阅读说明：本技术 补偿电容传感控制元件中的机械公差 (Compensating for mechanical tolerances in capacitive sensing control elements ) 是由 P·斯皮瓦克 于 2020-01-31 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种设备包括第一电极(310)、第二电极(320)和第三电极(120),该第三电极具有第一相对表面(350)和第二相对表面(360)。第一相对表面(350)邻近第一电极(310)并与第一电极(310)相隔第一距离,第二相对表面(360)邻近第二电极(320)并与第二电极(320)相隔第二距离。第三电极(120)被配置为相对于第一电极(310)和第二电极(320)移动。电容传感电路耦合到第一电极(310)和第二电极(320)。电容传感电路被配置为使用第一电极(310)和第二电极(320)确定电容。(An apparatus includes a first electrode (310), a second electrode (320), and a third electrode (120) having a first opposing surface (350) and a second opposing surface (360). The first opposing surface (350) is adjacent to the first electrode (310) and spaced apart from the first electrode (310) by a first distance, and the second opposing surface (360) is adjacent to the second electrode (320) and spaced apart from the second electrode (320) by a second distance. The third electrode (120) is configured to move relative to the first electrode (310) and the second electrode (320). The capacitive sensing circuit is coupled to the first electrode (310) and the second electrode (320). The capacitance sensing circuit is configured to determine a capacitance using the first electrode (310) and the second electrode (320).)

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a first electrode having an inner lumen;

a second electrode disposed within the lumen of the first electrode, the second electrode configured to move within the lumen relative to the first electrode; and

a capacitance sensing circuit coupled to the first electrode and the second electrode, the capacitance sensing circuit configured to determine a capacitance of the first electrode and the second electrode.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a cross-section of the first electrode through the lumen has an approximately rectangular shape, and wherein a cross-section of the second electrode has an approximately rectangular shape.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the capacitance sensing circuit is configured to determine the capacitance by charge transfer from a capacitor defined by the first electrode and the second electrode.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the capacitance varies as the second electrode moves relative to the first electrode.

5. An apparatus, comprising:

a first electrode;

a second electrode;

a third electrode having a first opposing surface and a second opposing surface, the first opposing surface being adjacent to and spaced a first distance from the first electrode and the second opposing surface being adjacent to and spaced a second distance from the second electrode, the third electrode being configured to move relative to the first electrode and the second electrode; and

a capacitance sensing circuit coupled to the first electrode and the second electrode, the capacitance sensing circuit configured to determine a capacitance using the first electrode and the second electrode.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the third electrode has third and fourth opposing surfaces orthogonally arranged relative to the first and second opposing surfaces, and further comprising:

a fourth electrode adjacent to the third opposing surface, the fourth electrode being spaced a third distance from the third opposing surface; and

a fifth electrode adjacent to the fourth opposing surface, the fifth electrode being spaced a fourth distance from the fourth opposing surface.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the fourth electrode and the fifth electrode are coupled to the capacitive sensing circuit.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the third electrode is configured to move relative to the third electrode and the fourth electrode.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the third electrode comprises a floating electrode.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first and second electrodes are coupled together at a first node and the third and fourth electrodes are coupled together at a second node.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the capacitance sensing circuit is configured to:

in a first state, coupling the first node to a fixed voltage reference, causing a first voltage to be provided to the second node, and then causing charge to be transferred from the second node to a capacitor; and

in a second state, coupling the second node to the fixed voltage reference causes the first voltage to be provided to the first node and then causes charge to be transferred from the first node to the capacitor.

12. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the capacitance sensing circuit is configured to determine the capacitance by charge transfer from a first capacitance between the first electrode and the first opposing surface and from a second capacitance between the second electrode and the second opposing surface.

13. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein when the third electrode is moved relative to the first and second electrodes, any movement of the first opposing surface toward the first electrode that causes the first distance to decrease also causes movement of the second opposing surface away from the second electrode that causes the second distance to increase.

14. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a motor, and a speed of the motor is controllable based on movement of the third electrode relative to the first and second electrodes.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a first fixed electrode;

a second fixed electrode;

a third fixed electrode;

a fourth fixed electrode;

a fifth movable electrode having first and second opposing surfaces and third and fourth opposing surfaces, the first opposing surface being adjacent to and spaced a first distance from the first electrode, the second opposing surface being adjacent to and spaced a second distance from the second electrode, the third opposing surface being adjacent to and spaced a third distance from the third electrode, the fourth opposing surface being adjacent to and spaced a fourth distance from the fourth electrode, the fifth movable electrode being configured to move relative to the first, second, third and fourth electrodes; and

a capacitance sensing circuit coupled to the first electrode, the second electrode, the third electrode, and the fourth electrode, and configured to determine a capacitance using the first electrode, the second electrode, the third electrode, and the fourth electrode.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the fifth movable electrode comprises a floating electrode.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the fifth movable electrode is not electrically connected to the capacitive sensing circuit.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first and second electrodes are coupled together at a first node and the third and fourth electrodes are coupled together at a second node.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the capacitance sensing circuit is configured to:

in a first state, coupling the first node to a fixed voltage reference, causing a first voltage to be provided to the second node, and then causing charge to be transferred from the second node to a capacitor; and

in a second state, coupling the second node to the fixed voltage reference causes the first voltage to be provided to the first node and then causes charge to be transferred from the first node to the capacitor.

Background

Many types of machines and devices are operated by a user pulling or pressing a mechanical actuator (e.g., trigger, button, etc.). For some equipment, the force of the user operating the actuator may affect the operation of the device. For example, the harder the user pulls the trigger of the drill, the faster the motor of the drill rotates to increase the speed of the drill bit. Many types of such force-sensitive user-actuated equipment use resistive actuators to control the operation of the equipment.

Disclosure of Invention

In one example, an apparatus includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode having a first opposing surface and a second opposing surface. The first opposing surface is adjacent to and spaced a first distance from the first electrode, and the second opposing surface is adjacent to and spaced a second distance from the second electrode. The third electrode is configured to be movable relative to the first electrode and the second electrode. The capacitive sensing circuit is coupled to the first electrode and the second electrode. The capacitance sensing circuit is configured to determine a capacitance using the first electrode and the second electrode.

Drawings

For a detailed description of various examples, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

fig. 1 shows a device comprising a capacitive sensing controlled actuator.

Fig. 2 shows a capacitive sensing controlled actuator comprising a movable electrode moving relative to a fixed electrode.

Fig. 3 and 4 show the movable electrode in two different positions relative to the fixed electrode.

Fig. 5 shows an electrical model of the electrode of fig. 3 and 4.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a capacitive sensing circuit that can be used to measure the effective capacitance of the movable electrode and the fixed electrode.

Fig. 7 shows an example of an electrode plate included on the opposite surface of the movable electrode, which is electrically connected to the movable electrode.

Fig. 8 shows an example of electrode plates included on opposite surfaces of a movable electrode, in which the movable electrode floats.

Fig. 9 shows an example of two pairs of electrode plates disposed around a movable electrode.

Fig. 10 shows a capacitive sensing circuit that may be used with the electrode configuration of fig. 9.

Detailed Description

Disclosed examples are directed to capacitance-based sensing techniques for operating a device. In one example, a user of the device applies a force to the actuator, thereby moving the actuator to operate the device. The actuator includes a plurality of conductive electrodes configured as one or more capacitors. Some of the electrodes are fixed in position within the device, and when a user applies force to the actuator, one of the electrodes moves relative to the fixed electrode. Movement of the movable electrode relative to the fixed electrode changes the capacitance between the fixed electrode and the movable electrode. The changed capacitance is determined by the capacitance sensing circuit and the detected change in capacitance controls the operation of the device. The device may be any type of user-actuated device, such as an electric drill, angle grinder, electric screwdriver, other types of power tools, appliances, toys, joysticks, and the like.

In general, the capacitance between two parallel plates is a function of the ratio of the plate area to the distance between the plates (and the dielectric constant of the material between the plates). When the movable electrode is moved relative to the fixed electrode, the amount of electrode surface area that overlaps between the fixed and movable electrodes changes, thereby changing the capacitance. The distance between the movable electrode and the fixed electrode is nominally a preset distance and does not change. However, due to vibrations and mechanical tolerances of the device and its environment, the distance may indeed vary when the movable electrode is translated with respect to the fixed electrode. In such a case, not only the overlapping area of the electrodes is changing, but also the distance between the fixed electrode and the movable electrode is changing. Only this changed distance changes the sensed capacitance and the operation of the device. The examples described herein address this issue.

