Patent ID: 6708555
Filing Date: 2004-03-23
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
A method of measuring the moisture content of wood in a wood drying kiln utilizing a the principle that the dielectric properties of the wood are directly proportional to the amount of moisture in the wood, allowing for the measurement of wood moisture content in a three stage process:a. Stage 1 being a pair of metal electrodes, encased in a plastic film, placed in direct contact with the wood to be measured and in a parallel fashion side by side; b. Stage 2 being a clock circuit which produces an output voltage for a duration directly proportional to the capacitance and moisture content of the wood; and c. Stage 3 being a microprocessor which registers the time of the arrival of the rising edge of a clock circuit output voltage and the time of the arrival of the falling edge of a clock circuit output voltage, calculates the length of the clock circuit output voltage, and correlates the length of the wave output voltage with a corresponding wood moisture content value.