Spoilt fruit inspection appts. esp. for apples - subjects fruit to pressure conditions to modify geometrical structure and uses mechanical feelers to sense surface condition

摘要

A fruit esp. an apple, is positioned in a sealed measuring chamber and is subjected to pressure and vacuum conditions. The chamber is filled with gas or liquid so that the whole surface is examined. Inside the vacuum the chambers are situated feelers which are oriented perpendicular w.r.t. the surface of the fruit. The feelers provide electric position. Signals which feed on data store. The geometrical structure of the fruit is determined and the state is classified and stored. A continuous or discontinuous variable pressure is then applied so that the fruit structure modifies. The geometrical structure is again measured and the value stored. The two values are compared to permit classification of the fruit for quality.