Fig. 1 shows a device 100 with an actuator 110. The actuator 110 is moved by applying a force. For example, a person may push or pull the actuator 110, and the actuator 110 may resist movement due to a spring or other resistance mechanism. The movable electrode 120 is coupled to the actuator 110. Therefore, when the actuator 110 moves, the movable electrode 120 also moves. The movable electrode 120 moves relative to a fixed electrode, which is not shown in fig. 1, but is shown in other figures. Movement of the actuator 110 causes the device 100 to perform a function (e.g., drilling). The device 100 in this example includes a motor 125 whose speed is controlled by applying a force (e.g., a human finger) -e.g., the speed of the motor is proportional to the amount of force applied to the actuator 110. The movable electrode 120 forms part of a capacitor whose capacitance changes with the movement of the movable electrode. The change in capacitance is detected by a capacitance sensing circuit (discussed below), and causes a change in the function performed by the device 100 (e.g., start, stop, increase the speed of the motor, decrease the speed of the motor, etc.).

FIG. 2 illustrates one example of an electrode that may be used in capacitance-based sensing technology. The movable electrode 120 moves relative to the fixed electrode 210 in the direction of arrow 205. The electrodes 120, 210 are made of, or otherwise coated with, a conductive material (e.g., metal). The fixed electrode 210 does not move relative to the device in which it is used (e.g., device 100). In this example, the fixed electrode 210 has an approximately rectangular cross-sectional shape (e.g., a rectangle or a rectangle with rounded corners). In some examples, the rectangular cross-sectional shape is approximately square. The fixed electrode 210 has a lumen 212, and the movable electrode 120 is disposed within the lumen 212. The cross-sectional shape of the movable electrode 120 in this example is also approximately rectangular. Other cross-sectional shapes for the movable electrode 120 and the fixed electrode 210 are also possible (e.g., triangular, elliptical, circular, etc.).

Fig. 3 and 4 illustrate the positioning of the movable electrode 120 relative to the fixed electrode 210. In these examples, only those surfaces 310 and 320 of the fixed electrode 210 that are adjacent to a pair of opposing surfaces 350 and 360 of the movable electrode 120 are shown for convenience. In the arrangement of FIG. 3, the movable electrode 120 is entirely within the lumen 212 defined by the fixed electrode 210 such that the entire surface 310 of the fixed electrode 210 approximately overlaps the entire corresponding surface 350 of the movable electrode 120. The area of the surface 310 is its length L1 multiplied by its width W1 (area L1 × W1). The distance between surfaces 310 and 350 is D1. The area of the opposing surface 320 is the same as the surface 310 (and the area of the surfaces 310, 320 may be the same or different than the area of the opposing surfaces 350, 360), and the distance D2 between the surface 320 and the adjacent surface 360 of the movable electrode is nominally the same (e.g., D2 — D1). The space between the corresponding surfaces 310, 350 and the space between the corresponding surfaces 320, 360 may be air gaps.

The facing surfaces 310 and 350 represent a pair of parallel plates, thereby forming a capacitor. The capacitance of a pair of parallel plates is a function, at least in part, of the ratio of their area to the distance between the plates. With the movable electrode 120 in the position shown in FIG. 3 (completely between the surfaces 310, 320 of the fixed electrodes), the capacitance provided by the surfaces 310, 350 is therefore a function of (L1 xW 1)/D1.

In FIG. 4, the movable electrode 120 has moved in the direction of arrow 205, and thus only a portion of the surfaces 350, 360 is between the surfaces 310 and 320 of the fixed electrode 210. Specifically, a portion 450 of the surface 350 of the movable electrode 120 is covered by a corresponding portion 440 of the surface 310 of the fixed electrode 210. The sections 440 and 450 have a length of L2 and a width of W1, and an area of L2 × W1 for each section 440, 450. Since L2 is smaller than L1, the area of the capacitor defined by 310/350 and by 320/360 in fig. 4 is smaller than that in fig. 3. Another pair of capacitors is implemented between another pair of surfaces 460, 470 (orthogonal to the surfaces 350, 360 of the movable electrode 120) and a corresponding surface (not shown in fig. 3 and 4) of the fixed electrode 210.

