The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 12, 1998
Filed:
Feb. 27, 1997
Steven L Wright, Johnston, IA (US);
C Fred Hood, Johnston, IA (US);
Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., Johnston, IA (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and method for combining NIR spectography with a combine for measuring major constituents of harvested grain in real time includes a monochromator having no moving optical parts. The monochromator includes a fixed diffraction grating and a photodiode collector comprised of a plurality of photodiodes. A radiation source irradiates a grain sample while a bundle of fiber optic strands transmits the reflected radiation to the diffraction grating. By analyzing the intensities and wavelengths of the reflected radiation at the photodiode collector, the presence and amount of major constituents of the harvested grain can be determined. The present invention may be used on a research combine along with the conventional instrumentation which measures the weight, moisture, and volume of grain harvested in a test plot.