Apparatus for measuring and recording capacitance characteristics

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING A PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTIC OF A MATERIAL UNDER TEST WHICH BEARS A KNOWN RELATIONSHIP TO THE DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES THEREOF COMPRISING CAPACITANCE MEANS EMPLOYING SAID MATERIAL AS A DIELECTRIC, A VARIABLE CAPACITOR, MEANS FOR APPLYING OSCILLATORY ELECTRICCAL SIGNALS TO SAID CAPACITANCE MEANS AND SAID CAPACITOR, SENSING MEANS FOR COMPARING THE ELECTRICAL SIGNALS ACROSS SAID CAPACITANCE MEANS AND SAID CAPACITOR TO COMPARE THE CAPACITANCE VALUES THEREOF, COMPENSATING CAPACITOR MEANS IN CIRCUIT WITH SAID CAPACITANCE MEANS, SAID VARIABLE CAPACITOR AND SAID SENSING MEANS TO ALTER THE OUTPUT OF SAID SENSING MEANS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PREDETERMINED DIELECTRIC NATURE OF THE MATERIAL UNDER TEST, SAID COMPENSATING CAPACITOR MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE SHAPED ELEMENTS, EACH ELEMENT HAVING A SHAPE CORRESPONDING TO THE DIELECTRIC PROPERTY OF A PARTICULAR MATERIAL, AND SAID COMPENSATING CAPACITOR MEANS FURTHER INCLUDING A RECEPTACLE TO SELECTIVELY RECEIVE ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OF SHAPED ELEMENTS, THE SHAPED ELEMENT RECEIVED IN SAID RECEPTACLE DETERMINING THE MAGNITUDE OF COMPENSATING CAPACITANCE OF SAID COMPENSATING CAPACITANCE MEANS, READOUT MEANS CALIBRATED IN TERMS OF SAID PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTIC, SAID VARIABLE CAPACITOR AND READ-OUT MEANS BEING DRIVEN TOGETHER WHEREBY SAID READ-OUT MEANS INDICATES SAID PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTIC IN ACCORDANCE WITH A PREDETERMINED INDICATION OF SAID SENSING MEANS.