Method and instrument for measuring moisture

Claim 3

A method for measuring moisture in a medium as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the electric parameter is measured simultaneously with a synchronous polarity change of electrodes and of a d-c ammeter.

Claim 4

A method for measuring the moisture in a medium as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the period of the polarity change is selected to be higher than the relaxation time of the measured medium and smaller than the time constant of the ammeter.

Claim 5

A method for measuring the moisture in a medium as claimed in Claim 2 or 3, wherein the electrodes are in a probe and are in direct contact with the medium during the measurement..

Claim 6

An instrument including display means and a probe for measuring the moisture in a medium by a method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a plurality of pairs of electrodes are provided in the probe and each pair of electrodes in the probe represents another measuring region.

Claim 7

An instrument for measuring moisture in a medium comprising a display unit and a probe, the display unit including a direct-voltage source, pair selector means, polarization switches for the voltage source, polarization switches for a d-c ammeter, a synchronizer for polarization switching, a direct current meter and a data translator, wherein said pair selector means is electrically connected to the probe and to the polarization switches of the voltage source and of the ammeter, the ammeter is electrically connected to the probe, to the ammeter polarization switches and to the data translator, the ammeter polarization switches are electrically connected to the pair selector, the ammeter is connected to the polarization switches of the voltage source and to the synchronizer, and the polarization switching device of the voltage source is electrically connected to the voltage source, to the pair selector, to the ammeter polarization switches and to the synchronizer.

Claim 8

An instrument for measuring moisture in a medium comprising a display unit and a probe, the display unit including a direct-voltage source, pair selector means, polarization switches for the voltage source, polarization switches for a d-c ammeter, a synchronizer for polarization switching, a direct current meter and a data translator, wherein said pair selector means is electrically connected to the probe and to the polarization switches of the voltage source and of the ammeter, the ammeter is electrically connected to the probe, to the ammeter polarization switches and to the data translator, the ammeter polarization switches are electrically connected to the pair selector, the ammeter is connected to the polarization switches of the voltage source and to the synchronizer, and the polarization switching device of the voltage source is electrically connected to the voltage source, to the pair selector, to the ammeter polarization switches and to the synchronizer.

Claim 11

A method for the measurement of liquid content and/or salinity in a porous medium as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the liquid content measurement is based on measuring a physical parameter of a point-sensor manifold whose characteristic is a discrete binary response which depends on the existence or non-existence of contact between the point sensor and the liquid.

Claim 12

A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the physical parameter depends on the combination of the liquid content characteristics and the salinity, and based on measuring the electrical resistance, or electrical current between two electrodes which are one, two or three dimensional.

Claim 13

An instrument for measuring liquid content and/or salinity in a porous medium by a method as claimed in Claim 8 or 9, wherein the physical parameter which depends only on the liquid content in the porous medium is the electrical current between the point sensor manifold and another common electrode, wherein each point sensor consists of an electrically conductive point contact which is connected to one terminal of a resistor whose resistance is higher than the resistance of the measured medium, and each electrically conductive point contact is electrically insulated from the other contacts, but is in contact with the measured medium, and the other terminals of the resistors are electrically connected together in common to a voltage source or a current source through the current meter or resistance meter.

Claim 14

An instrument for measuring liquid content and/or salinity in a porous medium by a method as claimed in Claim 8 or 9, wherein the physical parameter which depends only on liquid content in the porous medium is the reflected electromagnetic radiation strength which is measured by means of the point sensors manifold, wherein each point sensor is a point electromagnetic contact such as an optical point contact which is connected to one end of an electromagnetic conductor, wherein each point contact is electromagnetically isolated from other contacts, but is in contact with the measured medium, and wherein the other end of the electromagnetic conductors are electromagnetically connected in common to an electromagnetic radiation source.

Claim 15

An instrument for liquid content measuring and/or salinity in a porous medium by a method as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the physical parameter which depends only on liquid content in a porous medium is the temperature change which is measured by means of a point sensor manifold, wherein each sensor consists of a point heat source and a point heat meter, which are in contact with the medium at one point and are thermally isolated from other sensors, and wherein the heat meter in every point sensor is connected to a first device, arranged to distinguish between the different temperature changes caused by the existence or non-existence of a thermal contact between the sensor and the liquid, the output of said first device being connected to the input of a second device arranged to count the number of sensors which are in thermal contact with the liquid.

Claim 16

An instrument for measuring liquid content and/or salinity in a porous medium by a method as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the physical parameter which depends only on liquid content in the porous medium is the number of electrical contact pairs which are short-circuited by drops of liquid, as measured by a point sensors manifold, wherein each point sensor is a pair of very close electrical contacts without any contact between themselves but with electrical contact with the measured medium, and wherein each point sensor is connected to a common counter which counts the number of sensors whose contacts are short-circuited by the liquid.

Claim 17

An instrument for measuring liquid content and/or salinity in a porous medium by a method as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the physical parameter which depends only on liquid content in the porous medium is the number of point sensors which provide potential-differences typical to pairs of metals as measured from a point sensor manifold, wherein each point sensor is a pair of very close contacts constructed of two kinds of metal without any contact between themselves, . and wherein each point sensor is connected to a device arranged to count the number of sensors that provide potential differences typical to these two metals.

Claim 18

An instrument for measuring liquid content and/or salinity in a porous medium by a method as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the two physical parameters one independent only on liquid contents in porous medium, and the other dependent on both the liquid contents and the solution salinity in porous medium, are measured by the electrocal current between point sensors and another common electrode, each point sensor comprising an electrical point conductor which is connected to one terminal of an electronic unit consisting of a resistor and diode connected in parallel, the resistor being higher in value than the measured medium resistance and each point conductive contact being electrically isolated from other contacts but with contact with the medium, and wherein the second terminals of each of the electronic units are connected in common to a voltage source through an ammeter, wherein the current which characterises liquid contents only is the measured current, wherein the electronic unit resistance is the resistance of the electronic unit resistor, and wherein the current characterising the liquid content together with solution salinity in the medium is the measured current, the electronic unit resistance being the diode resistance in the conductivie condition.