electric field. For example, a part of the electric field driven from the sensor plate 4103 on the lower left side of the sensor plate cluster 4100 can be arranged mainly on the lower left side of the sensor plate cluster 4100. For example, the field line from the lower left sensor plate 4110 can occur at a particular sensor plate 4110. The field line from the active shielding center 4101, the field line from the active shielding plate 4102, and the field line from the neighboring sensor plate can surround the field line from the lower left sensor plate 4110. This is as if the field line from the lower left sensor plate 4110 is guided by the field line from the surrounding components of the sensor plate cluster 4100. For example, a field line from a nearby sensor plate may border on both sides of the field line of the lower left sensor plate 4110. The field line from the active shield plate 4102 may border the field line from the lower left sensor plate 4110 at the top (the top is the field portion farthest from the plane of the sensor plate). Similarly, the field line from the active shielding plate 4012 may border the field line from the lower left sensor plate 4110 at the bottom. If the relative geometry and position of the surrounding components change, the field line from the lower left sensor plate can change as well.

By constructing the ambient electric field, each sensor plate can mainly sense in the path of each electric field, so that the product designer can control what is sensed. This technique can be used to control where electric fields can be placed. For example, in order to sense less material (eg, surface) closer to the plane of the sensor plate 4103, the product designer may request a distance 4104 of the active shielding plate (eg, the magnitude of the spacing between the sensor plate 4103 and the common ring 4105). ) Can be increased. For example, the product designer may choose to reduce the size of the sensor plate 4103 by simultaneously increasing the distance 4104 of the active shielding plate. By implementing this design change, the lower boundary with respect to the sensor plate field line is raised so that the perceived field line is located farther from the plane of the sensor plate 4103 (at a deeper position on the perceived surface). Can be placed along an arc. It can be advantageous to avoid sensing surface discrepancies. For example, if the surface is a wall made of sheet locks, there may be inconsistencies due to air bubbles in the sheet locks, variations in surface texture, paint inconsistencies, inconsistencies due to seams between the sheets in the sheet locks, or other factors. In certain embodiments, the perception of surface discrepancies is reduced, and the reading of the sensor plate may be farther from the plane of the sensor plate 4103, more representative of the impaired configuration that may be desired to be read. May be more preferred.

FIG. 42 is an alternative sensor plate cluster 4200 including a sensor plate 4213, an active shielding plate 4202, and an active shielding center 4201. The sensor plate cluster 4200 of FIG. 42 can be used with the blind configuration detector 4300 shown in FIG. 43. The embodiments shown in FIGS. 42 and 43 can function very similar to the configuration of FIG. 41, differing in that the position of the common plate is on the opposite side of the printed circuit board. By locating the common plate on the opposite side of the printed circuit board, the field line can be extended deeper in the surface and the field line can be moved over a wider spectrum of the impaired configuration. As a result, the impaired configuration detector, including the design of FIGS. 42 and 43, can detect deeper within the sensing surface and can detect over a wider area compared to the configuration of FIG. 41.

FIG. 43 is a side view of an embodiment of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 4300 that can use the sensor plate cluster 4200 shown in FIG. 42. The difficult-to-see configuration detector 4300 is located on the surface 2. There is a handle 4314, which allows the user to grip a device and a button 4324 that can be actuated or operated to power on the impaired configuration detector 4300. The light pipe 4318 can guide the light from the indicator 4316 on the printed circuit board 4330 to a position where the user can see the light from the indicator 4316. The printed circuit board 4330 can include four layers, or can be four layers. The top layer 4344 may include most of the circuitry of the printed circuit board 4330. The second layer 4343 of the printed circuit board 4330 may include various signal routes. The third layer may include an active shielding layer 4202. The active shielding layer 4202 may protect the sensor plate 4203 from the sensing circuit of the top layer 4344 by covering or including almost the entire third layer of the printed circuit board 4330. The sensor plate 4203 can be arranged on the fourth layer. There is also an active shielding center 4201 present at the center of the printed circuit board 4330 on the fourth layer.

In one embodiment, the sensor plate 4203, the active shielding center 4201 and the active shielding plate 4202 are all driven by the same signal. In other words, the sensor plate 4203, the active shielding center portion 4201 and the active shielding plate 4202 are each driven by a signal having the same voltage at the same time point. Since the sensor plate 4203, the active shielding center portion 4201 and the active shielding plate 4202 are driven together, they generate an electric field together. As a result, since the active shielding plate 4202, the sensor plate 4203, and the active shielding center portion 4201 are each driven by the same signal, the generated electric field is generated by the active shielding plate 4202, the sensor plate 4203, and the active shielding center portion 4201. It is the same as the electric field that can be generated when electrically coupled. The active shield plate 4202, the sensor plate 4203, and the active shield center portion 4201 all together form the first end of the electric field. All of the electric fields 4304 and 4305 may have a second end of the electric field in the hand guard common plate 4306. In this embodiment, the edge electric field 4305 located near the edge of the sensor plate cluster 4200 is driven by the active shielding layer 4202. These edge electric fields 4305 can originate at the active shielding layer 4302 located near the edge. In this embodiment, the edge electric field 4305 penetrates the surface 2, then wraps around the hand guard common plate 4306 and terminates at the hand guard common plate 4306. In one embodiment, the hand guard common plate 4306 is driven by 0 volts. In another embodiment, the hand guard common plate 4306 can be driven with different constant or AC voltages. These edge electric fields 4305 may not penetrate to a depth sufficient to penetrate the difficult-to-see configuration 3. Since these electric fields only penetrate the surface 2 and may not penetrate to a depth sufficient to reach the impaired configuration, the edge electric field may vary depending solely on the properties of the surface 2. For example, if there is a discrepancy on the surface 2, the edge electric field 4305 may be subject to the corresponding changes. Advantageously, the sensor plate 4305 may not sense the edge electric field 4305.

For a number of applications, the sensor plate cluster 4200 represented in FIG. 42 can function better than the sensor plate cluster represented in FIG. The sensor plate cluster 4200, represented in FIG. 42, may avoid sensing surface discrepancies and further focus the sensor plate readings to a difficult-to-see configuration that may be further away from the plane of the sensor plate 4203. This allows the difficult-to-see configuration detector 4300 to advantageously detect more accurately and deeper.

