Patent ID: 11904959
Assignee: ZF ACTIVE SAFETY AND ELECTRONICS US LLC
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC B  G  H | IPC B  G  H

Claim 0:
1. A system for detecting water within an electronic power steering assembly comprising:
a sensor assembly comprising a resistor and a water-sensitive capacitor arranged to provide a series resistor-capacitor (RC) network having a cut-off frequency that is a function of a capacitance of the water-sensitive capacitor, wherein the water-sensitive capacitor is configured to experience an increase in capacitance when water displaces another substance between conductive surfaces of the water-sensitive capacitor having a lower relative permittivity;
an oscillator that provides an excitation to the series RC network having a known frequency, the series RC network providing an output in response to the excitation;
an envelope detector that receives the output of the series RC network and generates an output representing an amplitude of the output of the series RC network; and
a microcontroller that determines if water is present within the electronic power steering assembly from the amplitude of the output of the series RC network.