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Advanced Capacitive Sensing
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) seeks qualified users and/or manufacturers to pursue further development and commercialization of a capacitive sensor and the numerous technologies it enables. The sensor can be used singly or in closely packed arrays for diverse applications. Industries that can benefit from the NASA-developed technology include automotive, industrial robotics, and security.
The Capaciflector can be used to detect mass and moisture, thereby enabling the Capaciflector to be used for industrial process controls such as fluid monitoring, counting, and capacity monitoring. It also detects motion. This ability enables use for safety, security, and process monitoring such as object detection, human detection, and measurement of rpm. Applying these sensing capabilities, the Capaciflector lends itself to specific applications, including:
As illustrated in Figure 1, the Capaciflector is a capacitive sensing element backed by an active reflector element that acts as a shield to reflect field lines. The capacitive coupling between the senor and the object is used to control an oscillator. As an object moves closer, the capacitance increases and the oscillator frequency decreases, which allows varying detection ranges for objects. The active shield reflector is electrically isolated from the sensor and follows the oscillator, keeping it in phase with the electric field of the sensor without affecting the oscillator frequency. The reflector therefore reflects the electric field of the sensor without being affected by the coupling between the sensor and the approaching object. The Capaciflector can be used as a single unit (see Figure 1b), or as a closely packed array (see Figure 1c). Even though the sensors are separated only by a few thousandths of an inch in the array, there is virtually zero cross-talk. In the array configuration, each sensor performs independently as a Capaciflector, operating off a common driven shield and locked to a single oscillator in frequency, amplitude, and phase. Flexible printed circuit boards have been constructed of Capaciflector arrays that can image in 3-D and act as a "Capaciflector camera." The Capaciflector array concept has also been extended to embedding the sensors into structures so that they become load-bearing parts of the structure. Applications for this aspect include self-diagnostic systems and end-effectors for robots. The Capaciflector technology has several U.S. patents.
For information and forms related to the technology licensing and partnering process, please visit the Licensing and Partnering page. (Link opens new browser window.) If you are interested in more information or want to pursue transfer of this technology, please contact: Innovative Partnerships Program Office |
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