When the movable electrode 120 moves relative to the fixed electrode 210, the overlapping area between the surfaces of the fixed electrode and the movable electrode changes. In theory, the distance D1 between the surfaces does not change. However, the distance D1 may indeed vary due to manufacturing tolerances in the size and shape of the electrode surface, the tilt of the moving electrode relative to the fixed electrode(s), and/or the vibrations experienced by the device 100 containing the electrodes. For example, as the movable electrode 120 moves in the direction of arrow 205, the surface 350 of the movable electrode 120 may become closer to the surface 310 of the fixed electrode 210 (i.e., D1 becomes smaller). The smaller the distance between the parallel plates of the capacitor, the more the capacitance tends to increase. Of course, the area of the overlapped portion of the plates also changes with the movement of the movable electrode 120. Ideally, the capacitance of the parallel plates would change only due to changes in the overlapping plate area, but in practice, the capacitance is unfortunately also affected by any change in D1. As D1 between surfaces 310 and 350 decreases, the distance D2 between surfaces 320 and 360 increases. Accordingly, and as explained further below with reference to fig. 5, any increase in capacitance between surfaces 310 and 350 due solely to a decrease in D1 (e.g., electrode 120 becoming closer to or farther from surface 370) and/or due to inadvertent tilting of electrode 120 relative to surfaces 320, 350 as electrode 120 moves relative to surfaces 320, 350 is offset by a corresponding decrease in capacitance between surfaces 320 and 360.

Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the fixed electrode 210 and the movable electrode 120. Capacitor C1 represents the capacitance formed by the facing conductive surfaces 310 and 350, and capacitor C2 represents the capacitance formed by the facing conductive surfaces 320 and 360. Capacitors C3 and C4 represent the capacitances formed by adjacent surfaces 510 and 370(C4) and surfaces 520 and 380 (C3). The electrical contact 501 is connected to the fixed electrode 210 and the electrical contact 502 is connected to the movable electrode 120. Fig. 5 also shows the corresponding electrical model. The capacitors C1-C4 are connected in parallel. The effective capacitance (Ceff) of the capacitors in parallel is the sum of the capacitances. If the surface 350 of the movable electrode becomes closer to the surface 310 by a certain amount, the surface 360 will become further from the surface 320 by the same amount. Thus, simply by changing the distance between the conductive surfaces, the capacitance of C2 will decrease by the same amount as the increase in capacitance of C1, and the effective capacitance of the parallel combination of C1-C4 will remain the same. Thus, the electrode arrangement automatically compensates for the distance change between the surfaces, as well as any tilting of the moving electrode relative to the fixed electrode(s).

Fig. 6 shows electrodes 120 and 210 connected to an example capacitive sensing circuit 610. In this example, electrode 210 is grounded and electrode 120 is the sensing electrode of the active circuitry connected to capacitive sensing circuit 610. In another example, electrode 120 is grounded and electrode 210 is connected to the active circuitry of capacitive sensing circuit 610. In this example, the capacitance sensing circuit 610 includes a control circuit 620, a charge transfer capacitor Ctrans, and switches S1 and S2. The capacitance sensing circuit 620 implements a charge transfer technique to determine the effective capacitance of the two pairs of capacitors C1, C2 and C3, C4 defined by the electrodes 120 and 210. In some examples, control circuit 620 is a finite state machine. The control circuit 620 asserts control signals 621 and 622 to control the open/closed (on/off) states of switches S1 and S2, respectively. When switch S1 is closed and switch S2 is open, the parallel capacitor banks C1-C4 are charged using the reference voltage (REF). During the discharge phase, switch S1 is opened and switch S2 is closed, discharging the parallel capacitor bank C1-C4 through the control circuit 620. The charge from the parallel capacitor bank C1-C4 is used to charge the charge transfer capacitor Ctrans. The control circuit 620 calculates the amount of charge transferred to the charge transfer capacitor Ctran between the parallel capacitor banks C1-C4. In one example, the number of charge transfer cycles (e.g., measured using a counter) required for the voltage on the capacitor Ctrans to reach a predetermined voltage threshold determines the capacitance. In another example, a predetermined/fixed number of charge transfer cycles is performed, and the resulting voltage on capacitor Ctrans is measured (e.g., via an analog-to-digital converter) and mapped to a capacitance value. In addition to charge transfer, other techniques may be implemented to determine capacitance.

