Specific heat based moisture sensor

Claim 1

A specific heat based moisture sensor, comprising: (a) a cylindrical member formed as a separate unit with two parallel axially-extending hollow portions formed therein to accomodate wires of a temperature sensor passed therethrough; (b) a heater provided on an outer circumferential surface of said cylindrical member; (c) a temperature sensor of thermocouple type formed by leads passed through the two hollow portions of said cylindrical member, said temperature sensor having: (1) a first wire; (2) a second wire; (3) a third wire; and (4) a first high temperature sense point between said first and second wires being located within one of the cylindrical hollow portions of said cylindrical member and a second low temperature sense point between said second and third wires being located outside said cylindrical hollow portions of said cylindrical member; and (d) a waterproof synthetic resin formed so as to cover said cylindrical member and said heater, whereby moisture content of a substance is detected by measuring a change in temperature between the two temperature sense points, when said cylindrical member is inserted into the substance to be measured, while keeping heating power at a constant value.