Electric potential sensor
AssigneeThe University of Sussex
InventorsRobert Prance, Christopher Harland
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Abstract
The invention provides an electric potential sensor including, at least one detection electrode arranged for capacitive coupling with a sample under test and for generating a measurement signal, and a sensor amplifier adapted to receive the measurement signal as input and to supply an amplified detection signal as output. An input impedance enhancing element provides a high input impedance to the sensor amplifier for increasing the sensitivity of the electrode to reduced electric potentials, and a feedback element applies a coherent feedback signal to the input of the sensor amplifier for enhancing the signal to noise ratio of the sensor.
Claims10
An electric potential sensor, comprising:
- at least one detection electrode arranged for capacitive coupling with a sample under test and for generating a measurement signal, the at least one detection electrode being arranged to generate an AC measurement signal;
- a sensor amplifier adapted to receive the measurement signal as input and to supply an amplified detection signal as output;
- input impedance enhancing means for providing a high input impedance to the sensor amplifier for increasing the sensitivity of the electrode to reduced electric potentials;
- an oscillator arranged for generating an oscillator output having a frequency corresponding with the frequency of the measurement signal;
- and
- feedback means responsive to the oscillator output for producing a feedback reference signal for applying a coherent feedback to the input of the sensor amplifier for enhancing the signal to noise ratio of the sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.