whilst there are a number of different monitors available for detecting a human , animal or any other forms of non - insulating object movement and / or for detecting changes in respiratory rate or detecting apnea , the present invention is directed to an electric field sensing system 1 which can be utilised in a broad range of applications , such as ; infant respiratory monitoring systems , pressure detection systems as a means of preventing bed sores ; in wheel chairs to detect the movement of the occupant and provide a means of determining the risk of the occupant developing sores as a result of being in a sedentary position for a prolonged period of time ; placing the sensor in a shoe to detect pressure while running in order to determine false leg follow - through based on early foot strike detection or alternatively the system could be used as a proximity sensor to control the sense of touch for robotic limbs . the contactless monitoring system allows static parameters such as force and pressure to be measured . as illustrated by the above examples the number and types of application to which the present invention can be directed is very broad . referring to fig1 , a first preferred embodiment of the electric field sensing system of the present invention is shown that uses a single conductive plate 3 that provides improvements over systems currently available in a number of industries and the medical or sports industries in particular . a conductive plate 3 coupled with a microprocessor based circuit is described which provides a means of measuring position and movement variations applied to the conductive plate 3 such that erroneous or false alarm detections are substantially reduced . a system of this type will provide a means of enhancing personnel safety through the provision of visual and / or audible alarms to which medical staff , for example , will react to knowing that there is a minimal risk of the alarm being false . it will be appreciated that the electric field sensing system 1 as described in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention can be used in a broad range of applications including the medical and sports industries generally but will now be described below with reference to use in the neonatal care environment to monitor the respiratory rate of neonates and in particular for the early detection of apnea ( cessation of breathing ). it will be appreciated that the present invention can be applied to various applications within the hospital environment , including but not limited to a contact less electric field pad . the conductive plate 3 is constructed from a conductive material such as copper or carbon impregnated polyethylene and may also be coated with conductive inks such as silver or carbon . alternatively , the plate 3 may be constructed from a flexible material using one or a number of sandwiched membranes . the circuit which provides the signal input to drive the electric field sensing system 1 is illustrated at fig1 . in the first preferred embodiment , an alternating current ( ac ) source 4 generates a sine wave signal ( reference signal ) 5 of a preselected frequency . to generate a high impedance signal 7 to drive the electric field sensing system 1 , the reference signal 5 is input through a high impedance resistor 6 before being applied to conductive plate 3 . the reference signal 5 is also used as an input clocking signal to an analogue - to - digital converter ( adc ) 10 . hence , as the reference signal 5 and adc clock signal are in phase , synchronisation of signal peaks and troughs can be measured using the adc 10 . an electric field 26 is generated around the conductive plate 3 being driven with the high impedance drive signal 7 . when a conductive body or object 2 moves over or near the conductive plate 3 , the electric field 26 between the conductive body 2 and the conductive plate 3 is altered . the movement alters the electric field coupling of the high impedance drive signal 7 . moving a conductive body or object 2 closer to the conductive plate 3 increases the coupling between the high impedance drive signal 7 and the object 2 thereby attenuating the high impedance drive signal 7 . hence , the greater the common area between the conductive plate 3 and object 2 , the higher the attenuation of the high impedance drive signal 7 and the subsequent changes in electric field coupling are measured as a voltage by the processing circuitry as shown in fig1 . an example of changes in voltage as a result of changes in electric field coupling due to the movement of the object 2 in relation to the conductive plate 3 is shown in fig2 . measuring the change in high impedance drive signal strength provides a means of measuring the distance between the conductive plate 3 and the object 2 or common area between the conductors 2 , 3 to be measured . hence , the high impedance drive signal 7 is also used as the sense signal . with reference to fig2 a and 2 b , the waveform illustrates the changes in the high impedance drive signal due to an object or conductive body 2 moving towards the conductive plate 3 . fig2 a shows a sine wave of voltage v c , having a peak - to - peak amplitude v p - p that corresponds to the high impedance drive signal 7 applied to the conductive plate 