Iee International Electronics and Engineering S.a.

Oliver Lion

Michael Pütz

Laurent Lamesch

Frank Althaus

Thomas Faber

Thomas Meyers

Alan Koehler

A method of operating a capacitive sensing device that includes a capacitive sensor having at least one sense electrode, a measurement signal source for providing an alternating electric measurement signal with at least three fixed predefined signal frequencies to the at least one sense electrode, and an impedance measurement circuit for determining an unknown complex impedance of the at least one sense electrode from a response to the provided electric measurement signal. The method includes, for each predefined signal frequency: determining statistical quantities and signal parameters regarding a number of determined momentary values of an unknown complex impedance; eliminating portions up to a predefined hand touch movement lower limit frequency and from a predefined high-frequency limit down to a predefined hand touch movement upper limit frequency; excluding statistical outliers from determined momentary values; and using an eliminated frequency portion for calculating a momentary reference value for the unknown complex impedance.

Robust 'hands on steering wheel' classification based on a relative measurement system

A capacitive detection system for detecting occupancy of a vehicle seat includes a signal generating unit and a signal evaluation unit. The vehicle seat has a seat heater member configured for receiving time-varying output signals of the signal generating unit. The signal evaluation unit is configured to generate an output signal that is indicative of the seat heater member to be defective, if the sensed capacitance of the seat heater member is less than a second predetermined threshold value for the sensed capacitance.

Capacitive vehicle seat occupancy detection system with detection of vehicle seat heater member interruption

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Merzig, Germany

Oliver Lion