Sensors & Transducers
Vol. 246, Issue 7, November 2020, pp. 1-8
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Reconfigurable Sensor Based on PCB Technology for Moisture and Temperature Measurement
1
A. dos Santos,
1
J. Monsalve-Diaz,
2
Pedro Carvalhaes-Dias,
3
F. Oliveira Morais,
1
P. Dias-Lima,
1
Fábio Serra Flosi
​and
1, *
J. A. Siqueira Dias
1
University of Campinas, DSIF, Av. Albert Einstein, 400 - Campinas, SP, Brazil
2
Universidade Tecnológica do Paraná, DAELE, Av. Alberto Carazai, 1640,
C. Procópio, Brazil
3
Universidade Júlio de Mesquita, Faculdade de Ciências e Engenharia, R. D. Costa Lopes, 780, Tupã, SP, Brazil
2
Tel.: 55 19 3521-4901
* E-mail: siqueira@demic.fee.unicamp.br
Received: 21 September 2020 /Accepted: 22 October 2020 /Published: 30 November 2020
Abstract: A sensor that uses a modified fringing field capacitive sensor based on PCB technology to measure both capacitance and temperature is presented. The conventional interdigitated structure of the fingers in a capacitive fringing field sensor based on PCB technology is modified to allow its reconfiguration to measure both capacitance and temperature (using the copper tracks of the PCB as a Resistance Temperature Detector sensor). A sensor was fabricated and measurements of temperature and capacitance were taken in laboratory, using controlled amounts of water to cover the PCB surface. Since the sensor can measure temperature, it is possible to compensate for the variations of capacitance with temperature, a phenomena well described in the literature.
Keywords: Moisture sensor, Reconfigurable sensor, Capacitance measurements, Temperature measurements, PCB technology, Fringing field capacitor.
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