Moisture Meter

Abstract

A moisture meter includes an energy source for supplying electrical energy to the moisture meter, a logic, a sensor for measuring ambient moisture, a memory and an output for outputting at least one value characteristic for a measured moisture and at least one carrier on which the energy source, the logic, the sensor, the memory and the output are arranged. The moisture meter is encapsulated within a hermetic barrier.

Claims

1. A moisture meter comprising an energy source for supplying electrical energy to the moisture meter, a logic, a sensor for measuring ambient moisture, a memory and an output for outputting at least one value characteristic for a measured moisture and at least one carrier on which the energy source, the logic, the sensor, the memory and the output are arranged, wherein the moisture meter is encapsulated within a hermetic barrier.

2. The moisture meter according to claim 1, wherein: the at least one carrier includes a flexible carrier.

3. The moisture meter according to claim 1, wherein: the hermetic barrier is a hermetic coating.

4. The moisture meter according to claim 1, wherein: the sensor is a capacity moisture sensor.

5. The moisture meter according to claim 1, wherein: the output is a display.

6. The moisture meter according to claim 5, wherein: the display comprises at least one light emitting diode and/or an electrochromic display.

7. The moisture meter according to claim 1, further comprising: an activation switch.

8. The moisture meter according to claim 7, wherein: the activation switch is a capacitive switch.

9. The moisture meter according to claim 1, wherein: the hermetic barrier is transparent at least in portions thereof.

10. The moisture meter according to claim 1, wherein: the hermetic barrier comprises a multilayer film including at least a parylene layer.

11. The moisture meter according to claim 1, wherein: the energy source is a printed battery.

12. The moisture meter according to claim 1, wherein: the at least one carrier includes a flexible printed circuit board.

13. A tobacco container comprising a cavity for receiving a charge of tobacco material and further comprising the moisture meter according to claim 1 arranged in the cavity and configured to measure the ambient moisture within the cavity.

14. The tobacco container according to claim 13, wherein the moisture meter is arranged on a wall of the cavity with said sensor facing towards an interior of the cavity.

15. The tobacco container according to claim 13, further comprising at least one transparent window in a wall of the cavity, wherein the moisture meter is arranged in the container with the output facing said at least one transparent window.

16. The moisture meter according to claim 1, wherein: the sensor is a co-planar capacity moisture sensor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] Other features and advantages will become apparent from the attached drawings, wherein:

[0045] FIG. 1 a view of a moisture meter according to the invention;

[0046] FIG. 2 an illustration for explaining the technical principles of the invention; and

[0047] FIG. 3 a view of a tobacco box comprising a moisture sensor according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] FIG. 1 shows an illustration of a moisture meter 1 according to the invention. This moisture meter 1 comprises a carrier 8 on which electronic components are arranged. In detail, reference number 2 is directed to a battery, which is arranged on the carrier 8. Reference number 4 refers to a sensor, which serves to detect ambient moisture near or of a material, in particular tobacco, in contact with the moisture meter 1. Reference number 14 refers to a display serving as an output device by which measured values can be output.

[0049] Reference number 6 refers to a logic circuit. Reference number 12 refers to a memory device which is also arranged on the carrier. This memory device may store reference values of moisture.

[0050] In the preferred embodiment represented in FIG. 1 several and preferably all electrical components of the moisture meter are preferably printed electronic components formed by additive manufacturing, in particularly conductive ink and integrated circuits printing, onto a flexible, preferably transparent carrier 8, for example made of a flexible substrate, which lowers production costs and allows fabrication of mechanically flexible circuits. Polyethylene terephthalate-foil (PET) polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) and polyimide-foil (PI) are among preferred common choices for the carrier 8.

[0051] The electronic components, in particular circuitry, display 14, sensor 4, battery 2, logic 6 and memory 12 may be formed through conventional printing techniques, such as screen printing, flexography, gravure, offset lithography, and inkjet, which are all compatible to creating active or passive devices, such as thin film transistors; capacitors; coils; resistors.

[0052] FIG. 2 represents the working principle of the moisture sensor 4 in the meter 1 of the present invention. This moisture sensor 4 comprises a first capacitor plate 42 and a second capacitor plate 44. Both capacitor plates 42 and 44 are arranged on the printed circuit PCB 46. Furthermore, the two capacitor plates 42 and 44 are embedded in a material 48.

[0053] The reference number 10 is directed to a barrier or a coating inside which the moisture meter is arranged to preserve its electrical components from direct moisture contact. A typical and particularly advantageous barrier layer coating 10 may advantageously comprise a parylene layer, well known and used in electronic and medical devices already.

[0054] A preferred barrier coating 10 may consist in a multilayer film of parylene-SiO2 formed through plasma deposition directly onto the moisture meter on all its faces. Such encapsulation technique ensures both moisture and corrosion resistance of the moisture meter 1 to environmental moisture/humidity, and is a medical grade encapsulation technology, readily available for example from swiss company Coat-X.

[0055] Reference number E is directed to an electric field, which builds up between the capacitor plates 42 and 44. As can be seen from FIG. 2 the barrier 10 is permeable to the electrical field E. Therefore, moisture outside the barrier 10 will influence the electrical field E and can therefore be measured by the sensor 4 although the sensor is concealed in the barrier 10.

[0056] FIG. 3 shows a box or container containing a granulate material and especially tobacco 24. Also, inside this container 20 a moisture meter 1 is arranged. Preferably, this moisture meter 1 is attached at an inner wall 26 or close to an inner wall 26 of the container 1. While the sensor 4 device is located such that it can measure the ambient moisture in the interior of the receptacle, the wall 26 of the receptacle 20 is at least transparent in the region in which the moisture meter is attached and most preferably at least in the region where the output and the display device of the moisture meter is arranged. Therefore, the user can see or read the output device from the outside of the container 20.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0057] 1 moisture meter [0058] 2 battery [0059] 4 sensor [0060] 5 receptacle [0061] 6 logic circuit [0062] 8 carrier [0063] 10 barrier, coating [0064] 12 memory device [0065] 14 display, output device [0066] 20 container [0067] 22 cavity [0068] 24 tobacco [0069] 26 wall of the container [0070] 42 first capacitor plate [0071] 44 second capacitor plate [0072] 46 printed circuit PCB [0073] 48 material [0074] E electric field