Milk property measuring device
AssigneeLely Patent N.V.
InventorFrans Emo Diderik VAN HALSEMA
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides a system and method for a milk measuring device for measuring the acoustic properties, such as acoustic damping and sound velocity in milk, in order to determine milk properties. The sound velocity in milk depends on temperature and composition. By carrying out, for example by means of a piezo element, a reference measurement on vibrations that have been directed by a second piezo element into a wire or the like of known material, which wire is strung in the measuring chamber which is filled with the milk to be tested, the milk temperature can be derived, so that other milk properties, in particular the fat/protein composition, can be determined in a more reliable manner.
Claims25
A milk property measuring device, comprising;
- a measuring chamber configured to house milk;
- a first vibrator provided at a first side of the measuring chamber, configured to generate first vibrations to set the milk in the measuring chamber into vibration;
- a first measuring device configured to convert the first vibrations having passed through the milk into first measurement signals;
- a control device configured to control the first vibrator and to process the first measurement signals into at least a quantity that is proportional to a sound velocity in the liquid further comprising a reference device connected to the control device,
- wherein the reference device comprises an elongate element provided in the measuring chamber and to be surrounded by the milk filled into the measuring chamber,
- and a second vibrator configured to generate second vibrations in the elongate element and a second measuring device to convert second vibrations having passed through the elongate element into second measurement signals, wherein the control device is configured to process the second measurement signals into a quantity that is proportional to the sound velocity in the elongate element.
(canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.