3 with no movement detected by the electric field sensing system 1 . when the electric field sensing system 1 has an external force applied or conductive body 2 changes position , the high impedance drive signal 7 amplitude v p - p is reduced as a result of the electrical coupling between the conductive plate 3 in relation to the conductive body 2 . the change in amplitude v p - p is shown in fig2 b . the reduction in high impedance drive signal 7 amplitude v p - p is measured by the processing circuitry which applies a number of algorithms to convert the signal variations into a meaningful data output to a display system and / or audible alarm system ( not shown ). whilst a symmetrical sine wave alternating current is applied to the system as shown in fig1 , the processing circuitry is capable of performing the necessary calculations and provide a meaningful output when other symmetrical or unsymmetrical waveforms are applied . to increase the sensitivity of the electric field sensing system 1 , the reference signal 5 may be input to a difference amplifier ( not shown ) along with the high impedance drive signal 7 . the difference between the reference signal 5 and high impedance drive signal 7 can be measured when the separation distance between conductors 2 , 3 is varied thereby causing the high impedance drive signal voltage to vary as a result of the change in electric field coupling . these voltage variations are buffered 9 and input to the adc 10 thereby converting the resultant analogue voltage into a digital data output which is input to the microprocessor 11 for further processing . the microprocessor 11 implements a number of algorithms in order to measure sensed voltage signal variations representative of movement and force or pressure variations which correspond to changes in breathing patterns , for example . the microprocessor 11 uses a crystal clock ( not shown ) to clock the circuit internal digital signals and is also used as a source to drive the conductive plate or sensor plate 3 . this provides an advantage over other systems as the microprocessor 11 inherently knows the frequency of the drive 5 and sense signals 7 . hence , using software programmes , the microprocessor 11 can phase lock with the sense signal 7 . this allows the adc 10 to be triggered in phase and in a frequency dependent way thereby allowing synchronous detection of changing events without the use of external devices . therefore , the sensing system 1 of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention is inherently frequency locked and the adc 10 synchronously detects the time varying signal , allowing the time varying signal to be referenced to a zero frequency reference . hence , timing variations due to changes in the timing source over time and changes in environmental conditions are naturally tracked and cancelled . with reference to fig3 and 4 , a second preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown which uses at least three conductive plates 15 , 16 , 17 , having an insulating layer 18 placed between each conducting plate 15 , 16 , 17 , forming a sandwich . the sandwiched conducting plate system coupled with a microprocessor based circuit as described in this embodiment provides a means of measuring position , movement and pressure variations applied to the sandwiched conductive plates such that erroneous or false alarm detections are substantially reduced . the use of a multilayered electric field sensing system 14 provides a means of calculating pressure variations as well as movement and position variations . as illustrated in fig5 , the multilayered sandwiched conductor plate sensing system 30 need not be limited to three conductive plates . fig5 shows a number of conductors n 1 , m 1 , n 2 , m 2 . . . m z , n z , having a compressible medium 18 between each conductor of the type provided in fig3 and 4 . the conductors n 1 to n z may be either solid conductors or alternatively , each of the “ plates ” can be flexible conductive surface such as a membrane adhered to or sewn into material . as can be see in fig5 , each alternative conductive surface ( n 1 , n 2 . . . n z ) has been grounded while the interleaved conductive surfaces ( m 1 , m 2 . . . m z ) are driven by the high impedance drive signal 7 enabling a sensed signal to be detected as previously detailed in the first preferred embodiments of the present invention . fig4 shows the multilayered construction of the sensing system 14 having at least three conductive plates 15 , 16 , 17 with insulated layers 18 between each plate forming a sandwich type construction . the insulated layers 18 are formed of a compressible material such as high impact foam or other elastomer foam . each of the conductive plates 15 , 16 , 17 are of the same construction as those as described with reference to the first preferred embodiment as shown in fig1 . the upper and lower conductive plates 15 , 16 are electrically connected to ground in order to provide a shield to isolate the sensor plate ( middle conductive plate ) 17 from electromagnetic interference whilst acting as coupling plates , such that movement of these plates 15 , 16 causes the high impedance drive signal 7 supplied to the sensor plate 17 to vary . fig6 shows an alternative type of conductor 40 