FIG. 44 is a sensor plate cluster 4413 of the impaired vision configuration detector according to one embodiment. The sensor plate cluster 4413 includes a large number of sensor plates 4404, 4405, 4406. The sensor plates 4404, 4405, 4406 are configured to form the first end of the electric field. The common plate 4401 is configured to form the second end of the electric field. The active shielding plate 4410 is arranged between the sensor plates 4404, 4405, 4406 and the common plate 4401 and is driven by a certain voltage. In the embodiment of FIG. 44, the end sensor plate 4404 has a smaller surface area than the non-end sensor plate 4406. There is a width 4412 of the common plate, a width 4411 of the active shielding plate, a width 4407 of the non-end sensor plate, and a width 4408 of the end sensor plate. There is also an active shielding region plate 4403. The active shielding region plate 4403 may be on different planes. In the illustrated embodiment, the active shielding region plate 4403 resides on different layers of the printed circuit board, so in FIG. 44, the active shielding region plate 4403 is represented by a margin of the printed circuit board.

In this embodiment shown in FIG. 44, the sensor plates 4404, 4405, and 4406 are driven by a certain signal. The active shielding plate 4410 and the active shielding region plate 4403 are driven by the same signal as the sensor plates 4404, 4405 and 4406. Similarly, when one sensor plate 4404, 4405, 4406 is sensed, the other sensor plates 4404, 4405, 4406 of the array are driven by the same voltage signal.

Since the sensor area of the end sensor plate 4404 is smaller, the responsiveness to the change of the surface 2 of the end sensor plate 4404 is low, and the responsiveness of the end sensor plate 4404 is the responsiveness of the non-end sensor plate 4405, 4406. Closer and more consistent. Further, in the electric field formed between the end sensor plate 4404 and the common plate 4401, the surface area of the end sensor plate 4404 is the same as (or closely similar to) the surface area of the non-end sensor plate 4405, 4406. Will be smaller than in the case. In other words, by reducing the surface area of the end sensor plate 4404, the shape is more similar to the electric field between the non-end sensor plate 4405 and 4406 and the common plate 4401 (detection depth in the surface). (Including those that are more similar), resulting in a smaller electric field. The electric field between the end sensor plate 4404 and the common plate 4401 having a smaller surface area does not diverge as rapidly as when the end sensor plate has the same surface area as the non-end sensor plate. The electric field between the end sensor plate 4404 and the common plate 4401 is more similar due to the electric field between the non-end sensor plate 4405 and 4406 and the common plate 4401. As mentioned above, the shape of the more similar electric field is transferred to a more predictable sensor plate reading, which more accurately detects the impaired configuration.

FIG. 45 is a side view of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 4500 that can use the sensor plate cluster 4413 shown in FIG. 44. The impaired vision configuration detector 4500 includes a handle 14 that the user can grip and grip the device, and a button 24 that can be actuated to power on the impaired vision configuration detector 4500. In FIG. 45, the impaired vision configuration detector 4500 is positioned on the surface 2.

The light pipe 8 can guide the light from the indicator 6 on the printed circuit board to a position where the user can see the light from the indicator 6. The impaired configuration detector 4500 may include a four-layer printed circuit board 4510. Most of the sensing circuits (not shown) can be placed on the top layer 44 of the printed circuit board 4510. The second layer 43 of the printed circuit board 4510 may include various signal routes. The third layer of the printed circuit board 4510 includes an active shielding layer 4513. The sensor plate 4406, the common plate 4401 and the active shielding plate 4410 are arranged on the fourth layer.

In one embodiment, the sensor plate 4406, the active shield plate 4410 and the active shield layer 4513 are all driven by the same voltage signal. In other words, the sensor plate 4406, the active shield plate 4410 and the active shield layer 4513 are each driven by signals having the same voltage at substantially the same time point. Since the sensor plate 4406, the active shielding plate 4410 and the active shielding layer 4513 are driven together, they generate an electric field together. As a result, since the active shielding layer 4513, the sensor plate 4406, and the active shielding plate 4410 are each driven by the same signal, the generated electric field is such that the active shielding layer 4513, the sensor plate 4406, and the active shielding plate 4410 are all electrically connected to each other. Can be the same as the electric field that can be generated when coupled to. The active shield layer 4513, the sensor plate 4406 and the active shield plate 4410 all together form the first end of the electric field. The electric fields 4501, 4502, 4503, 4504, 4505 may all have a second end in the common plate 4401.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 45, there are five electric field lines 4501, 4502, 4503, 4504, 4505 shown. There are three perceived electric field lines 4501, 4502 and 4503. Moreover, there are two unsensed electric field lines 4504, 4505. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 45, it may be desirable to sense an object in the difficult-to-see configuration region 4508, and it may be desirable to avoid sensing the surface 2.

All of the electric field lines contain a common electric field, but only the electric field portion driven by the sensor plate 4406 can be sensed. The electric fields 4504 and 4505 driven by the active shield plate 4410 may not penetrate to a depth sufficient to penetrate the impaired configuration 3. Since these electric fields 4504 and 4505 only permeate the surface 2 and may not penetrate to a depth sufficient to reach the difficult-to-see configuration, the readings of the non-sensing electric fields 4504 and 4505 are limited to the characteristics of the surface 2. It may change depending on it. For example, if there is a discrepancy on the surface 2, the non-sensing electric fields 4504 and 4505 can undergo the corresponding changes. Advantageously, the sensor plate 4406 may not sense the unsensed electric fields 4504, 4505.

The product designer can vary the relative size of the various components, namely the sensor plate 4406, the active shield plate 4410 and the common plate 4401, for sensing at the desired depth. For example, if the surface 2 is relatively thin, it may be desirable to have a relatively narrow active shield plate 4410 so that only a very small portion of the electric field cannot be sensed. Similarly, it is desirable to have a relatively wide active shield plate 4410 and direct the sensing field deeper in order to detect difficult vision configurations further away from the sensor plate 4406 or to sense through the thicker surface 2. be. Similarly, in order to sense through surface 2 with a large number of discrepancies, it may be preferable to have a wide active shield 4410 and the sensed electric field to sense less portion of surface 2.

