Battelle Memorial Institute

Kayte M Judd

Richard A Pappas

Leonard J Bond

James L Buelt

Aaron A Diaz

Don Simone Daly

Scott K Cooley

Walter C Weimer

William C Cliff

David M Pfund

Gerald P Morgen

A method and apparatus are described for determining the doneness of food during a cooking process. Ultrasonic signal are passed through the food during cooking. The change in transmission characteristics of the ultrasonic signal during the cooking process is measured to determine the point at which the food has been cooked to the proper level. In one aspect, a heated fluid cooks the food, and the transmission characteristics along a fluid-only ultrasonic path provides a reference for comparison with the transmission characteristics for a food-fluid ultrasonic path.

System and technique for ultrasonic determination of degree of cooking

A fluid level monitoring systemincludes an ultrasonic interrogation deviceacoustically coupled to a sidewallof containerand produces ultrasound that travels through the liquidalong a transverse pathand an inclined path. The liquid level is determined by calculating the times-of-flight for the received return signals, where the return signal along the inclined pathreflects from the intersectionof the liquid leveland a sidewall. The devicecan be a multi-element transducer having a plurality of transducer elements at different angular orientations in a common housing.

Ultrasonic fill level device and method

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Richland, WA, United States of America

Kayte M Judd