Patent ID: 11933645
Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  H | IPC G  H

Claim 7:
8. An apparatus comprising:
a capacitive sensor configured to detect a capacitance value associated with a conductor;
a counter coupled to the capacitive sensor, wherein the counter is configured to determine a count value associated with the capacitance value; and
a controller coupled to the counter, wherein the controller is configured to determine a characteristic based on the count value, wherein:
the capacitive sensor includes a resistor-capacitor (RC) network configured to have a voltage charged at a rate based on the capacitance value;
a comparator is configured to compare the voltage on the RC network with a reference voltage;
an output of the comparator configures the RC network to discharge over a period of time; and
the counter is configured to count a number of cycles of an oscillator during the period of time.