GRAIN ANALYSIS COMPUTER

• US 3,776,642 A
• Filed: 08/01/1972
• Issued: 12/04/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Donald E O'Neal, James H. Anson
• Original Assignee: Donald E O'Neal, James H. Anson
• Inventors: Anson, James H., O'Neal, Donald E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lawrence, James W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Grigsby, T. N.
• Application Number:
  US05/277,131
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 235/151.35 250/226 356/188,212
• US Class Current: 356/418
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/314 with comparison of measurements at specific and non-specific wavelengths dual wavelength spectrometry G01J3/427
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/4738 Diffuse reflection precedence is given to G01N21/55 - G01N21/57 if specular component is taken into consideration, e.g. also for testing fluids, fibrous materials
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/10 Starch-containing substances, e.g. dough
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 250/91 Food sample analysis using invisible radiant energy source

Abstract

A grain analyst computer is disclosed which has a quartz-iodide lamp to provide infrared radiation which is directed through a lens toward the surface of a quantity of grain which is to have certain constituents thereof analyzed. The infrared radiation is made parallel by the lens and then passes through selected filters so that only a specific frequency of the radiation impinges upon the grain sample, and this frequency provides a reflected radiation signal which has an amplitude corresponding to the quantity of a given constituent within the sample being analyzed. A plurality of pulse signals is then generated by a photocell which receives the reflected signals. These pulse signals are applied to a signal storage circuit and a signal computing circuit to provide a direct readout in terms of per cent of the constituents being analyzed. A reference standard element is automatically positioned in light-receiving relation with the light source so that the constants within the storage and computing circuits can be adjusted automatically prior to analyzing each grain sample. The plurality of filter elements are adjustably mounted to a rotating filter wheel which provides tilt adjustment to each filter element so that an exact positioning thereof can be obtained, thus accurately selecting the frequency which is to pass therethrough.

Claims

1. A grain analyst computer for measuring quantities of predetermined constituents of grain, comprising:

a housing, a grain sample receptacle positionable within said housing for receiving a grain sample to be analyzed, movable filter meAns within said housing sequentially to move a plurality of discrete filter elements into registry with said grain sample receptacle, each filter element passing only a preselected frequency of radiant energy, a radiant energy source positioned within said housing for directing radiant energy through said filter means and onto the surface of a grain sample within said grain sample receptacle to provide a reflected radiant energy signal of said preselected frequency, the number of said reflected radiant energy signals produced for each grain sample corresponding to the number of discrete filter elements associated with said movable filter means, circuit means positioned within said housing for receiving said reflected radiant energy signals to provide an output voltage corresponding to the constituent being measured, and readout means responsive to said circuit means for providing a readout of the constituent being measured.

2. The grain analyst computer of claim 1 wherein said movable means is a filter wheel having a plurality of filter elements positioned at spaced locations about a common radius thereof, each filter element including means for adjusting the plane of the filter element relative to the plane of said filter wheel, thereby providing means for accurately selecting a desired narrow spectrum of frequency of the radiant energy source to pass through each of said filter elements.

3. The grain analyst computer of claim 1 including a baffle box positioned within said housing in registry with said grain sample receptacle when positioned in said housing, said baffle box having said radiant energy source mounted at one end thereof and an apertured wall at the other end thereof, whereby radiant energy directed toward the grain sample receptacle is free by unwanted external radiant sources.

4. The grain analyst computer of claim 1 wherein said housing includes a front panel, direct readout means located on said front panel to provide readout in per cent by weight of the constituent then being displayed, and light-indicator means located on said front panel to be energized to indicate which of the constituents is then being displayed on said readout means.

5. The grain analyst computer of claim 4 further including selector switch means for actuating said readout means to display the quantity of a desired constituent of a plurality of constituents being analyzed.

6. The grain analyst computer of claim 1 further including a drawer movable into and retractable from said housing, said drawer including means for receiving a reference standard element at one location in said drawer to be in registry with said filter means and said radiant energy source when said drawer is in a retracted position, and means for receiving said grain sample receptacle at another location in said drawer to be in registry with said filter means and said radiant energy source when said drawer is in an inserted position, switch means actuated by said drawer, said switch means operatively connected to said circuit means to cause automatic calibration of said circuit means when said drawer is in said retracted position to place said reference standard element in registry with said radiant energy source and said movable filter means.

