MOISTURE SENSOR
First Claim
1. A sensor for sensing the moisture content of a volume of material surrounding the sensor, the sensor comprising:
- an electrical circuit for implementing a high frequency method for measuring moisture content, the electrical circuit having a signal transmission electrode connected thereto;
a mounting substrate supporting the electrical circuit and the signal transmission electrode;
the signal transmission electrode having an electrical length greater than a physical length of the mounting substrate; and
a sensor body encapsulating the mounting substrate and the electrical circuit, at least the portion of the sensor body contacting the electrical circuit being non-conductive.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A novel and useful sensor and sensing system employs a transmission electrode which provides a length of transmission electrode that is greater than the physical length of the sensor, allowing for the effective and accurate determination of the moisture content of a volume of material using high-frequency measurement methods. The construction of the sensor allows the sensor to be directly inserted into the material, without requiring excavation or backfilling of the sensors in the material. The sensor can be employed as part of a sensing system, with one or more sensors preferably being managed by a field node, which in turn, interoperates with a system master node.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A sensor for sensing the moisture content of a volume of material surrounding the sensor, the sensor comprising:
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an electrical circuit for implementing a high frequency method for measuring moisture content, the electrical circuit having a signal transmission electrode connected thereto; a mounting substrate supporting the electrical circuit and the signal transmission electrode; the signal transmission electrode having an electrical length greater than a physical length of the mounting substrate; and a sensor body encapsulating the mounting substrate and the electrical circuit, at least the portion of the sensor body contacting the electrical circuit being non-conductive. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 20, 21, 22)
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9. A sensor for sensing the moisture content of a volume of material surrounding the sensor, the sensor comprising:
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a plurality of electrical circuits, each electrical circuit for implementing a high frequency method for measuring moisture content, each electrical circuit having a signal transmission electrode connected thereto; a plurality of mounting substrates, each mounting substrate corresponding to and supporting a different one of the plurality of electrical circuits; each signal transmission electrode having an electrical length greater than a physical length of each corresponding one of the plurality of mounting substrates; and a sensor body encapsulating the plurality of mounting substrates and the plurality of electrical circuits, at least the portions of the sensor body contacting the plurality of electrical circuits being non-conductive; wherein each one of the plurality of electrical circuits is operable to measure the moisture content of a volume of material adjacent to the corresponding one of the plurality of mounting substrates. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification