Grain moisture tester

Claim 1

An apparatus for determining the moisture content of particulate material by compressing said particulate material said apparatus comprising: (a) a substantially closed variable volume compression chamber; (b) a hollow piston slidable in said chamber, the interior of said piston including a substantially concave face and comprising a plurality of telescopically interengageable hollow piston elements relatively movable with respect to one another, whereby the interior of said hollow piston provides a generally frusto-conical compression chamber, and whereby the volume of said generally frusto-conical chamber may be varied; (c) a plug disposed movably therein to provide a wall of said generally frusto-conical chamber facing said concave piston face and movable towards and away from said concave piston face; (d) piston actuating means for moving said piston elements relative to one another, thereby to vary the volume of said generally frusto-conical chamber, said piston actuating means comprising means for sequentially moving said piston elements relative to one another; and (e) a transducer means operatively associated with said plug to resist movement of said plug in response to a pressure generated within said compression chamber, and to provide a signal indicative of a pressure generated within said compression chamber, said signal being indicative of the moisture content of said particulate material.

Claim 2

An apparatus for determining the moisture content of particulate material by compressing said particulate material said apparatus comprising: (a) a substantially closed variable volume compression chamber; (b) a hollow piston slidable in said chamber, the interior of said piston including a substantially concave face and comprising a plurality of telescopically interengageable hollow piston elements relatively movable with respect to one another, whereby the interior of said hollow piston provides a generally frusto-conical compression chamber, and whereby the volume of said generally frusto-conical chamber may be varied; (c) a plug disposed movably therein to provide a wall of said generally frusto-conical chamber facing said concave piston face and movable towards and away from said concave piston face; (d) piston actuating means for moving said piston elements relative to one another, thereby to vary the volume of said generally frusto-conical chamber, said piston actuating means comprising means for sequentially moving said piston elements relative to one another; and (e) a transducer means operatively associated with said plug to resist movement of said plug in response to a pressure generated within said compression chamber, and to provide a signal indicative of a pressure generated within said compression chamber, said signal being indicative of the moisture content of said particulate material.

Claim 3

An apparatus for determining the moisture content of particulate material by compressing said particulate material, said apparatus comprising: (a) a substantially enclosed variable volume chamber having first and second longitudinally spaced-apart ends; (b) a peripheral wall extending between said ends, said peripheral wall forming a piston including a plurality of members movably interengageable with one another, and including a substantially cylindrical sleeve, provided on its inner face with a plurality of longitudinally extending peripherally spaced apart slots, directed radially outwardly, and a plurality of longitudinal, peripherally spaced apart, radially outwardly extending blades, the blades being intermeshed with the slots and being interslidably longitudinally movable with respect to the slots; (c) said piston, closing said first end of said chamber, and movable towards and away from said second end of said chamber and engageable with said blades for movement of said blades with said piston in movement of said piston towards said second end of said chamber; (d) piston actuating means for moving said piston towards said second end of said chamber; (e) a plug, disposed movably in said chamber, thereby closing said second end of said chamber and (f) pressure sensor means including a transducer operatively associated with said plug to resist movement of said plug in response to a pressure generated within said compression chamber, and to provide a signal indicative of pressure generated within said chamber, said signal being indicative of the moisture content of said particulate material.

Claim 4

An apparatus for determining the moisture content of particulate material by compressing said particulate material, said apparatus comprising: (a) a substantially enclosed variable volume chamber having first and second longitudinally spaced-apart ends; (b) a peripheral wall extending between said ends, said peripheral wall forming a piston including a plurality of members movably interengageable with one another, and including a substantially cylindrical sleeve, provided on its inner face with a plurality of longitudinally extending peripherally spaced apart slots, directed radially outwardly, and a plurality of longitudinal, peripherally spaced apart, radially outwardly extending blades, the blades being intermeshed with the slots and being interslidably longitudinally movable with respect to the slots; (c) said piston, closing said first end of said chamber, and movable towards and away from said second end of said chamber and engageable with said blades for movement of said blades with said piston in movement of said piston towards said second end of said chamber; (d) piston actuating means for moving said piston towards said second end of said chamber; (e) a plug, disposed movably in said chamber, thereby closing said second end of said chamber and (f) pressure sensor means including a transducer operatively associated with said plug to resist movement of said plug in response to a pressure generated within said compression chamber, and to provide a signal indicative of pressure generated within said chamber, said signal being indicative of the moisture content of said particulate material.