It is understood that the perceived electric field lines 4501, 4502, 4503 will need to pass through the surface 2 twice in order to detect the impaired configuration 3. Therefore, the reading of the sensor plate 4406 will be vulnerable to the discrepancy of the surface 2 in the region through which these electric fields pass. Fortunately, however, the quality of sensing can be improved by not sensing field lines that only pass through surface 2. As a result, the sensor plate 4406 can better locate the difficult-to-see configuration 3 because the discrepancy of the surface 2 may not obscure the reading. As a result, the location to be detected and the material to be detected can be selected.

In order to be effective, the active shield plate 4410 is positioned between the common plate 4401 and the sensor plates 4404, 4405, 4406, and the field line where the electric field generated from the active shield plate 4410 is sensed is displayed on the surface 2. Deeper inside, it can actually be pushed through surface 2. The width of the active shielding plate 4410 can be changed depending on the application. For many applications, the minimum width of the active shield plate is about 18 of the total width, which is the sum of the width 4407 of the non-end sensor plate, the width 4411 of the active shield plate, and the width 4412 of the common plate. % May be recommended. A suitable active shield can be wider for many applications. For example, in many applications, 30% can improve performance and 40% can be an additional improvement. Similarly, there are many values for the width of the active shield plate, which is closer to 50% of the total width of the width 4407 of the non-end sensor plate, the width 4411 of the active shield plate, and the width 4412 of the common plate. Can be ideal for applications.

With respect to the dimensions of the hardware, an active shield with a width of 13 mm can be the smallest and can have better performance at a width of 20 mm, a width of 25 mm or a width of 30 mm. One of ordinary skill in the art can determine the appropriate dimensions for a particular application.

In one embodiment, the active shield, which may be on the active shield 4410, is driven by the same voltage signal as the voltage signal to the sensor plate 4406. In one embodiment, the active shield is driven by a constant voltage such as 0V. In one embodiment, the active shield is driven by a voltage signal which is the ratio of the voltage signal of the sensor plate, the ratio is set to more than 1 or less than 1, and the voltage signal of the active shield is obtained from the voltage signal of the sensor plate. Can be made larger or smaller than the voltage signal of the sensor plate. In one embodiment, the active shield is positioned between the common plate 4401 and the sensor plate 4406. When the voltage signal of the active shield is larger than the voltage signal of the sensor plate, it may have the effect of moving the electric field of the sensor plate deeper in the surface. Further, when the voltage signal of the active shield is smaller than the voltage signal of the sensor plate, it may have an effect that the electric field of the sensor plate can be moved shallower in the surface. In certain embodiments, the user or controller can vary the magnitude of the voltage level of the active shield and perceive it at various depths. In one embodiment, the sensor plate can be read multiple times with different active shield voltage signals to confirm images of the impaired configuration at various depths. Further, such reading can be performed by a sensor plate array in a linear or grid-like array to generate an image having a difficult-to-see configuration.

FIG. 46 is a side view of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 4600, which is similar to the difficult-to-see configuration detector 4005 of FIG. 45. The difference between the difficult-to-see configuration detector 4500 of FIG. 45 and the difficult-to-see configuration detector 4600 of FIG. 46 is the position of the common plate 4620 with respect to the sensor plate 4606 and the active shielding plate 4610. In the difficult-to-see configuration detector 4600 of FIG. 46, the active shielding layer 4613 is substantially present between the sensor plate 4606 and the common plate 4620. The impaired configuration detector 4600 of FIG. 46 can be configured to allow field lines (eg, electric fields 4601, 4602, 4603, 4604, 4605) to penetrate deeper into the surface and can be sensed deeper or smaller. It can enable a difficult-to-see configuration detector with size. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 46, the field line travels more than 180 degrees along the arc between the common plate 4620 and the sensor plate 4606. In one embodiment, the common plate 4620 and the sensor plate 4606 are on opposite sides of the active shield 4613. In one embodiment, the common plate 4620 and the sensor plate 4606 are on opposite sides of the printed circuit board 4610.

The impaired vision configuration detector 4600 includes a handle 14 that the user can grip and grip the device, and a button 24 that can be actuated to power on the impaired vision configuration detector 4500. In FIG. 46, the impaired vision configuration detector 4600 is positioned on the surface 2.

The light pipe 8 can guide the light from the indicator 6 on the printed circuit board 4610 to a position where the user can see the light from the indicator 6. The impaired configuration detector 4600 may include a four-layer printed circuit board 4610. Most of the sensing circuits (not shown) can be placed on the top layer 44 of the printed circuit board 4610. The second layer 43 of the printed circuit board 4610 may include various signal routes. The third layer of the printed circuit board 4610 may include an active shielding layer 4613. The sensor plate 4606 and the active shielding plate 4610 are arranged on the fourth layer.

In one embodiment, the sensor plate 4606, the active shield plate 4610 and the active shield layer 4613 are all driven by the same voltage signal. In other words, the sensor plate 4606, the active shield plate 4610 and the active shield layer 4613 are each driven by signals having the same voltage at substantially the same time point. Since the sensor plate 4606, the active shielding plate 4610 and the active shielding layer 4613 are driven together, they generate an electric field together. As a result, since the active shielding layer 4613, the sensor plate 4606, and the active shielding plate 4610 are each driven by the same signal, the generated electric field is such that the active shielding layer 4613, the sensor plate 4606, and the active shielding plate 4610 are all electrically connected to each other. Can be the same as the electric field that can be generated when coupled to. The active shield layer 4613, the sensor plate 4606 and the active shield plate 4410 all together form the first end of the electric fields 4601, 4602, 4603, 4604, 4605. The respective electric fields 4601, 4602, 4603, 4604, 4605 may all have a second end in the hand guard common plate 4620.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 46, five electric field lines 4601, 4602, 4603, 4604, 4605 are illustrated. There are three perceived electric field lines 4601, 4602, 4603. Moreover, there are two undetected electric field lines 4604, 4605. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 46, it may be desirable to sense an object in the difficult-to-see configuration region 4608, and it may be desirable to avoid sensing the surface 2.

