To create applications for smart environments we can select from a huge variety of sensors that measure environmental parameters or detect activities of different actors within the premises. Capacitive proximity sensors use weak electric fields to recognize conductive objects, such as the human body. They can be unobtrusively applied or even provide information when hidden from view. In the pas...

A concentric coplanar capacitive sensor includes a charged central disc forming a first electrode, an outer annular ring coplanar with and outer to the charged central disc, the outer annular ring forming a second electrode, and a gap between the charged central disc and the outer annular ring. The first electrode and the second electrode may be attached to an insulative film. A method provides...

A new technique to measure a capacitor or a capacitive sensor by means of a direct sensor-to-microcontroller interface circuit that does not need a calibration capacitor is proposed. Basically, the measurement process consists of three consecutive steps of charge, discharge and charge of the capacitor under test. A non-linear equation is obtained and solved that is dependent only on known circu...

In the world of MEMS processing today, fabrications of membrane are performed using bulk micromachining (BMM). However these techniques not easiest to integrate with CMOS standard process due to not compatible of the processing flow. An attractive alternative deployment of surface micromachining (SMM). There is a trend to use surface micromachining to their advantage of simplicity in design and...