On-the-go sugar sensor for determining sugar content during harvesting
First Claim
1. A device for determining sugar content of an agricultural product while being harvested, comprising:
- a sample preparation mechanism for attachment to a harvester/defoliator and for use with a received agricultural product during harvesting to create an exposed sample of the agricultural product;
an illumination chamber for radiating the exposed sample of the agricultural product;
a sensor head for receiving radiation from the exposed sample of the agricultural product;
a spectrometer, coupled to the sensor for converting the radiation into a corresponding spectral signal;
a computer, coupled to the spectrometer, for receiving the spectral signal and for processing the spectral signal to determine an indication of sugar content of the agricultural product; and
an electronic detector for detecting a location of the agricultural product.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An on-the-go sensor for determining the sugar content of an agricultural product, such as a sugar beet, during harvesting or at other times. The sensor is coupled to a harvester/defoliator and uses a knife to slice a cross-section from the crown of the sugar beet during harvesting. An illumination chamber radiates the exposed crown, and a sensor head receives the reflected radiation. A spectrometer converts the reflected radiation to a spectral signal. A computer digitizes and processes the spectral signal to produce data points relating to the sugar content of the sugar beet. The processing of the data points includes normalization, linearization, and other techniques. One of the techniques eliminates the conventional need to use the spectral signature of a separate physical standard as a reference.
71 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A device for determining sugar content of an agricultural product while being harvested, comprising:
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a sample preparation mechanism for attachment to a harvester/defoliator and for use with a received agricultural product during harvesting to create an exposed sample of the agricultural product;
an illumination chamber for radiating the exposed sample of the agricultural product;
a sensor head for receiving radiation from the exposed sample of the agricultural product;
a spectrometer, coupled to the sensor for converting the radiation into a corresponding spectral signal;
a computer, coupled to the spectrometer, for receiving the spectral signal and for processing the spectral signal to determine an indication of sugar content of the agricultural product; and
an electronic detector for detecting a location of the agricultural product. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
an enclosure;
a fiber optic cable coupled to the enclosure; and
one or more lenses contained within the enclosure for transmitting the radiation onto the fiber optic cable.
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5. The device of claim 4 wherein the one or more lenses include:
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a collimating lens attached to the fiber optic cable; and
one or more optical lenses for focusing the radiation onto the collimating lens.
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6. The device of claim 4, further including a lens holder for mounting the one or more lenses within the enclosure.
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7. The device of claim 1 wherein the illumination chamber includes:
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an enclosure;
a light source within the enclosure; and
a light outlet hole on the enclosure for passing light from the light source for radiating the exposed sample.
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8. The device of claim 7 wherein the illumination chamber further includes a ventilation mechanism to reduce heat build-up in the illumination chamber.
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9. A method for determining sugar content of an agricultural product while being harvested, comprising:
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preparing a sample of a received agricultural product during harvesting to create an exposed sample of the agricultural product;
radiating the exposed sample of the agricultural product;
receiving radiation from the exposed sample of the agricultural product;
converting the radiation into a corresponding spectral signal; and
receiving the spectral signal and processing the spectral signal to determine an indication of sugar content of the agricultural product, further including detecting a location of the agricultural product using an electronic detector. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of on-the-go sampling at intervals within a field containing a plurality of agricultural products to determine sugar content among the agricultural products, comprising:
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preparing a sample of a plurality of received agricultural products at particular intervals in a field during harvesting to create an expose sample of each of the agricultural products at particular intervals;
radiating the exposed sample of the agricultural product;
receiving radiation from the exposed sample of the agricultural product;
converting the radiation into a corresponding spectral signal;
receiving the spectral signal and processing the spectral signal sugar content of the agricultural product; and
recording the determination of the sugar content for each of the plurality of agricultural products, further including detecting a location of the agricultural product using an electronic detector. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A portable apparatus for use in determining a constituent content of an agricultural product, comprising:
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a sample holder for holding a sample of the agricultural product;
an illumination chamber for radiating the sample while in the sample holder;
a sensor head for receiving reflected radiation from the sample; and
a portable housing for containing the illumination chamber and the sensor, and for accommodating the sample holder, wherein a surface of the sample holder has a color providing a low or minimum reflectance from surrounding areas on the surface not covered by the agricultural product sample. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
an arm;
a supporting plate attached to the arm; and
an anchoring mechanism attached to the supporting plate for holding the sample of the agricultural product.
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22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein a surface of the supporting plate has a color providing a low or minimum reflectance from surrounding areas on the surface not covered by the agricultural product sample.
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23. A method for processing a spectral signal to predict sugar content of an agricultural product, comprising:
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preparing a sample of a received agricultural product during harvesting to create an exposed sample of the agricultural product;
radiating the exposed sample of the agricultural product;
receiving radiation from the exposed sample of the agricultural product;
converting the radiation into a corresponding spectral signal;
receiving the spectral signal and processing the spectral signal to determine an indication of sugar content of the agricultural product; and
associating the indication of the sugar content with a particular location of the agricultural product, further including detecting a location of the agricultural product using an electronic detector. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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Specification