All of the electric field lines 4601, 4602, 4603, 4604, 4605 contain a common electric field, but only the electric field portion driven by the sensor plate 4606 can be sensed. The electric fields 4604, 4605 driven by the active shield plate 4610 may not penetrate to a depth sufficient to penetrate the difficult-to-see configuration 3. Since these electric fields 4604 and 4605 only permeate the surface 2 and may not penetrate to a depth sufficient to reach the difficult-to-see configuration, the reading of the non-sensing electric fields 4604 and 4605 is limited to the characteristics of the surface 2. It may change depending on it. For example, if there is a discrepancy on the surface 2, the non-sensing electric fields 4604 and 4605 can be subject to the corresponding changes. Advantageously, the sensor plate 4606 may not sense the unsensed electric fields 4604, 4605.

The product designer can vary the relative size of the various components, namely the sensor plate 4606, the active shield plate 4610 and the common plate 4620, for sensing at the desired depth. For example, if the surface 2 is relatively thin, it may be desirable to have a relatively narrow active shield plate 4610 so that only a very small portion of the electric field cannot be sensed. Similarly, it is desirable to have a relatively wide active shielding plate 4610 and direct the sensing field deeper in order to detect difficult vision configurations further away from the sensor plate 4606 or to sense through the thicker surface 2. be. Similarly, in order to sense through surface 2 with a large number of discrepancies, it may be preferable to have a wide active shield 4610 and the sensed electric field to sense less portion of surface 2. In certain embodiments, the designer can select the perceived range by varying the size and position of the sensor plate 4606, active shielding plate 4610 and common plate 4620.

FIG. 47 shows a plate configuration for the impaired vision configuration detector 4700 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. The difficult-to-see configuration detector 4700 includes a ground plate 4701, a lower active shield plate 4702, an upper active shield plate 4707, and a sensor plate set 4703. The bottom printed circuit board layer of the sensing substrate of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 4700 includes a ground plate 4701, a lower active shielding plate 4702, and a sensor plate set 4703. An adjacent printed circuit board layer above the bottom printed circuit board layer comprises an upper active shielding plate 4707.

The set of sensor plates 4703 comprises a plurality of individual sensor plates 4704, 4705, 4706 which may be arranged in a row. In the embodiment of FIG. 47, at least one sensor plate in the set of sensor plates 4703 may be irregular and / or asymmetric in form (eg, shape). At least in the embodiment of FIG. 47, each of the at least three sensor plates has a different sensor plate shape. For example, each of the sensor plates 4704, 4705, 4706 has a complex, asymmetric polygonal shape. More specifically, the first sensor plates 4704 have a first shape that is distinguished from each other's sensor plate shapes (and is symmetrically mirrored to the last sensor plate). Similarly, the second sensor plate 4705 has a second shape that is different from each shape of the other sensor plates (and is symmetrically mirrored to the penultimate sensor plate). In the embodiment of FIG. 47, this pattern can be repeated except for a group of similarly shaped sensor plates towards the center or center of the sensor plate set 4703. As a further example, the sensor plate 4706 is the third sensor plate from the end and is defined by a shape different from the shape of the sensor plate at the center of the set 4703 of the sensor plates. In the embodiment of FIG. 47, each of the four sensor plates sequentially from the end of the sensor plate set 4703 has a shape different from that of each sensor plate of the four sensor plates, and the shape of the center plate is also different. Further, each of the four sensor plates in order from the end of the row of sensor plates in the set of sensor plates 4703 is defined by eight or more surfaces. Further, each of the sensor plates 4704, 4705, 4706 has an inversely symmetric counterpart at both ends of the set of sensor plates 4703. The width of the sensor plate, for example, the sensor plate 4704 may vary along its length. The shape of the sensor plate such as the sensor plate 4704 may be defined by six or more linear sides. The sensor plate may be defined by eight or more linear sides. The sensor plate may be defined by a shape having at least one curved surface or portion. In one embodiment, a collection of sensor plates of various shapes in the sensor plate set 4703 may be mirrored along the central axis to form a bilaterally symmetrical set of sensor plates. In another embodiment, the set of sensor plates 4703 may be asymmetrical.

At least one of the sensor plates in the set of sensor plates 4703 may be coupled to a common plate (eg, ground). In one embodiment, at least one sensor plate can be coupled to two or more common plates. In some embodiments, the sensor plates 4704, 4705, 4706 may form the first end of the perceived electric field. In some embodiments, the ground plate 4701 may form a second end of the sensed electric field. In some embodiments, all of the sensor plates in the set of sensor plates 4703 may be driven simultaneously. In some embodiments, the sensor plates of the sensor plate set 4703 may be sensed one at a time. The lower active shield plate 4702 and the upper limit active shield plate 4707 are signals similar to the signals applied to the sensor plate set 4703 and may be driven at the same time as the sensor plate set 4703.

In the embodiment of FIG. 47, the set of sensor plates 4703 forms the first end of the driven and sensed electric field, and the ground plate 4701 forms the second end of the sensed electric field. In another embodiment, the ground plate 4701 may act as one end of the electric field or be replaced by a drive source, and the set 4703 of the sensor plate may form the second end of the electric field. Another potential (eg, ground) may be held. In another embodiment, electric field sensing may be performed between two or more sensor plates in a set of sensor plates 4703 and without a ground (eg, ground plate).

FIG. 48 is a plate configuration for the difficult-to-see configuration detector 4800 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The difficult-to-see configuration detector 4800 includes a ground plate 4801, a lower active shield plate 4802, an upper active shield plate 4807, and a sensor plate set 4803. The bottom printed circuit board layer of the sensing board of the difficult-to-see configuration detector 4800 includes a ground plate 4801, a lower active shielding plate 4802, and a sensor plate set 4803. An adjacent printed circuit board layer above the bottom printed circuit board layer comprises an upper active shielding plate 4807.

The set of sensor plates 4803 includes a plurality of 12 individual sensor plates including the sensor plates 4804, 4805, 4806. In the embodiment of FIG. 48, each of the sensor plates 4804, 4805, and 4806 has a complex, asymmetrical, and irregular polygonal shape. Further, each of the sensor plates 4804, 4805 and 4806 has an inversely symmetric counterpart at both ends of the set of sensor plates 4803. In the middle of the set of sensor plates 4803, there are four sensor plates, each with a regular rectangular shape.

In some embodiments, all sensor plates in the set of sensor plates 4803 may be driven simultaneously. Only one sensor plate in the set of sensor plates 4803 is driven at a time. The lower active shield plate 4802 and the upper limit active shield plate 4807 are signals similar to the signals on the set of the sensor plate 4803 and may be driven at the same time as the set of the sensor plate 4803.

