Patent ID: 8030949

Claim:
Method for determining the moisture content in a gas to be measured, wherein a capacitive element ( 2 ) constructed as a measurement sensor ( 1 ) forms a part of an RC oscillator ( 5 ) that operates the capacitive element in charge-discharge cycles, wherein the capacitance (C 1 ) of capacitive element ( 2 ) is moisture-dependent and the capacitance-dependent oscillation frequency of output signal ( 26 ) of RC oscillator ( 5 ) is determined as the measurement signal, said method comprising: obtaining, within a charge-discharge cycle of the capacitive element, information on the time duration of the charging section ( 27 ) and information on the time duration of the discharging section ( 28 ) by means of an evaluation circuit ( 8 ), comparing the obtained information with an ideal pulse-pause ratio of the capacitive element based on the capacitive element operating with no moisture-dependent parasitic resistance, determining correction information for the assessment of the measurement signal from the step of comparing the obtained information with the ideal pulse-pause ratio, and adjusting the measurement signal by the correction information to obtain the moisture content in the gas to be measured.