7. The grain analyst computer of claim 1 further including synchronizing means in said housing to enable said circuit means when each discrete filter element of said movable filter means is in registry with said grain sample receptacle.

8. The grain analyst computer of claim 7 wherein said synchronizing means is a rotatable adjustable member and said movable means is a filter wheel arranged for common rotation with said rotatable member.

9. The grain analyst computer of claim 8 wherein said rotatable member of said synchronizing means includes a plurality of arcuately shaped adjustable slots at different radial positions outwardly of the center of said rotatable member and further including light-emitting means positioned on one side of said rotatable member And light-receiving means on the other side of said rotatable member, the passage of said arcuately shaped slots will cause energization of said light-receiving means to produce a gating signal when the corresponding filter element is in registry with said grain sample receptacle.

10. The grain analyst computer of claim 1 wherein the amplitude of said reflected radiant energy pulses will correspond to the amount of the particular constituent being measured.

11. The grain analyst computer of claim 1 wherein said movable filter means includes a rotatable disc, a plurality of spaced apart recesses formed in said rotatable disc about a common radius, said discrete filter element being inserted into said recesses, and means for adjusting any plane of each filter element relative to the plane of said rotatable disc to thereby adjust the frequency of the radiant energy directed toward the grain sample.

12. The grain analyst computer of claim 11 wherein said pluraltiy of recesses are round in configuration and each of said discrete filter elements is secured to filter holder plate insertable into said recesses, and further including pivot means associated with said filter holder plates, spring bias means for urging said filter holder plates toward said rotatable disc about said pivot, and means to adjust the tension of said spring bias means against said filter holder plates.

13. The grain analyst computer of claim 12 wherein said pivot of each of said filter holder plates is located on a common radius about said rotatable disc, said bias means being formed of a resilient plate urged toward said rotatable disc so that the peripheral portions of said resilient plate engage said filter holder plates to urge them toward the rotatable disc about their respective pivots, and wherein said adjusting means is a threaded member formed at the periphery of said filter holder plates opposite the point engaging said resilient plate.

14. A grain analyst computer comprising:

a source or radiant energy for impingement upon a grain sample to be analyzed, movable filter means for moving a plurality of discrete filter elements into registry between said source of radiant energy and the grain sample, said movable filter means including discrete filter receiving portions, and means for adjusting the position of each of said discrete filter elements relative to said discrete filter receiving portion thereby providing means for selectively adjusting the characteristic of the radiant energy that passes through said filter elements and impinges upon the grain sample, and circuit means responsive to an output signal produced by each of said discrete filter elements to provide an output voltage having a characteristic corresponding to the constituent being measured.

15. The grain analyst computer of claim 14 wherein said movable filter means includes a rotatable disc, a plurality of spaced apart recesses formed in said rotatable disc and located about a common radius, said discrete filter elements being inserted into said recesses, and means for locking the position of said filter elements relative to the plane of said rotatable disc after they have been adjusted.

16. The grain analyst computer of claim 15 wherein said plurality of recesses are round in configuration and each of said discrete filter elements is secured to a filter holder plate which is insertable into an associated recess, and further including pivot means associated with said filter holder plates, spring bias means for urging said filter holder plates toward said rotatable disc about said pivot, and means to adjust the tension of said spring bias means against said fiter holder plates.

17. The grain analyst computer of claim 16 wherein said pivot of each of said filter holder plates is located on a common radius about said rotatable disc, said bias means being formed of a resilient plate urged toward said rotatable disc so that the peripheral portion of said resilient plate bears against said filter holder plates to uRge them toward the rotatable disc about their respective pivots, and wherein said adjusting means is a threaded member located at the periphery of said filter holder plates opposite the point engaging said resilient plate.

18. The grain analyst computer of claim 14 further including synchronizing means to enable said circuit means when each discrete filter element of said movable filter means is in registry with the grain sample and said source of radiant energy.

19. The grain analyst computer of claim 18 wherein said synchronizing means is a rotatable member, and said movable filter means is a filter wheel arranged for common rotation with said rotatable member.

20. The grain analyst computer of claim 19 wherein said rotatable member of said synchronizing means includes a plurality of arcuately shaped slots at different radial positions outwardly of the center of said rotatable member, and further including light-emitting means positioned on one side of said rotatable member and light-receiving means positioned on the other side of said rotatable member, the passage of said arcuately shaped adjustable slots between said light-emitting means and said light-receiving means will cause energization of said light-receiving means to produce a gating signal when the corresponding filter element is in registry with said grain sample and said source of radiant energy.

