| CPC G01R 27/2605 (2013.01) [H03K 17/962 (2013.01); H03K 2217/960725 (2013.01)] | 14 Claims |
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1. A method for determining a capacitance of a capacitive element comprising:
charging, during each measurement cycle of a plurality of successive measurement cycles, the capacitive element with a voltage source,
transferring an amount of charge from the capacitive element to a further capacitive element;
determining, following the plurality of measurement cycles and with an Analog to Digital Converter (ADC), a measured value relating to a total amount of charge transferred as a whole to the further capacitive element during the plurality of measurement cycles; and
determining the capacitance of the capacitive element depending on the measured value,
wherein, using a computing unit:
a first period is defined for a first subset of the plurality of measurement cycles, and
a second period is defined for a second subset of the plurality of measurement cycles, said second period differing from the first period;
wherein:
each of the measurement cycles contains a charging section, where the capacitive element is charged by the voltage source during the charging section, and
each of the measurement cycles contains a transfer section, where the amount of charge is transferred from the capacitive element to the further capacitive element during the transfer section;
each of the measurement cycles contains an intermediate section between the charging section and the transfer section, where the capacitive element is neither charged nor discharged during the intermediate section;
a first intermediate duration is defined for the respective intermediate section of the measurement cycles of the first subset in order to define the first period and a second intermediate duration is defined for the respective intermediate section of the measurement cycles of the second subset in order to define the second period, and
the second intermediate duration differs from the first intermediate duration.
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