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Systems, methods, and software for determining spatially variable distributions of the dielectric properties of a heterogeneous material

  • US 9,970,969 B1
  • Filed: 07/30/2015
  • Issued: 05/15/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2014
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method of determining spatially variable distributions of one or more electrical properties of a material having at least one dielectric constant, the method comprising:

  • disposing an insulated parallel waveguide proximal to the material;

    using the insulated parallel waveguide to perform a time domain reflectometry (TDR) measurement to acquire a first temporal profile of apparent reflectance of the waveguide;

    converting the first temporal profile of apparent reflectance of the waveguide to a second temporal profile of a quantity that is indicative of the one or more electrical properties of a portion of the material adjacent to the waveguide;

    converting the second temporal profile to a spatial profile of moisture content of the material by correlating impedance characteristics associated with the waveguide to the one or more electrical properties of the portion of the material adjacent to the waveguide as a function of a predetermined relationship; and

    making the spatial profile of moisture content available to a user for analysis or other use.

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