US 12,265,039 B2
Measurement device, measurement system, and measurement method
Sachio Iida, Chiba (JP); Atsushi Yamada, Kanagawa (JP); Takuya Ichihara, Tokyo (JP); and Toshiyuki Hiroi, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to Sony Group Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/609,206
Filed by SONY GROUP CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed May 7, 2020, PCT No. PCT/JP2020/018574
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 5, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/230702, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 19, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-090371 (JP), filed on May 13, 2019; and application No. 2020-077039 (JP), filed on Apr. 24, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0205931 A1, Jun. 30, 2022
Int. Cl. G01N 22/04 (2006.01); G01N 33/24 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 22/04 (2013.01) [G01N 33/246 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A measurement device comprising:
a transmitter configured to transmit an electrical signal including an incident wave to a cable embedded in a first probe of a pair of probes, wherein the cable is also embedded in a second probe of the pair of probes;
a receiver configured to receive:
a reflected wave obtained from a reflection of the incident wave that traveled through the cable in the first probe of the pair of probes; and
a transmitted wave that has been transmitted through a medium between the pair of probes to the cable in the second probe of the pair of probes; and
a signal processor configured to:
obtain a reciprocating delay time based on the reflected wave, the reciprocating delay time corresponding to a time taken for the incident wave to travel to an end of the first probe and reflect back to the receiver as the reflected wave;
obtain a propagation transmission time based on the transmitted wave, the propagation transmission time corresponding to a time taken for electromagnetic waves generated by the incident wave that traveled through the cable in the first probe to propagate through the medium and return to the receiver through the cable in the second probe as the transmitted wave; and
measure an amount of moisture contained in the medium based on the reciprocating delay time and the propagation transmission time; and
a controller configured to perform:
processing to obtain a ratio between complex amplitudes of the incident wave and the reflected wave as a reflection coefficient,
wherein the signal processor obtains the reciprocating delay time based on the reflection coefficient.