21. An analyst computer for determining the amount of predetermined constituents within a given material, comprising:

a source of radiant energy for impingement upon the material to be analyzed, movable filter means for moving a plurality of discrete filter elements into registry between said source of radiant energy and the material, said movable filter means including discrete filter receiving portions, and means for adjusting the position of each of said discrete filter elements relative to said discrete filter receiving portion thereby providing means for selectively adjusting the characteristic of the radiant energy that passes through said filter elements and impinges upon the material, circuit means responsive to an output signal produced by each of said discrete filter elements to provide an output voltage having a characteristic corresponding to the constituent being measured, and readout means responsive to the output voltage of said circuit means for providing a visual readout of the quantity of the constituent being measured.

22. The analyst computer of claim 21 wherein said movable filter includes a rotatable disc, a plurality of spaced apart recesses formed in said rotatable disc and located about a common radius, said discrete filter elements being inserted into said recesses, and means for locking the position of said filter elements relative to the plane of said rotatable disc after they have been adjusted.

23. The analyst computer of claim 22 wherein said plurality of recesses are round in configuration and each of said discrete filter elements is secured to a filter holder plate which is insertable into an associated recess, and further including pivot means associated with said filter holder plates, spring bias means for urging said filter holder plates toward said rotatable disc about said pivot, and means to adjust the tension of said spring bias means against said filter holder plates.

24. The analyst computer of claim 23 wherein said pivot of each of said filter holder plates is located on a common radius about said rotatable disc, said bias means being formed of a resilient plate urged toward said rotatable disc so that the peripheral portion of said resilient plate bears against said filter holder plates to urge them toward the rotatable disc about their respective pivots, and wherein said adjusting means is a threaded member located at the periphery of said filter holder plates opposite the point engaging said resilient plate.

25. The analyst computer of claim 21 further including synchronizing means to enable said circuit means when each discrete filter element of saId movable filter means is in registry with the material to be analyzed and said source of radiant energy.

26. The analyst computer of claim 25 wherein said synchronizing means is a rotatable member, and said movable filter means is a filter wheel arranged for common rotation with said rotatable member.

27. The analyst computer of claim 26 wherein said rotatable member of said synchronizing means includes a first plurality of openings at different radial distances outwardly of the center of said rotatable member and a second plurality of openings at a common radial distance of the center and further including light-emitting means positioned on one side of said rotatable member and light-receiving means positioned on the other side of said rotatable member, the passage of siad first plurality of openings between their associated light-emitting means and said light-receiving means will cause energization of the associated light-receiving means to produce an enable gate signal when the corresponding filter element is in registry with the material and said source of radiant energy, and the passage of said second plurality of openings between their associated light-emitting means and said light-receiving means will cause energization of the associated light-receiving means to produce a blocking gate signal when the filter elements are not in registry with the material and said source of radiant energy.

28. An analyst computer for determining the amount of predetermined constituents within a given material, comprising:

a source of radiant energy for impingement upon the material to be analyzed to provide reflected radiant energy therefrom having a characteristic corresponding to the constituent being measured, circuit means responsive to said reflected radiant energy to provide an output signal corresponding to the constituent being measured, readout means responsive to the output signal of said circuit means for providing a readout of the quantity of the constituent being measured, reference standard means for positioning in registry with said source of radiant energy prior to positioning the material to be analyzed in registry therewith, and means automatically to calibrate said circuit means in response to reflected radiant energy from said reference standard means.

29. The analyst computer of claim 28 further including a drawer movable between first and second positions, said drawer having means to receive the material to be measured at a precise location therein and means for holding said reference standard means so that when said drawer is in said first position said reference standard means is located in registry with said source of radiant energy for automatic calibration of said circuit means, and when said drawer is in said second position the material to be analyzed is in registry with said source of radiant energy.

30. The analyst computer of claim 28 further including, movable filter means for moving a plurality of discrete filter elements into registry with said source of radiant energy and the material to be analyzed, said discrete filter elements selecting a desired frequency from said source of radiant energy to be directed onto the material to be analyzed, said movable filter means further including means for adjusting the angle of incident of said discrete filter elements relative to the ray from said source of radiant energy.