In one embodiment, the ground plate 4801 may not be coupled to the ground of the circuit, but may be electrically coupled to a drive source, a sensing source, or both. In one embodiment, the sensor plate of a set of sensor plates 4803 may be electrically coupled to a drive source, a sensing source, or both.

FIG. 49 is a plate configuration for the difficult-to-see configuration detector 4900 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The sensing zone 4900 includes a ground plate 4901, a lower active shield plate 4908, an upper active shield plate 4907, and a plurality of sensor plates 4904, 4905, 4906, 4909, 4910, 4911. The bottom printed circuit board layer of the detection board of the difficult-to-see configuration detector includes a ground plate 4901, a lower active shielding plate 4902, and sensor plates 4904, 4905, 4906, 4909, 4910, 4911. An adjacent printed circuit board layer above the bottom printed circuit board layer comprises an upper active shielding plate 4907.

The reading of the second sensor plate includes a combination of the reading from the sensor plate 4905 and the reading from the sensor plate 4911. Similarly, the reading of the third sensor plate includes a combination of the reading from the sensor plate 4906 and the reading from the sensor plate 4910. In other words, the reading from the sensor plate 4904 includes the reading from the first sensor plate, and the combination of the readings from the sensor plates 4905, 4911 includes the reading from the second sensor plate, sensor plate 4906, The combination of readings from 4911 includes the reading of the third sensor plate, and the reading from the sensor plate 4909 includes the reading of the fourth sensor plate. Each of the sensor plates 4904, 4905, 4906, 4909, 4910, 4911 may be driven at the same time. Each of the readings of the four sensor plates can be sampled individually.

The lower active shield plate 4908 and the upper limit active shield plate 4907 may be driven at the same time as the sensor plates 4904, 4905, 4906, 4909, 4910, 4911, and signals for driving the sensor plates 4904, 4905, 4906, 4909, 4910, 4911. It may be driven by the same signal as. The ground plate 4901 may form the end of the perceived electric field.

<Example>
The following description is an exemplary embodiment that exists within the scope of the present disclosure. To avoid the complexity of providing this disclosure, it is believed that all of the examples listed below can be combined with all of the other examples listed below and those described above herein. It is not disclosed separately and explicitly. As long as one of ordinary skill in the art understands that these examples listed below and the embodiments described above cannot be combined, it is considered that such examples and embodiments can be combined within the scope of the present disclosure.

Embodiment 1:
Three or more sensor plates arranged linearly to form a sensor array, each of the three or more sensor plates forming a first end of a corresponding electric field to provide sensor reading of the corresponding electric field. With three or more sensor plates configured to acquire,
A common plate that forms the second end of one or more of the corresponding electric fields of the three or more sensor plates.
A sensing circuit coupled to the three or more sensor plates and configured to measure the sensor reading with respect to the three or more sensor plates.
An indicator that switches between the inactive and active states to indicate the position of a relatively high sensor reading range,
It is a difficult-to-see configuration detector equipped with
The corresponding electric field varies based on the proximity of the sensor plate to one or more surrounding objects and the material properties of each of the one or more surrounding objects.
The end sensor plate at the end of the sensor array has a smaller area than the non-end sensor plate that is not present at the end of the sensor array.
Hard-to-see configuration detector.

Embodiment 2:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to embodiment 1, wherein each of the sensor plates forms an electric field by a single common plate among the one or more common plates.

Embodiment 3:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to the first embodiment, wherein the three or more sensor plates are simultaneously driven by the same signal.

Embodiment 4:
The first embodiment of the first embodiment, wherein the end sensor plate is configured such that the corresponding electric field formed by the end sensor plate is geometrically similar to the corresponding electric field formed by the intermediate sensor plate. Difficult-to-see configuration detector.

Embodiment 5:
The difficult-to-see configuration detector according to the first embodiment, wherein the sensor array and the common plate exist on a common plane parallel to a surface that makes the detected configuration invisible at the time of detection.

Embodiment 6:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to the fifth embodiment, wherein the three or more sensor plates are simultaneously driven by the same signal.

Embodiment 7:
The three or more sensor plates are driven by the same signal at the same time.
The impaired vision configuration detector according to the fifth embodiment, wherein the sensing circuit measures the sensor reading of one of the three or more sensor plates.

Embodiment 8:
With more active shields
The impaired vision configuration detector according to the first embodiment, wherein the three or more sensor plates and the active shield are simultaneously driven by the same signal.

Embodiment 9:
Three or more sensor plates and active shields are each driven by the same signal at the same time.
The impaired vision configuration detector according to the first embodiment, wherein the sensing circuit measures the sensor reading of only one of the sensor plates.

Embodiment 10:
The first embodiment, wherein the common plate comprises a set of a plurality of individual plates, each individual plate forming a second end of the corresponding electric field of the sensor plates of the three or more sensor plates. Difficult-to-see configuration detector.

Embodiment 11:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to embodiment 10, wherein each of the plurality of individual plates operates independently.

Embodiment 12:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to the first embodiment, wherein the width dimension of the end sensor plate is smaller than the width dimension of the non-end sensor plate.

Embodiment 13:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to the first embodiment, wherein the width dimension of the first end portion of the end sensor plate is smaller than the width dimension of the second end portion of the end sensor plate.

Embodiment 14:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to the first embodiment, wherein all the non-end sensor plates of the three or more sensor plates have the same dimensions.

Embodiment 15:
The voltage signal is moved on the common plate,
The reading is acquired on the sensor plate of the three or more sensor plates, and the reading is obtained.
The impaired vision configuration detector according to embodiment 1, wherein the reading is related to the capacitance between the common plate and the sensor plate.

