Method and apparatus for detecting moisture in building materials
First Claim
1. A moisture sensor system, comprising:
- a sensor unit comprising a moisture sensor provided to a moisture probe, said sensor unit configured to receive instructions, said sensor unit configured to report a severity of a moisture level when said sensor unit determines that data measured by said moisture sensor fails a threshold test, said sensor unit configured to adjust said threshold according to sensor reading taken during a specified time period, wherein said threshold is computed as an average of a plurality of sensor data values.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A moisture sensor system is described. In one embodiment, the system provides an adjustable threshold level for the sensed moisture level. The adjustable threshold allows the moisture sensor to adjust to ambient conditions, aging of components, and other operational variations while still providing a relatively sensitive detection capability. In one embodiment, the adjustable threshold moisture sensor is used in an intelligent sensor system that includes one or more intelligent sensor units and a base unit that can communicate with the moisture sensor units. When one or more of the moisture sensor units detects a excess moisture the moisture sensor unit communicates with the base unit and provides data regarding the moisture condition. The base unit can contact a supervisor or other responsible person by a plurality of techniques, such as, telephone, pager, cellular telephone, Internet (and/or local area network), etc. In one embodiment, one or more wireless repeaters are used between the moisture sensor units and the base unit to extend the range of the system and to allow the base unit to communicate with a larger number of sensors.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A moisture sensor system, comprising:
a sensor unit comprising a moisture sensor provided to a moisture probe, said sensor unit configured to receive instructions, said sensor unit configured to report a severity of a moisture level when said sensor unit determines that data measured by said moisture sensor fails a threshold test, said sensor unit configured to adjust said threshold according to sensor reading taken during a specified time period, wherein said threshold is computed as an average of a plurality of sensor data values. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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2. A moisture sensor system, comprising:
a sensor unit comprising a moisture sensor provided to a moisture probe, said sensor unit configured to receive instructions, said sensor unit configured to report a severity of a moisture level when said sensor unit determines that data measured by said moisture sensor fails a threshold test, said sensor unit configured to adjust said threshold according to sensor reading taken during a specified time period, wherein said threshold is computed at least in part as a weighted average of a plurality of sensor data values.
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3. A moisture sensor system, comprising:
a sensor unit comprising a moisture sensor provided to a moisture probe, said sensor unit configured to receive instructions, said sensor unit configured to report a severity of a moisture level when said sensor unit determines that data measured by said moisture sensor fails a threshold test, said sensor unit configured to adjust said threshold according to sensor reading taken during a specified time period, wherein said severity is computed according to how far a sensor reading has risen above said threshold.
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4. A moisture sensor system, comprising:
a sensor unit comprising a moisture sensor provided to a moisture probe, said sensor unit configured to receive instructions, said sensor unit configured to report a severity of a moisture level when said sensor unit determines that data measured by said moisture sensor fails a threshold test, said sensor unit configured to adjust said threshold according to sensor reading taken during a specified time period, wherein said severity is computed at least in part as a function of how far and how rapidly sensor readings have risen above said threshold value.
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5. A moisture sensor system, comprising:
a sensor unit comprising a moisture sensor provided to a moisture probe, said sensor unit configured to receive instructions, said sensor unit configured to report a severity of a moisture level when said sensor unit determines that data measured by said moisture sensor fails a threshold test, said sensor unit configured to adjust said threshold according to sensor reading taken during a specified time period, wherein said severity is computed at least in part as a function of how many sensor readings have been measured above said threshold value.
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6. A moisture sensor system, comprising:
a sensor unit comprising a moisture sensor provided to a moisture probe, said sensor unit configured to receive instructions, said sensor unit configured to report a severity of a moisture level when said sensor unit determines that data measured by said moisture sensor fails a threshold test, said sensor unit configured to adjust said threshold according to sensor reading taken during a specified time period, wherein said severity is computed as a function of what percentage of recent sensor readings have been measured above said threshold value.
Specification