US 2026/0085964 A1Published application

Method for detecting a measurement object using a sensor with self-monitoring of the measuring position, and sensor, in particular adapted for carrying out such a method

AssigneeRechner Industrie-Elektronik GmbH

InventorsEduard BISCHLER, Armin KOHLER, Stefan GEBHARDT

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A method for detecting a measurement object in a measurement arrangement by a sensor. The sensor includes measurement electronics with an active surface, which has a measurement electrode and a counter electrode, and with an evaluation unit. The method includes generating a spatial measuring field, determining a calibration value, attaching the sensor to a surface of the measurement arrangement for measuring in a measuring position, determining a setting value in the measuring position in the absence of a measurement object within the measuring field, specifying a threshold value, which is defined by a value lying between the calibration value and the setting value, activating a measurement process for detecting the measurement object in the measurement position and capacitively detecting a measurement signal, a warning signal being output if the measurement value corresponding to the measurement signal is less than or equal to the defined threshold value.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A measuring method for detecting a measurement object in a measurement arrangement by a sensor, the sensor having measurement electronics with an active surface, which has at least one measuring electrode and at least one counter electrode, and with an evaluation unit for evaluating a measuring signal detected by the at least one measuring electrode, comprising the steps:

generating a spatial measurement field by the measurement electronics of the sensor, the measurement field extending essentially transversely to the active surface and starting from the active surface,
determining a calibration value by capacitively detecting and evaluating a first measurement signal by the measurement electronics of the sensor, namely before the sensor is attached to a surface of a measurement arrangement for measurement in a measurement position, and storing the calibration value in the measurement electronics of the sensor,
attaching the sensor to the surface of the measurement arrangement for measuring in the measuring position in which a component of the measurement arrangement is located within the measuring field of the sensor,
determining a setting value by capacitively detecting and evaluating a second measurement signal by the measurement electronics of the sensor when the sensor is located in the measurement position and when the measurement object is missing within the measurement field of the sensor, and storing the setting value in the measurement electronics of the sensor, the setting value being greater than the calibration value,
specifying a threshold value by the measurement electronics in such a way that this is defined by a value lying between the calibration value and the setting value,
activating a measurement process for detecting the measurement object within the measurement field when the sensor is in the measurement position,
capacitively detecting and evaluating of a third measurement signal by the measurement electronics of the sensor, and
in the event that the detected third measurement signal evaluated by the measurement electronics corresponds to a measurement value which is less than the specified threshold value or equal to the specified threshold value, outputting a warning signal.

5 more elements

A proximity sensor for detecting a measurement object in a measurement arrangement, the sensor comprising:

measurement electronics for generating a spatial measurement field and for detecting a measurement object within the measurement field with
an active surface, which has at least one measuring electrode and at least one counter electrode, the measuring field extending essentially transversely to the active surface and starting from the active surface, and
an evaluation unit for evaluating a measurement signal detected by the at least one measuring electrode,
wherein the sensor can be attached to a surface of a measurement arrangement, namely for measuring in a measuring position in which a component of the measurement arrangement is located within the measuring field of the sensor,
wherein a calibration value can be stored or is stored in the measurement electronics, which calibration value is based on a first measurement signal which has been detected in a state of the sensor which is not in the measurement position, and a setting value can also be stored or is stored in the measurement electronics, which setting value is based on a second measurement signal which has been detected in a state of the sensor which is in the measurement position when the measurement object is missing within the measurement field,
wherein the adjustment value (RE) is greater than the calibration value,
the measurement electronics being set up to specify a threshold value (S) in such a way that this is defined by a value lying between the calibration value and the setting value, and
the sensor is set up to start a measurement process for detecting the measurement object within the measurement field when the sensor is in the measurement position and to capacitively detect and evaluate a third measurement signal by the measurement electronics, and furthermore, in the event that the detected third measurement signal evaluated by the measurement electronics corresponds to a measurement value which is less than the defined threshold value or equal to the defined threshold value, to output a warning signal.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.