Non-destructive firmness measuring device

A method for measuring the firmness of an object under test having a rough surface, which comprises:

• a. directing an impulsive jet of a fluid having a predetermined force at the surface of the object under test to deform said surface;
• b. directing a beam of coherent electromagnetic radiation at the area on the surface of the object under test impacted by said jet of fluid;
• c. analyzing the electromagnetic radiation from said beam reflected off of said area on the surface of the object under test impacted by said jet of fluid to determine the amount of deformation;
• and
• d. correlating the amount of deformation of the object under test with the force of said jet of fluid to determine the firmness of the object under test.

A device for non-destructively testing the ripeness of food products, comprising:

• a. means to generate an impulsive jet ,of air aimed at the surface of the food product being tested;
• b. a laser means to generate a beam of coherent light aimed at the surface of the food product under test impacted by said impulsive jet of air;
• c. a detector means to sense reflected light from the surface of the object under test resulting from the reflection of said beam of coherent light and to generate a signal representative of the distance between said detector means and said food product being tested;
• d. an analyzer means responsive to the signal representative of the distance between said detector means and said food product being tested to determine the firmness of the food product under test;
• and
• e. a controller means to coordinate the release of said impulsive jet of air with the analysis of said signal with the operation of said analyzer.

A device for non-destructively measuring the ripeness of a food object selected from the group consisting of fruits and vegetables, comprising:

• a. means for non-destructively deforming an area on a surface of a food object under test;
• b. means for measuring the amount of deformation of a surface of a food object under test being deformed by the means for non-destructively deforming an area on a surface of a food object under test;
• and
• c. means for correlating an amount of deformation measured by the means to measure with ripeness of a food object under test.

A method for non-destructively measuring the ripeness of fruit, comprising:

• a. non-destructively deforming an area on the surface of the piece of fruit under test;
• b. measuring the amount of deformation of the surface of the piece of fruit;
• and
• c. correlating said amount of deformation with the ripeness of the fruit.

A method for non-destructively sorting fruit in a packing house by measuring its firmness, comprising:

• a. non-destructively deforming an area on the surface of the piece of fruit under test;
• b. measuring the amount of deformation of the surface of the piece of fruit;
• c. correlating said amount of deformation with the ripeness of the fruit;
• and
• d. controlling a means to move pieces of fruit to preselected locations according to ripeness.

A method for non-destructively determining the readiness for harvest of fruit while the piece of fruit is still on the tree, comprising:

• a. non-destructively deforming an area on the surface of the piece of fruit under test;
• b. measuring the amount of deformation of the surface of the piece of fruit;
• c. correlating said amount of deformation with the ripeness of the fruit;
• and
• d. determining whether the fruit is ready to be harvested, based on its ripeness.

A method for non-destructively measuring the ripeness of a food object selected from the group consisting of fruits and vegetables, the method comprising:

• (a) non-destructively deforming an area on a surface of a food object under test;
• (b) measuring the amount of deformation on the deformed area;
• and
• (c) correlating the measured amount of deformation with the ripeness of the food object under test.

A method for non-destructively sorting food objects in a packing house according to the ripeness of the food objects, the food objects being selected from the group consisting of fruits and vegetables, the method comprising:

• (a) non-destructively deforming an area of a surface of a food object under test;
• (b) measuring the amount of deformation of the deformed area;
• (c) correlating the measured deformation with a degree of ripeness dependent upon the type of food object under test;
• and
• (d) controlling a means to move tested food objects to preselected locations in accordance with the respective degrees of ripeness determined in the correlating step.

A firmness measuring device for non-destructive firmness testing of objects, comprising:

• (a) means for generating an impulsive jet of a fluid aimed at a surface of an object under test;
• (b) means for generating a beam of radiation aimed at an area on a surface of an object under test impacted by the impulsive jet;
• (c) means for sensing reflected radiation from a surface of an object under test resulting from the reflection of said beam of radiation and responsive to the reflected radiation for generating a signal representative of an amount of deformation of an object under test;
• (d) means for analyzing the signal representative of an amount of deformation to determine the firmness of an object under test;
• and
• (e) means for coordinating the analysis of the signal representative of an amount of deformation and the release of the impulsive jet.