# US 10,865,590 B2 · 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 > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,865,590 B2 - Document ID: US10865590B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/341,634 - Filed: 2017-11-28 - Published: 2019-12-19 - Granted: 2020-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2016-11-29 - Assignees: Continental Automotive France; Continental Automotive GmbH - Applicants: Continental Automotive France; Continental Automotive GmbH - Inventors: Gabriel Spick; Olivier Gerardiere; Carlos Eduardo Rodrigues - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10865590B2 ## CPC - E05B 81/64: Monitoring or sensing, e.g. by using switches or sensors - E05B 81/77: {comprising sensors detecting the presence of the hand of a user} - H03K 17/955: using a capacitive detector - E05Y 2400/86: by hand - E05Y 2900/50: for vehicles - H03K 2217/94026: Automatic threshold calibration; e.g. threshold automatically adapts to ambient conditions or follows variation of input - H03K 2217/94031: Calibration involving digital processing - H03K 2217/960705: Safety of capacitive touch and proximity switches, e.g. increasing reliability, fail-safe - E05B: LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) - E05Y: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF ## Abstract A method for detecting the approach and/or contact of a user's hand close to a motor vehicle door handle. The handle including: an electrode having a capacitance, and a device for measuring the variation in capacitance, a low-frequency antenna situated close to the electrode, the emissions of the low-frequency antenna bringing about disturbances in the operation of the device for measuring the variation in the capacitance. The method proposes that a new adaptive approach detection threshold be calculated, depending on an average of the previous measured variations in the capacitance, calculated over a predetermined time interval, the measured variations being weighted by a factor depending on a difference between each measured variation and the average of the variations calculated previously over a previous predetermined time interval, the approach detection being confirmed if the measured variation is higher than the new adaptive threshold. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for detecting the approach and/or contact of a user's hand close to a motor vehicle door handle, said handle 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, the method comprising: calculating a new adaptive approach detection threshold, depending on an average of previous measured variations in said capacitance, calculating over a predetermined time interval, said measured variations being weighted by a factor depending on a difference between each measured variation and the average of the variations calculated previously over a previous predetermined time interval, the approach detection being confirmed if the measured variation in said capacitance is higher than the new adaptive threshold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The detection method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the new adaptive threshold is calculated at a set frequency. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The detection method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined time interval and the previous predetermined time interval have equal durations. ### Claim 4 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. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) A motor vehicle comprising a sensor as claimed in claim 4. ### Claim 6 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. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The detection module as claimed in claim 6, wherein the calculating means and the comparison means take the form of software integrated into a microcontroller. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) A motor vehicle comprising a detection module as claimed in claim 7. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) A motor vehicle comprising a detection module as claimed in claim 6.