The control circuit 620 then closes switch S1 and opens switch S2 to again charge the parallel capacitor bank C1-C4. The control circuit 620 operates the switches S1 and S2 to repeatedly charge the parallel capacitor banks C1-C4 and then transfer charge from the parallel capacitor banks C1-C4 onto the charge transfer capacitors Ctrans while determining the amount of charge transferred in each cycle. The amount of charge transferred from the parallel capacitor bank C1-C4 is a function of the effective capacitance Ceff of the capacitor bank, which in turn is a function of the amount of overlap area of the facing surfaces of the electrodes 120 and 210, and is determined by the relative position of the movable electrode 120 with respect to the fixed electrode. Each change/discharge cycle takes a fraction of a second (e.g., hundreds or thousands of charge/discharge cycles per second). A predetermined number of charge/discharge cycles (e.g., 100) may be implemented by the control circuit 620 to determine the effective capacitance of the parallel capacitor banks C1-C4.

Fig. 7 shows an example in which the movable electrode 710 is between two separate facing conductive plate electrodes 720 and 730. The plate electrodes 720 and 730 are electrically connected together at connection point 740, and connection point 742 is connected to the movable electrode 710. FIG. 7 also shows that the corresponding electrical model is capacitor C710/720 (the capacitor formed between electrodes 710 and 720) in parallel with capacitor C710/730 (the capacitor formed between electrodes 710 and 730). Capacitive sensing circuitry, as in FIG. 6, may be connected to connection points 740 and 742 to determine the effective capacitance of C710/720 and C710/730.

In the above embodiments, the moveable electrode has an electrical connection to the capacitive sensing circuit 620. In one example, the flexible wire is welded to the movable electrode with sufficient slack to allow the electrode to move without damaging the wire or weld. However, the solder joint may fail in long-term use. Thus, in some examples, the movable electrode is allowed to "float," that is, the movable electrode is not directly electrically connected to anything, such as a capacitive sensing circuit.

Fig. 8 shows an example, which is similar to the example of fig. 7, but without electrical connection to the movable electrode 810. Instead, each of the fixed plate electrodes 820 and 830 has its own connection point (connection point 840 for electrode 810 and connection point 842 for electrode 830). As a result of the capacitor formed by the parallel plates, the model shown in fig. 8 is that capacitor C810/820 (the capacitor formed between electrodes 810 and 820) is connected in series with capacitor 810/830 (the capacitor formed between electrodes 810 and 830). The effective capacitance of a series-connected capacitor is the ratio of the product of its capacitances to the sum of its capacitances. The capacitance sensing circuit 620 may be used to determine the effective capacitance.

Fig. 9 shows an example in which four separate fixed electrodes 950, 960, 970, and 980 are disposed around the outer surface of the movable electrode 910. In cross-section in this example, the movable electrode 910 is square or rectangular and has four surfaces 910, 911, 912 and 913. The stationary electrode 950 is adjacent to the surface 911. The fixed electrode 960 is adjacent to the surface 913. Fixed electrode 970 is adjacent to surface 914. Fixed electrode 980 is adjacent surface 912. There is sufficient gap 940 between each fixed electrode and its respective movable electrode surface to form a capacitor. Thus, the combination of the surface of the movable electrode 910 and the four fixed electrodes 950, 960, 970, and 980 form four capacitors. Fig. 9 also shows that the fixed electrodes 970 and 980 are electrically connected together and provide a connection point 982. Similarly, fixed electrodes 950 and 960 are electrically connected together and provide a connection point 984.

Fig. 10 shows an example of an electrical model 985 of the four capacitors of fig. 9 and a capacitive sensing circuit 1000 coupled to connection points 982 and 984 to determine the effective capacitance between connection points 982 and 984. Capacitor C5 represents the capacitance formed by fixed electrode 950 and surface 911 of movable electrode 910. Capacitor C6 represents the capacitance formed by the fixed electrode 960 and the surface 913 of the movable electrode 910. Capacitor C7 represents the capacitance formed by fixed electrode 970 and surface 914 of movable electrode 910. Capacitor C8 represents the capacitance formed by fixed electrode 980 and surface 912 of movable electrode 910. Capacitors C5 and C6 are connected in parallel. Capacitors C7 and C8 are connected in parallel. The parallel combination of capacitors C5 and C6 is connected in series with the parallel combination of capacitors C7 and C8 via the movable electrode 910. In this example, electrode 910 is floating, that is, electrode 910 is not electrically connected to capacitive sensing circuit 1000.

