Metallic time-domain reflectometry roof moisture sensor

Abstract

An apparatus for detecting the presence, location, and extent of the moise in a roof using metallic time-domain reflectomerry (TDR) includes an electrical pulses, a transmission line embedded within the roof and connected with the pulse generator, and a signal analyzer which interprets the electrical pulses transmitted along the transmission line. When the transmission line is exposed to moisture, the dielectric constant of the transmission line changes, thereby causing a portion of the energy of the transmitted pulse to be reflected back toward the source and a portion to pass through to the end of transmission line. The distance from the source and the length of the dielectric discontinuity are determined by analyzing the round-trip travel time of the reflected pulse.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.