Patent Document ID: 8538032
Application ID: 12431368
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A load detection apparatus for a load comprising multiple frequency-dependant sub-loads, the load detection apparatus comprising: an impedance measuring unit that is connected to the load and measures a representation of the impedance characteristic of the load, and calculates a quantity representing the shape of the impedance characteristic of the load; a memory unit in which one or more representations of the quantity representing the shape of the impedance characteristic of the load resulting from different configurations of the sub-loads are stored; and a comparison unit that is connected to the impedance measuring unit to receive a representation of the shape of the currently measured impedance characteristic of the load and to the memory unit to receive the stored representations; where the comparison unit compares the measured representation of the shape with the stored representations and, in case that the measured representation matches one of the stored representations the comparison unit identifies the configuration of the sub-loads within the load where the quantity representing the shape of the impedance characteristic of the load is the slope, or an approximation thereof, of a measured impedance curve at at least one pre-defined base frequency.