Timothy Louis Schaefer

US Patent:

6449932, Sep 17, 2002

Filed:

Apr 2, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/720528

Inventors:

William F. Cooper - Hawley MN
Karl-Heinz O. Mertins - Fargo ND
Timothy Schaefer - Los Alamos NM

Assignee:

Deere Company - Moline IL

International Classification:

A01D 4628

US Classification:

56 102R

Abstract:

An optoelectronic apparatus having a measurement region ( ) for detecting the presence of damaged or cracked grain kernels in a population of grain kernels which are either in a stationary or moving state at the measurement region. The apparatus comprises a short-wave ultraviolet excitation light source ( ) that emits a spectral line of a wavelength shorter than 300 nm, a non-imaging photon detector ( ), and wavelength selector such as a dichroic beam-splitter ( ) which serves to isolate the fluorescent light emitted in a certain spectral region by the endosperm of grain from the excitation light of the light source, as well as from other sources of light. The apparatus may be mounted in a combine harvester for the purpose of detecting the presence of damaged grain kernels that have endosperm exposed while harvesting.