whereby the conductor 40 is made from a stretchable medium such as a membrane sewn or adhered to material . the conductor 40 has metallic fingers 41 , conductive ink or conductive fibres which are electrically connected to the drive and sensing circuitry of any of the preferred embodiments of the present invention . hence , when the flexible conductive material 40 is stretched , the coupling changes between the metallic fingers 41 thereby causing the distance between adjacent metallic fingers 41 to vary and hence the high impedance drive signal 7 supplied to alternate fingers 41 to vary . a circuit that provides the signal input to drive the multilayered electric field sensing system 14 is illustrated at fig3 . this sensing circuit can also be applied to the multilayered electric field sensing system 30 as illustrated in fig5 . the sensor plate 17 is connected to an alternating current ( ac ) source 50 which generates a sine wave signal ( reference signal ) 51 from which a high impedance signal 53 to drive the sensing system 14 is generated when the reference signal 51 is input through a high impedance resistor 52 before being input to sensor plate 17 . the reference signal 51 is also used as an input clocking signal to the analogue - to - digital converter ( adc ) 55 . hence , as the reference signal 51 and adc clock signal are in phase , synchronisation of signal peaks and troughs can be measured using the adc 55 . as the sense plate 17 is sandwiched between an electrically grounded upper and lower conductive plate 15 , 16 , and separated by a compressive medium 18 , changes in the position of the conductive plates 15 , 16 either horizontally or vertically , alters the electric field coupling of the high impedance drive signal 53 . moving one or both of the conductors 15 , 16 closer to the sense plate 17 increases the coupling between the high impedance drive signal 53 and the conductor 17 thereby attenuating the high impedance drive signal 53 . alternatively , moving the conductors 15 , 16 , 17 horizontally in relation to each other changes the common area between the conductors 15 , 16 , 17 . this also results in a change in electric field coupling thereby changing the high impedance drive signal 53 . hence , the greater the common area between conductors 15 , 16 , 17 , the higher the attenuation of the high impedance drive signal 53 . the subsequent changes in electric field coupling are measured as a voltage by the processing circuitry 56 . measuring the change in high impedance drive signal strength provides a means of measuring the distance between two conductors or common area between conductors to be measured . the sensitivity of the multilayered electric field sensing system 14 can be increased in the manner already described with reference to fig3 using a difference amplifier ( not shown ) along with the high impedance drive signal 53 . a third preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig7 . a multiplexed electric field sensing system 19 is provided using two conductive plates 20 , 21 separated by a compressive medium 18 of the type described with reference to fig3 and 5 . a matrix of cells is generated using orthogonal drive signals in conjunction with multiplexed or switched electric fields . the lower conductor ( rows ) 21 is driven with a multiplexed high impedance drive signal 23 and the upper conductor ( columns ) 20 , an electrically orthogonal conductive plate , is electrically grounded or driven with a multiplexed low impedance inverted drive signal 22 . hence , where the upper and lower conductors 20 , 21 electrically overlap , changes in distance between the two conductors 20 , 21 causes a change in the amplitude and phase of the high impedance drive signal 24 between the conductive plates 20 , 21 . this change in high impedance drive signal 24 is converted from an analogue signal to digital data via the adc 10 and provided as an input to the microprocessor 11 . by selectively driving different orthogonal conductors in the matrix , each cell in the matrix may be measured and position and movement within the matrix can be determined . furthermore , multiplexing several drive signals in time with multiple orthogonal receiving signals enables an x - y resolution of force on the conductive plates 20 and 21 to be determined . pressure and force measurements can be used to determine a person &# 39 ; s 2 gait . the measured data can be used as a feedback mechanism for control loops . these loops can control various pressure plates within a person &# 39 ; s shoe , the follow - through of an artificial leg or control the dispensing of medicine . fig8 shows an n × m matrix sensing pad whereby an sensing pad is inserted into a user &# 39 ; s shoe which is made up using a number of conductive plates or flexible membranes adhered to the shoe inner . this plate system operates in the same manner as the matrix sensing system as described above and is capable of sensing events in three dimensions . the calculated data can be output via an rs232 port ( not shown ) or other know connection ports , to a display system 70 providing a map illustrating the pressure difference , for example , being applied to the electric field sensing system 1 , 14 , 19 , 30 as shown in fig9 . alternatively , the display system 