Patent ID: 8884633
Filing Date: 2014-11-11
Classification: G01N,G01R,G01V

Abstract:
1. An obscured feature detector comprising: a plurality of sensor plates, each having a capacitance that varies based on: (a) the proximity of the sensor plate to one or more surrounding objects, and (b) the dielectric constant(s) of the surrounding object(s); a sensing circuit coupled to the sensor plates, the circuit being configured to measure the capacitances of the sensor plates with the obscured feature detector in a stationary position, the set of measured capacitance values comprising a measured reading pattern; a controller comprising non-volatile memory storing a predetermined reading pattern comprising a plurality of capacitance values, and a pattern matching module configured to compare the measured reading pattern with the predetermined reading pattern, and determine whether the predetermined reading pattern matches the measured reading pattern; and one or a plurality of indicators coupled to the controller, each indicator capable of toggling between a deactivated state and an activated state, wherein the controller is configured to activate one or more of the indicators to identify a location of an obscured feature.