US 12,265,102 B2
Capacitive non-contact voltage sensing method and apparatus
Prabal Dutta, Ann Arbor, MI (US); Michael C. Lorek, Sacramento, CA (US); Brian Andika Purnomo, Ann Arbor, MI (US); and Aaron Block, Seattle, WA (US)
Assigned to 4QUADRANT NETWORKS INC., Seattle, WA (US)
Filed by 4Quadrant Networks Inc., Seattle, WA (US)
Filed on Mar. 28, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/191,601.
Application 18/191,601 is a continuation of application No. 17/542,326, filed on Dec. 3, 2021, granted, now 11,614,469.
Prior Publication US 2023/0236225 A1, Jul. 27, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01R 15/14 (2006.01); G01R 21/133 (2006.01); G01R 13/02 (2006.01)
CPC G01R 15/142 (2013.01) [G01R 21/133 (2013.01); G01R 13/02 (2013.01)] 27 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A capacitive voltage sensing apparatus suitable for obtaining a determination of a voltage between a conductor of an alternating current (AC) electrical circuit and a reference potential, without direct electrical contact to the conductor or interruption of the conductor and without comparison to another AC voltage signal, the non-contact voltage sensing apparatus comprising:
an electrode situatable near the conductor;
wherein the electrode includes a conductive layer affixed to or formed in or by a flexible PCB or other flexible substrate;
waveform-sensing electronic circuitry configured to obtain an AC voltage waveform induced by capacitive coupling between the conductor and the electrode;
capacitance-determining electronic circuitry configured to obtain a scaling factor based on a coupling capacitance formed between the conductor and the electrode; and
signal processing electronic circuitry configured to obtain, from the AC voltage waveform obtained by the waveform-sensing electronic circuitry and the coupling capacitance-based scaling factor obtained by the capacitance-determining electronic circuitry, the determination of the voltage between the conductor and the reference potential.