Embodiment 16:
Three or more sensor plates arranged linearly to form a sensor array, each of which forms the first end of a corresponding electric field so as to acquire the sensor reading of the corresponding electric field. Consists of three or more sensor plates and
A common plate forming the second end of the corresponding electric field of one or more sensor plates on the three or more sensor plates.
A sensing circuit coupled to the three or more sensor plates and configured to measure the sensor readings of the three or more sensor plates.
An indicator that switches between the inactive and active states to indicate the position of a relatively high sensor reading range,
It is a difficult-to-see configuration detector equipped with
The corresponding electric field varies based on the proximity of the sensor plate to one or more surrounding objects and the material properties of each of the one or more surrounding objects.
Each end sensor plate at the end of the sensor array has dimensions different from the dimensions of the non-end sensor plate that does not exist at the end of the sensor array.
The dimensions of the end sensor plate are configured so that the corresponding electric field formed by each of the end sensor plates is geometrically similar to the corresponding electric field formed by the intermediate sensor plate. Visual configuration detector.

Embodiment 17:
The step of acquiring the sensor readings of three or more sensor plates linearly arranged in the sensor array of the difficult-to-see configuration detector arranged on the surface, and
A step of measuring the sensor reading of the three or more sensor plates by a sensing circuit, and
The step of comparing the measured values of the sensor readings in different ranges of the sensing field,
A step of switching the indicator from the inactivated state to the activated state to indicate the position of a range of said sensing fields with a relatively high sensor reading.
A method of detecting a difficult-to-see configuration behind a surface, including
The end sensor plate has a smaller area than the non-end sensor plate and has a smaller area.
The sensor reading is a method of detecting a difficult vision configuration behind a surface obtained from a range of sensing fields formed between the three or more sensor plates of the difficult vision configuration detector and a common plate. ..

Embodiment 18:
Three or more sensor plates arranged along the length to form a sensor array,
A common plate forming the second end of one or more corresponding electric fields of the three or more sensor plates, and a common plate.
An active shielding plate driven by a voltage signal and positioned between the sensor plate and the common plate,
A sensing circuit coupled to the three or more sensor plates and configured to measure the sensor reading for the three or more sensor plates.
A impaired configuration detector comprising an indicator that switches between the inactive state and the active state to indicate the position of a relatively high sensor reading range.
Each of the three or more sensor plates is configured to form the first end of the corresponding electric field and acquire the sensor reading of the corresponding electric field.
The corresponding electric field varies based on the proximity of the sensor plate to one or more surrounding objects and the material properties of each of the one or more surrounding objects.
The active shield has a width dimension measured perpendicular to the length of the sensor array.
The difficult-to-see configuration detector, wherein the width of the active shield is more than 18% of the coupling width of the common plate of the three or more sensor plates, the zone of the active shield, and the sensor plates.

Embodiment 19:
Three or more sensor plates arranged along the length to form a sensor array,
A common plate forming the second end of one or more corresponding electric fields of the three or more sensor plates, and a common plate.
An active shielding plate driven by a voltage and configured to affect the electric field between the three or more sensor plates and the common plate.
A sensing circuit coupled to the three or more sensor plates and configured to measure the sensor reading for the three or more sensor plates.
A impaired configuration detector comprising an indicator that switches between the inactive state and the active state to indicate the position of a relatively high sensor reading range.
Each of the three or more sensor plates is configured to form the first end of the corresponding electric field and acquire the sensor reading of the corresponding electric field.
The corresponding electric field varies based on the proximity of the sensor plate to one or more surrounding objects and the material properties of each of the one or more surrounding objects.
The active shield has a width orthogonal to the length of the sensor array and
The difficult-to-see configuration detector, wherein the width of the active shield plate is more than 18% of the coupling width of the common plate, the zone of the active shield, and the sensor plate.

Embodiment 20:
Three or more sensor plates arranged along the length to form a sensor array,
A common plate forming the second end of one or more corresponding electric fields of the three or more sensor plates, and a common plate.
An active shield plate driven by a voltage, wherein the active shield is configured to affect the electric field between the three or more sensor plates and the common plate.
A sensing circuit coupled to the three or more sensor plates and configured to measure the sensor readings of the three or more sensor plates.
A impaired configuration detector comprising an indicator that switches between the inactive state and the active state to indicate the position of a relatively high sensor reading range.
Each of the three or more sensor plates is configured to form the first end of the corresponding electric field and acquire the sensor reading of the corresponding electric field.
The corresponding electric field varies based on the proximity of the sensor plate to one or more surrounding objects and the material properties of each of the one or more surrounding objects.
The active shielding plate has a width orthogonal to the length of the sensor array and has a width orthogonal to the length.
The difficult-to-see configuration detector, the width of which the active shield is more than 13 millimeters.

Embodiment 21:
A group of three or more sensor plates arranged radially around the center point,
A common plate forming the second end of one or more corresponding electric fields of the three or more sensor plates, and a common plate.
With one or more active shields, driven by voltage and located outside the boundaries of the group of three or more sensor plates,
A sensing circuit coupled to the three or more sensor plates and configured to measure the sensor readings of the three or more sensor plates.
It is a difficult-to-see configuration detector equipped with
Each sensor plate of the three or more sensor plates varies based on the proximity of the sensor plate to one or more surrounding objects and the material properties of each of the one or more surrounding objects. The first end of the electric field is formed and the sensor reading of the corresponding electric field is acquired.
Hard-to-see configuration detector.

Embodiment 22:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to embodiment 21, wherein the common plate is a ring arranged around the one or more active shielding plates.

Embodiment 23:
21. The difficult-to-see configuration detector according to embodiment 21, wherein a plurality of sensor plates of the three or more sensor plates are simultaneously driven by the same signal.

Embodiment 24:
21. The difficult-to-see configuration detector according to embodiment 21, wherein a plurality of sensor plates of the three or more sensor plates and the one or more active shielding plates are simultaneously driven by the same signal.

Embodiment 25:
Due to the increase in voltage with respect to the one or more active shielding plates, the path from the sensor plates of the three or more sensor plates to the field line further from the plane of the three or more sensor plates to the common plate. The difficult-to-see configuration detector according to the twenty-first embodiment.

Embodiment 26:
21. The impaired vision configuration detector according to embodiment 21, wherein the one or more active shields are driven by a static voltage level.

Embodiment 27:
21. The impaired configuration detector according to embodiment 21, wherein the one or more active shields are driven by a non-static static voltage level.

Embodiment 28:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to embodiment 21, wherein the voltage signal on the one or more active shielding plates matches the voltage signal on the sensor plates of the three or more sensor plates.

Embodiment 29:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to embodiment 21, wherein the voltage signal on the one or more active shielding plates is proportional to the voltage signal on the sensor plates of the three or more sensor plates.

