Evaluation method for a capacitive proximity sensor on a motor vehicle

A control and evaluation device (4) serves to control the sensor electrode (2, 3) and to evaluate the signals of the sensor electrode. The sensor electrode is primarily controlled in a standby mode, in which the control and interrogation is adapted to minimize energy consumption. Upon occurrence of the trigger event, the control and interrogation of the sensor electrode switches to a precision mode, in which an increase in energy consumption leads to an increase in signal quality or signal resolution. In this mode, a time sequence of signal data is acquired and substitute data are generated from a set of the data acquired in the precision mode, whereby these substitute data are stored as a back-calculated time sequence of signal data from a time range before the trigger event. To detect an operator event, the evaluation is performed on the basis of at least one set of the data acquired in the precision mode and at least one set of the substitute data.