Patent ID: 8629681
Filing Date: 2014-01-14
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
1. A system to measure bulk density and moisture content in a granular, powdered, or particulate matter comprising a microwave sensor operating at a single microwave frequency for instantaneous and nondestructive determination of bulk density and moisture content of a grain or particulate matter wherein said sensor includes a microwave circuit which provides a means for determining the real part and the imaginary part of the relative complex permittivity from attenuation and phase shift measurements when a microwave signal traverses said granular, powdered or particulate matter wherein said system includes a power splitter which splits said microwave signal prior to said granular, powdered or particulate matter and sends a reference signal from a port 1 of said splitter to a mixer and sends a signal from a port 2 of said splitter directly to a transmitting antenna further comprising a microwave source operatively connected to an isolator, an isolator operatively connected to said power splitter wherein said isolator prevents a reflected signal from reaching said microwave source, said power splitter operatively connected to said transmitting antenna and to said mixer, a receiver operatively connected to an analog-to-digital converter which is operatively connected to a data acquisition and computing unit, a sample holder placed between said transmitting antenna and said receiver, a temperature measurement device operatively connected to said sample holder and said data acquisition and computing unit, and a sensor display operatively connected to said data acquisition and computing unit.