Patent ID: 7895014

Claim:
A method to locate a target ( 10 ) in regard of a capacitive sensor ( 100 ), comprising the steps of: collecting the outputs of the capacitive sensor ( 100 ), said capacitive sensor including a plurality of electrodes ( 110 , 120 , 130 ), and combining said outputs so as to obtain a signal representative of the distance separating said target ( 10 ) from the sensor ( 100 ) and to determine the amount of the surface of the sensor ( 100 ) covered by said target ( 10 ), said method further comprising a preparation method and a detection method, wherein said preparation method comprises the steps of: i) generating a first correspondence between an abscissa output signal of the capacitive sensor depending on temperature and humidity wherein there are o temperature values and p humidity values and o times p (o×p) temperature and humidity value combinations, and ii) generating for each one of said o×p combinations of o temperature values and p humidity values, a second correspondence between a real capacitive measure and the amount of target surface covering the sensor and a third correspondence between said real capacitive measure and the distance separating the target from said sensor, and wherein said detection method comprises the steps of: i) evaluating the real temperature and the real humidity on the basis of a measured abscissa output signal issued from the capacitive sensor and said first correspondence, ii) selecting said third correspondence on the basis of the real temperature and the real humidity evaluated at step i) and evaluating the distance separating said target and said sensor on the basis of a real capacitive measure issued from the sensor and on the basis of said selected third correspondence, and iii) selecting said second correspondence on the basis of the real temperature and the real humidity evaluated at step i) and evaluating the amount of the surface of the sensor covered by said target on the basis of said real capacitive measure issued from the sensor and on the basis of said selected second correspondence, wherein a processor executing programmed instructions is used to perform said steps.