Patent ID: 8050876
Filing Date: 2011-11-01
Classification: H03K

Abstract:
1. A method of operating a capacitive sensor assembly comprising at least one capacitive sensor element and a capacitance-to-digital converter (CDC) that supplies output codes corresponding to sensor element capacitance, comprising acts of: a. detecting changes in an ambient electric field value associated with the at least one capacitive sensor element; b. modifying at least one threshold value in response to changes in said ambient electric field value, wherein the at least one threshold value is used to determine whether a part of a human body has touched the at least one sensor element; c. determining whether or not proximity of the part of a human body to the at least one sensor element exists, wherein proximity comprises a part of the human body being close to, but not touching, the at least one sensor element, wherein determining further comprises: d. preventing the modification of one or more threshold values while proximity is determined to exist.