70 may provide a user , such as medical personnel , with a numerical readout of pressure , force or movement variations as a result of changes in the electric field sensing system 1 , 14 , 19 , 30 . an audible alarm 71 can also be generated providing an aural warning that a patient has been sedentary for an extended duration , or that breathing has ceased for example . as mentioned previously , the microprocessor 11 applies a number of software algorithms to determine pressure , force , displacement and types of forces applied to and sensed by the conductive plates for each of the embodiments of the present invention . fig1 a to 12 b illustrate the types of forces on conductor plates 16 and 17 and compressible material 18 that can be detected and measured . fig1 a shows a force being applied to the upper conductive plate 17 . hence , by way of example , with the multilayered electric field sensing system 14 as shown in fig3 , as the drive signal frequency and amplitude remain constant , then knowing the force constant and density of the compressible medium 18 , the derived force can be determined by multiplying the displacement of the conductive plates 15 , 16 , 17 by the compressible medium force constant . fig1 a and 11 b show the effects of a shear force being applied to the electric field sensing system 14 . the electrical coupling between the plates 16 and 17 can be proportional to the shear forces as well as the orthogonal forces applied to the plates 16 , 17 enabling shear force to be determined . also , knowing the area of the sensor plate 17 , the pressure can also be calculated by dividing the calculated force by the sensor plate area as illustrated in fig1 a and 12 b . other events that may be measured are listed below : a . energy which is calculated based on force applied over time . b . impact can be calculated based on a determination of the energy applied over time and the speed of changes of force applied to the system . c . breathing , diaphragm expansion and heart rate can be calculated based on the expected frequency content of each of these events and the displacement caused by the sensor system . d . activity based events such as seating position , walking or running gait , kicking a ball or swing a golf club for example , can be determined by adding several of the sensed events over time . it would also be possible to determine for example , a mode of transport or type of physical activity by combining the electric field sensing system 14 with tilt and vibration sensors ( not shown ). whilst other more complex calculations are undertaken by the microprocessor 11 , details of these algorithms go beyond the scope of the object of the present invention and are therefore not disclosed . the sensing and processing circuit of each of the preferred embodiments of the present invention can be modified to incorporate the output of sensed data to a communications device as shown in fig1 . the incorporation of a communications device will provide a means of remotely sensing a physical state or method of activity in a sports event , for example . hence , data can be output to a coach , medical practitioner or other person monitoring the sensed data via a radio , mobile telephone network 61 or alternatively via the internet . the data is sent over the radio or mobile phone link 62 to the remote person &# 39 ; s radio , mobile phone , personal digital assistant ( pda ), internet connected device , computer or other electronic device ( not shown ) capable of receiving radio , internet and / or mobile phone type signals . hence , real - time feedback can be obtained by an athlete &# 39 ; s coach , a doctor or other person monitoring the sensing system 60 . hence , medical compliance and the characteristics of potential medical problems can be logged and transmitted enabling medical personnel , for example , to monitor a person and enable prognosis and / or diagnosis to be undertaken as soon as a problem arises . furthermore , a user &# 39 ; s position along with sensed data 60 may also be monitored remotely by adding gps circuitry 63 at the output of the sensing circuit 60 . this type of data would be of great benefit to personnel involved in a search and rescue type of situation particularly if the sensing system user 64 is in difficulty and is known to be a diabetic for example , and as such , the risk of the user going into a coma is greatly reduced .
a sensing system is disclosed that uses at least one conductive plate and associated electronic circuitry to provide an output that is indicative of an object &# 39 ; s position in relation to the at least one conductive plate . the sensing system is provided with a high impedance drive signal that varies as a result of the location of an object relative to the at least one conductive plate . the electronic circuitry receives a high impedance drive signal value as an input and a processor uses the value to calculate a digital output indicative of the object &# 39 ; s position . the high impedance drive signal value is monitored over time enabling the objects position , displacement , pressure , movement , impact and energy to be determined . this data is output to a display and may also be transmitted to a person located remotely from the object being monitored .