Apparatus and method for diagnostics of a capacitive sensor

A method for diagnosing a state of a capacitive sensor, the method comprising:

• determining an impedance of the capacitive sensor;
• determining a resistance of the capacitive sensor based on at least the impedance;
• determining a characteristic of a capacitor that exhibits a drift condition based on the resistance of the capacitive sensor;
• and
• providing an estimated capacitance based on the characteristic of the capacitor, the estimated capacitance being of the capacitive sensor exhibiting a fault condition.

An apparatus for diagnosing a state of a capacitive sensor, the apparatus comprising:

• a control unit for being operably coupled to a capacitor and the capacitive sensor, the capacitor exhibiting a drift condition and being configured to prevent a transfer of energy to the capacitive sensor, the control unit being configured to:
• determine an impedance of the capacitive sensor;
• determine a resistance of the capacitive sensor based on at least the impedance;
• determine a characteristic of the capacitor based on the resistance of the capacitive sensor;
• and
• provide an estimated capacitance based on the characteristic of the capacitor, the estimated capacitance being indicative of the capacitive sensor exhibiting a fault condition.