EMBEDDABLE MOISTURE SENSOR, MEASUREMENT DEVICE AND METHOD OF USE THEREOF
First Claim
1. A moisture sensor comprising:
- an electrical circuit embeddable into a material and having an inductor, a first capacitor and a second capacitor, and wherein the dielectric of the second capacitor is configured to be the material when the electrical circuit is embedded, and wherein the capacitance of the first capacitor is larger than the capacitance of the second capacitor such that the resonant frequency of the electrical circuit is not substantially altered by changes in capacitance of the second capacitor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed herein is a method of interrogating a resonant circuit that includes embedding a resonant circuit into a material, wherein a dielectric of a capacitor of the resonant circuit is the material. The method includes remotely determining the resonant frequency of the electrical circuit with a measurement device, wherein the determining is accomplished automatically. Finally, the method includes remotely automatically determining at least one of an estimated or precise resistance of the resonant circuit, an estimated or precise quality factor of the resonant circuit, and an estimated or precise voltage ratio of the resonant circuit, wherein the voltage ratio is a ratio of a voltage of the energy absorbed by the receiver at resonance and a voltage of the energy absorbed by the receiver at a fixed frequency shift from resonance.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A moisture sensor comprising:
an electrical circuit embeddable into a material and having an inductor, a first capacitor and a second capacitor, and wherein the dielectric of the second capacitor is configured to be the material when the electrical circuit is embedded, and wherein the capacitance of the first capacitor is larger than the capacitance of the second capacitor such that the resonant frequency of the electrical circuit is not substantially altered by changes in capacitance of the second capacitor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A measurement device comprising:
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a transmitter configured to transmit energy by sweeping across a frequency range; a receiver configured to remotely measure energy absorbed by a resonant circuit that is in a field of the transmitted energy; a means for automatically determining a resonant frequency of the resonant circuit from the energy absorbed by the receiver; and a means for automatically determining at least one of; an estimated or precise resistance of the resonant circuit; an estimated or precise quality factor of the resonant circuit; and an estimated or precise voltage ratio of the resonant circuit, wherein the voltage ratio is a ratio of a voltage of the energy absorbed by the receiver at resonance and a voltage of the energy absorbed by the receiver at a fixed frequency shift from resonance. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of interrogating a resonant circuit comprising:
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remotely automatically determining a resonant frequency of an electrical circuit with a measurement device, wherein the determining is accomplished automatically; and remotely automatically determining at least one of; an estimated or precise resistance of the resonant circuit; an estimated or precise quality factor of the resonant circuit; and an estimated or precise voltage ratio of the resonant circuit, wherein the voltage ratio is a ratio of a voltage of the energy absorbed by the receiver at resonance and a voltage of the energy absorbed by the receiver at a fixed frequency shift from resonance. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification