Method for detecting approach and/or contact of the hand of a user close to a door handle of a motor vehicle, associated capacitive sensor and detection module

A capacitive sensor for detecting the approach and/or contact of a user's hand toward a motor vehicle door handle, said sensor comprising:

• an electrode having a capacitance, and
• a device for measuring a variation in said capacitance,
• a low-frequency antenna situated close to the electrode, emissions of said low-frequency antenna bringing about disturbances in the operation of the device for measuring the variation in the capacitance,
• means for calculating a new adaptive approach detection threshold depending on an average of the measured variations in said capacitance, calculated over a time interval, said measured variations being weighted by a factor depending on a difference between each measured variation and the average of the measured variations calculated previously over a previous predetermined time interval, and
• means for comparing between the variation in said capacitance and the adaptive threshold in order to confirm the approach detection in order to confirm the approach detection.

A module for detecting the approach and/or contact of a user's hand toward a motor vehicle door handle, said module comprising

• a capacitive sensor comprising:
• an electrode having a capacitance, and
• a device for measuring a variation in said capacitance, and
• a low-frequency antenna situated close to the electrode, the emissions of said low-frequency antenna bringing about disturbances in the operation of the device for measuring the variation in the capacitance,
• means for calculating a new adaptive approach detection threshold depending on an average of the measured variations in said capacitance, calculated over a time interval, said measured variations being weighted by a factor depending on a difference between each measured variation and the average of the measured variations calculated previously over a previous predetermined time interval, and
• means for comparing between the variation in said capacitance and the adaptive threshold in order to confirm the approach detection in order to confirm the approach detection.