Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for determining moisture content of materials

US5220168A · kind A · utility

14Cited by
4References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 16, 1992
Grant dateJun 15, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 16, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N2021/3181
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Method and apparatus for determining moisture content of materials by irradiating a sample of unknown moisture content with a narrow frequency band of light at a first wavelength during a first time period and a narrow frequency band of light of a second wavelength during a second time period. The two wavelengths of light have different water absorptive characteristics, and therefore are reflected by varying degrees depending on the surface moisture on the material. The respective reflections are measured by a single common detector, and a value corresponding to the ambient light is subtracted from each measurement. A ratio of the resultant values is then correlated with data derived from precalibration measurements of samples of known moisture content.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.