The arrows passing through each pair of capacitors C5/C6 and C7/C8 represent the variation of each capacitor with respect to the other capacitor of the parallel pair. For example, as the capacitance of capacitor C5 increases, the capacitance of capacitor C6 decreases, and vice versa, due to the tilt of movable electrode 910 relative to fixed electrodes 850, 960, 970, and 980. Likewise, as the capacitance of capacitor C7 increases, the capacitance of capacitor C8 decreases, and vice versa.

The effective capacitance between electrodes 982 and 910 is:

Ceff_C5_C6＝C5n+C6n (1)

wherein

C5n＝C5+ΔC5+C5err (2)

Where C5 is the capacitance of C5 with the electrode at a fixed position (e.g., a preset position of the movable electrode 910 relative to the fixed electrode), Δ C5 is the change in C5 due to movement of the movable electrode 910 relative to the fixed electrode (assuming no tilt), and C5err is the change in C5 due to tilt of the movable electrode 910. C6n is given as follows:

C6n＝C6+ΔC6-C6err (3)

where C6 is the capacitance of C6 with the electrode at a fixed position, Δ C6 is the change in C6 (assuming no tilt) due to movement of the movable electrode 910 relative to the fixed electrode, and C6err is the change in C5 due to tilt of the movable electrode 910. The size of C6err is the same as C5err, and the effect on C6n is opposite to that of C5n, as shown by adding C5err in equation (2) but subtracting C6err in equation (3). The relationship of C7 and C8 is similar to that of C5 and C6 described above. That is to say that the first and second electrodes,

Ceff_C7_C8＝C5n+C6n (4)

C7n＝C7+ΔC7+C7err (5)

C8n＝C8+ΔC8-C8err (6)

the capacitive sensing circuit 1000 includes a control circuit 1020, a charge transfer capacitor Ctran and switches S3-S8. The control circuit 1020 asserts control signals to control the on/off state of each of the switches S3-S8. The connection point (to capacitors C5 and C6) is connected to switches S3, S4, and S7. Connection point 984 is connected to switches S5, S6, and S8. Switches S3 and S5 are also connected to a reference voltage on reference voltage node 1111 (e.g., a dedicated reference voltage with low noise to avoid affecting capacitance measurements), and switches S4 and S6 are connected to a ground node. The control circuit 1020 turns on one (but not both) of S3 or S4, thereby connecting the capacitors C5 and C6 to the supply voltage or ground. Likewise, the control circuit 1020 turns on one (but not both) of S5 and S6, thereby connecting the capacitors C7 and C8 to the supply voltage or ground. In operation, control circuit 1020 may connect connection point 982 to ground and connection point 984 to the reference voltage (node 1111). Control circuit 1020 may alternatively ground connection 984, connection 982 being connected to the reference voltage (node 1111). Thus, the series connected parallel capacitor pair may be charged with the supply voltage on connection point 982 and connection point 984 is grounded, or vice versa.

Once the set of capacitors C5-C8 is charged with the connection point 984 grounded (via switch S6) and the supply voltage applied to the connection point 982 (via switch S3), switches S3 and S6 are opened by the control circuit 1020, and the control circuit 1020 closes switch S7 to discharge the set of capacitors C6-C8 to the charge transfer capacitor Ctrans. The process of charging the capacitor using the connection point 982 and then discharging through Ctans is repeated multiple times (e.g., 100 times) to obtain a measurement of the effective capacitance between the connection points 982 and 984, according to any of a variety of charge transfer techniques (e.g., the techniques described above). The control circuit 1020 may then repeat the charge/discharge cycle (e.g., 100 times), this time grounding the connection point 982 and connecting to the reference voltage using the connection point 984.

The examples of fig. 2-10 show the outer electrode relative to the movable electrodes 120, 710, 810, and 910. In other examples, any or all of the "outer" electrodes are internal to the movable electrode. In fig. 9, any or all of electrodes 950, 960, 970, and 980 may be located within movable electrode 910. For example, electrodes 950 and 960 can be internal to the movable electrode while electrodes 970 and 980 are external, or vice versa. Electrodes 950 and 970 may be internal to movable electrode 910 while electrodes 960 and 980 are external, or vice versa. In some cases, only one of the four electrodes 950, 960, 970, or 980 is internal to the movable electrode 910 while the other electrodes are external, or only one electrode is external while the other three are internal.

In this description, the term "coupled" means either an indirect or direct wired or wireless connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection or through an indirect connection via other devices and connections. Modifications may be made in the described embodiments within the scope of the claims, and other embodiments are possible.