Patent ID: 6897659

Claim:
A measuring device for testing the quality of rope having a mass per length and moisture content, said device comprising: a microwave resonator comprising two cylindrical coaxial λ/4 resonators oscillating in opposite phases and arranged to produce a substantially homogenous electromagnetic field in a measuring volume configured to receive the rope for testing, said electromagnetic field having a resonant frequency and a resonance curve; spaced apart elongated metallic elements arranged on the common axis of said resonators to define said measuring volume between said metallic elements; devices for detecting changes in the resonant frequency and the resonance curve caused by rope present in said measuring volume; and mechanical devices for transporting the rope through said measuring volume perpendicularly to the common axis of said resonators, wherein said measuring device employs said detected changes in the resonant frequency and resonance curve to measure the mass per length and the moisture content of the rope present in said measuring volume.