Moisture detection apparatus and process
AssigneeDesert Valley Date, Inc.
InventorGregory Paul Kirkjan
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Abstract
Embodiments of a water detection apparatus are disclosed that can detect characteristics of food products. The apparatus may include a conveying mechanism configured to move a food product through an aperture in the apparatus, a transmitter coil configured to transmit a signal within the aperture, and a receiver coil configured to receive the signal altered by the food product, and a signal processing unit configured to determine an output value associated with the food product moving through the aperture. The output value can be based, at least in part, on the signal and the altered signal. The output value can corresponds to a characteristic of the food product.
Claims21
A water detection apparatus for detecting water content in a food product, the apparatus comprising:
- a conveying mechanism configured to move at least one food product through an aperture in the apparatus;
- at least one transmitter coil configured to transmit a signal within the aperture, wherein the at least one food product alters the signal;
- at least one receiver coil configured to receive the altered signal;
- and
- a signal processing unit configured to determine at least one output value associated with the at least one food product moving through the aperture based, at least in part, on the signal and the altered signal, wherein the at least one output value corresponds to water content of the at least one food product.
A method for detecting characteristics of a food product, the method comprising:
- conveying at least one food product through an aperture in a detection apparatus;
- transmitting a signal, by at least one transmitter coil, within the aperture;
- receiving, by at least one receiver coil, a signal altered by the food product;
- determining at least one output value associated with the at least one food product moving through the aperture based, at least in part, on the signal and the altered signal, wherein the at least one output value corresponds to water content of the at least one food product, and
- processing the at least one food product based, at least in part, on the at least one output value.
An apparatus for detecting characteristics in a food product, the apparatus comprising:
- a conveying mechanism configured to move at least one food product through an aperture in the apparatus;
- at least one transmitter coil configured to transmit a signal within the aperture, wherein the at least one food product alters the signal;
- at least one receiver coil configured to receive the altered signal;
- and
- a signal processing unit configured to determine at least one output value associated with the at least one food product moving through the aperture based, at least in part, on the signal and the altered signal, wherein the at least one output value corresponds to an metal detection characteristic and a water content characteristic of the at least one food product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.