Embodiment 30:
11. The difficult-to-see configuration detector according to embodiment 21, wherein the active shielding plate, the common plate, and the three or more sensor plates are present on substantially the same plane.

Embodiment 31:
The voltage signal is moved on the common plate,
The difficult-to-see configuration according to embodiment 21, wherein the reading is acquired on the sensor plates of the three or more sensor plates, and the reading is related to the capacitance between the common plate and the sensor plate. Detector.

Embodiment 32:
A group of two or more sensor plates radially arranged around a center point,
A common plate forming the second end of one or more corresponding electric fields,
A voltage-driven, active shield and one or more active shields located outside the boundaries of the group of two or more sensor plates.
A sensing circuit coupled to the two or more sensor plates and configured to measure the sensor readings of the two or more sensor plates.
It is a difficult-to-see configuration detector equipped with
Each sensor plate of the two or more sensor plates varies based on the proximity of the sensor plate to one or more surrounding objects and the material properties of each of the one or more surrounding objects. The first end of the electric field is formed and the sensor reading of the corresponding electric field is acquired.
Hard-to-see configuration detector.

Embodiment 33:
It is a difficult-to-see configuration detector, and the difficult-to-see configuration detector is
A common plate located at the center point of the bottom of the difficult-to-see configuration detector,
With one or more active shielding plates driven by voltage and radially arranged around the common plate,
With three or more sensor plates radially arranged around the one or more active shielding plates,
A sensing circuit coupled to the three or more sensor plates and configured to measure the sensor readings of the three or more sensor plates.
Equipped with
Each sensor plate, together with the common plate, forms a corresponding electric field and varies based on the proximity of the sensor plate to one or more surrounding objects and the material properties of each of the one or more surrounding objects. Acquires the sensor reading of the corresponding electric field,
Hard-to-see configuration detector.

Embodiment 34:
It has multiple sensor plates arranged in a row and has multiple sensor plates
The impaired vision configuration detector according to any one of embodiments 1-33, wherein the sensor plate is defined by a shape having six or more sides at each end of the row of sensor plates.

Embodiment 35:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to embodiment 34, wherein in the row of sensor plates, the sensor plate adjacent to any end sensor plate inside is defined by a shape having at least six sides.

Embodiment 36:
The impaired configuration detector according to embodiment 35, wherein the sensor plate adjacent to the inside (or third from the end) is defined by a shape having at least six sides.

Embodiment 37:
The impaired configuration detector according to embodiment 36, wherein the sensor plate adjacent to the inside (or the fourth from the end) is defined by a shape having at least six sides.

Embodiment 38:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to any one of embodiments 34, 35, 36 and 37, wherein at least two inner sensor plates have a regular linear shape.

Embodiment 39:
The difficult-to-see configuration detector according to any one of embodiments 34, 35, 36 and 37, wherein at least two inner sensor plates have an irregular linearly symmetric shape.

Embodiment 40:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to any one of embodiments 38 and 39, wherein the rows of sensor detectors are symmetrical.

Embodiment 41:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to any one of embodiments 38 and 39, wherein the rows of sensor detectors are asymmetrical.

Embodiment 42:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to any one of embodiments 40 and 41, wherein the at least one sensor plate is defined by a curved side or a curved side portion.

Embodiment 43:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to any one of embodiments 40 and 41, wherein the set of sensor plates is arranged in an array rather than in the form of a linear row.

Embodiment 44:
The impaired configuration detector according to any one of embodiments 40 and 41, wherein the first pair of sensor plates is combined to provide a reading interpreted as a reading from a single sensor board.

Embodiment 45:
The impaired configuration detector according to embodiment 44, wherein the second pair of sensor plates is combined to provide a reading interpreted as a reading from a single sensor plate.

Embodiment 46:
A sensor plate array comprising three or more sensor plates, each of which forms a first end of a corresponding electric field and is configured to acquire the sensor reading of the corresponding electric field.
With one or more common plates forming the second end of the corresponding electric field of one or more of the three or more sensor plates.
A sensing circuit coupled to the three or more sensor plates and configured to measure the sensor reading with respect to the three or more sensor plates.
An indicator that switches between the inactive and active states to indicate the position of a relatively high sensor reading range,
It is a difficult-to-see configuration detector equipped with
The corresponding electric field varies based on the proximity of the sensor plate to one or more surrounding objects and the material properties of each of the one or more surrounding objects.
The three or more sensor plates have a difficult-to-see configuration including a first sensor plate having a first shape and a second sensor plate having a second shape different from the first shape of the first sensor plate. Detector.

Embodiment 47:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to embodiment 46, wherein at least one of the three or more sensor plates is asymmetric.

Embodiment 48:
The difficult-to-see configuration detector according to embodiment 46, wherein the sensor plate of the three or more sensor plates has five or more linear sides.

Embodiment 49:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to embodiment 46, wherein at least one of the three or more sensor plates varies in width along the at least one length of the three or more sensor plates.

Embodiment 50:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to embodiment 46, wherein the three or more sensor plates include at least three different sensor plate shapes.

Embodiment 51:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to embodiment 46, wherein at least one of the three or more sensor plates is defined by six or more linear sides.

Embodiment 52:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to embodiment 46, wherein at least one of the three or more sensor plates is defined by eight or more linear sides.

Embodiment 53:
The difficult-to-see configuration detector according to embodiment 46, wherein the sensor plate array is symmetrical.

Embodiment 54:
The difficult-to-see configuration detector according to embodiment 46, wherein the sensor plate array is asymmetrical.

Embodiment 55:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to embodiment 46, wherein at least one of the three or more sensor plates is coupled to two or more common plates.

Embodiment 56:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to embodiment 46, wherein at least one of the three or more sensor plates is defined by at least one curved side.

Embodiment 57:
Three or more sensor plates arranged in a geometric pattern with one or more ends, each of the three or more sensor plates forming the first end of the corresponding electric field and the sensor of the corresponding electric field. A sensor plate array, including three or more sensor plates, configured to obtain readings, and
With one or more common plates forming the second end of the corresponding electric field of one or more sensor plates of the three or more sensor plates.
A sensing circuit coupled to the three or more sensor plates and configured to measure the sensor readings of the three or more sensor plates.
An indicator that switches between the inactive and active states to indicate the position of a relatively high sensor reading range,
It is a difficult-to-see configuration detector equipped with
The corresponding electric field varies based on the proximity of the sensor plate to one or more surrounding objects and the material properties of each of the one or more surrounding objects.
The three or more sensor plates include one or more intermediate plates and end plates at each end of the geometric pattern.
A difficult-to-see configuration detector in which at least one of the end plates has an end shape different from the intermediate shape of the one or more intermediate plates.

