Optimizing the Materials Response in Humidity Capacitive Sensors

Abstract

The number of humidity outputs on the cap of a cylindrical capacitance sensor is optimized by designing three different probes with direct and indirect windows. The time interval is measured within which 30-70 % humidity can influence the dielectric constant and conductivity of the capacitance when exposed to a range of relative humidity. It is then compared with a simple set-up including a simplified equivalent circuit. The direct probes had four and double outputs on the window of the cylindrical capacitive sensor while the indirect probe had a thin plastic layer only. We observed that the dielectric constant and its conductivity depend closely to the humidity outgoing pathway and also to the increasing rate of humidity between the capacitance plates. The final variation in the materials properties alters the capacitance of the sensor which is measured simply by a LCR. This technique presents a simple method for tracking the recovery and reliability of the humidity sensors over time and assists in optimizing and controlling the materials response to the relative environment humidity. As a result, by controlling the environment humidity rate (0.02 %/s.), we could measure the increment rate of capacitance with accuracy of 0.01 pf/%.