Patent ID: 7055387

Claim:
Apparatus for use in sensing a measured input, comprising: a capacitor having a capacitance that varies non-linearly in response to the measured input, the capacitor comprising a first electrode, a second electrode and a gap defined by a space between the electrodes; and circuitry that derives, from the capacitance, a signal that varies substantially linearly with the measured input, the circuitry comprising an amplifier comprising a first input terminal, a second input terminal, and an output terminal, the output terminal and the first input terminal defining a feedback path between the output terminal and the first input terminal, wherein the capacitance of the capacitor varies as an inverse of the gap of the capacitor, wherein the gap of the capacitor varies in response to changes in the measured input, wherein the capacitor is a first capacitor connected in the feedback path of the amplifier, wherein the circuitry is a first circuitry, and wherein the signal is derived from an output of the amplifier.