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Interdigital Proximity Sensor: Electrode Configuration, Interfacing, and An Application

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Interdigital Sensors

Part of the book series: Smart Sensors, Measurement and Instrumentation ((SSMI,volume 36))

Abstract

Capacitive sensors are widely used for proximity applications ranging from touch-sensitive screens to sensors for classifying human proximity. It is a well-established field with contributions from many researchers. In this chapter, an interdigitated capacitive proximity sensor to address an unsolved problem of children from being left behind in hot cars. The sensor presented is integrated into the infant seat. It works by utilizing the large relative permittivity of the human body. The existing mechanisms utilize the weight of the child/infant or a mechanical switch under the seat to detect the presence and fail to meet the functionality requirements sufficiently. As the presented one is not relying on such parameters and it only requires the proximity, the overall reliability that can be achieved is high. The electrode structure, together with the measurement scheme utilizes the coupling and shielding effects of the electric field. The electrode structure is a combination of a planar two-electrode scheme and interdigitated electrodes. The chapter presents a brief note on the state of the art, a potential solution, and test results from a prototype developed and evaluated in a car.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. OLA Electric, Bangalore, India

    Abhishek Ranjan

  2. Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India

    Abhishek Ranjan & Boby George

  3. School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

    S. C. Mukhopadhyay

Authors
  1. Abhishek Ranjan
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  2. Boby George
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  3. S. C. Mukhopadhyay
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Boby George .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Subhas Chandra Mukhopadhyay

  2. Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

    Boby George

  3. Department of Electronics and Communications Engineering, MCKV Institute of Engineering, Howrah, West Bengal, India

    Joyanta Kumar Roy

  4. Department of Electrical Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia (Central University), New Delhi, Delhi, India

    Tarikul Islam

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Ranjan, A., George, B., Mukhopadhyay, S.C. (2021). Interdigital Proximity Sensor: Electrode Configuration, Interfacing, and An Application. In: Mukhopadhyay, S.C., George, B., Roy, J.K., Islam, T. (eds) Interdigital Sensors. Smart Sensors, Measurement and Instrumentation, vol 36. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62684-6_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62684-6_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-62683-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-62684-6

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