Embodiment 58:
5. The impaired vision configuration detector according to embodiment 57, wherein the geometric pattern comprises a row of sensor plates comprising the three or more sensor plates.

Embodiment 59:
The three or more sensor plates are adjacent to the end plate and include one or more plates second from the end.
58. The embodiment 58, wherein at least one of the one or more plates second from the end has a second shape from the end, which is different from the intermediate shape of the one or more intermediate sensor plates. Hard-to-see configuration detector.

Embodiment 60:
The impaired vision configuration detector according to embodiment 59, wherein the second shape from the end is different from the at least one end shape of the end plate.

Embodiment 61:
The three or more sensor plates include one or more plates that are adjacent to the second plate from the end and are third from the end.
The difficult-to-see configuration detector according to embodiment 59, wherein at least one of the third plates from the end has a third shape from the end, which is different from the intermediate shape of the one or more intermediate plates. ..

Embodiment 62:
The difficult-to-see configuration detector according to embodiment 61, wherein the third shape from the end is different from the second shape from the end and the end shape.

Embodiment 63:
The three or more sensor plates include one or more plates fourth from the end adjacent to the one or more plate third from the end.
The difficulty according to embodiment 61, wherein at least one of the four or more plates fourth from the end has a fourth shape from the end, which is different from the intermediate shape of the one or more intermediate plates. Visual configuration detector.

Embodiment 64:
The difficult-to-see configuration detector according to embodiment 63, wherein the fourth shape from the end is different from the third shape from the end, the second shape from the end, and the end shape.

Embodiment 65:
Embodiment 63, wherein the end shape, the second shape from the end, the third shape from the end, and the fourth shape from the end are each defined by eight or more linear sides. The difficult-to-see configuration detector described in.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications can be made in the details of the embodiments described above without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be defined only by the following claims.

Claims (17)

A sensor plate array comprising three or more sensor plates, each of which forms a first end of a corresponding electric field and is configured to acquire the sensor reading of the corresponding electric field.
With one or more common plates forming the second end of the corresponding electric field of one or more of the three or more sensor plates.
A sensing circuit coupled to the three or more sensor plates and configured to measure the sensor reading with respect to the three or more sensor plates.
An indicator that switches between the inactive and active states to indicate the position of a relatively high sensor reading range,
It is a difficult-to-see configuration detector equipped with
The corresponding electric field varies based on the proximity of the sensor plate to one or more surrounding objects and the material properties of each of the one or more surrounding objects.
The three or more sensor plates include a first sensor plate having a first shape and a second sensor plate having a second shape different from the first shape of the first sensor plate.
A difficult-to-see configuration detector in which the three or more sensor plates include at least three different sensor plate shapes. The impaired vision configuration detector according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the three or more sensor plates is asymmetric. The impaired vision configuration detector according to claim 1, wherein the sensor plate of the three or more sensor plates has five or more linear sides. The impaired vision configuration detector according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the three or more sensor plates has a width that changes along the length of the at least one of the three or more sensor plates. The impaired vision configuration detector according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the three or more sensor plates is defined by six or more linear sides. The impaired vision configuration detector according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the three or more sensor plates is defined by eight or more linear sides. The difficult-to-see configuration detector according to claim 1, wherein the sensor plate array is symmetrical. The difficult-to-see configuration detector according to claim 1, wherein the sensor plate array is asymmetrical. The impaired vision configuration detector according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the three or more sensor plates is coupled to two or more common plates. The impaired vision configuration detector according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the three or more sensor plates is defined by at least one curved side. Three or more sensor plates arranged in a geometric pattern with one or more ends, each of the three or more sensor plates forming the first end of the corresponding electric field and the sensor of the corresponding electric field. A sensor plate array, including three or more sensor plates, configured to obtain readings, and
With one or more common plates forming the second end of the corresponding electric field of one or more sensor plates of the three or more sensor plates.
A sensing circuit coupled to the three or more sensor plates and configured to measure the sensor readings of the three or more sensor plates.
An indicator that switches between the inactive and active states to indicate the position of a relatively high sensor reading range,
It is a difficult-to-see configuration detector equipped with
The corresponding electric field varies based on the proximity of the sensor plate to one or more surrounding objects and the material properties of each of the one or more surrounding objects.
The three or more sensor plates include one or more intermediate plates and end plates at each end of the geometric pattern.
At least one of the end plates has an end shape different from the intermediate shape of the one or more intermediate plates.
The geometric pattern comprises a row of sensor plates, including the three or more sensor plates.
The three or more sensor plates are adjacent to the end plate and include one or more plates second from the end.
A difficult-to-see configuration detector having a second shape from the end, which is different from the intermediate shape of the one or more intermediate plates, at least one of the one or more plates second from the end. The impaired vision configuration detector according to claim 11, wherein the second shape from the end is different from the at least one end shape of the end plate. The three or more sensor plates include one or more plates that are third from the end and adjacent to the one or more plate that is second from the end.
11. The difficulty of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one or more plates third from the end has a third shape from the end that is different from the intermediate shape of the one or more intermediate plates. Visual configuration detector. The difficult-to-see configuration detector according to claim 13, wherein the third shape from the end portion is different from the second shape from the end portion and the end portion shape. The three or more sensor plates include one or more plates fourth from the end adjacent to the one or more plate third from the end.
13. The difficulty of claim 13, wherein at least one of the four or more plates fourth from the end has a fourth shape from the end that is different from the intermediate shape of the one or more intermediate plates. Visual configuration detector. The difficult-to-see configuration detector according to claim 15, wherein the fourth shape from the end is different from the third shape from the end, the second shape from the end, and the end shape. 15. The end shape, the second shape from the end, the third shape from the end, and the fourth shape from the end are each defined by eight or more linear sides, claim 15. The difficult-to-see configuration detector described in.

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