RU239000U1 - Milk quality analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to agriculture. A milk analyzer is a printed circuit board assembly capable of being mounted on the surface of a transparent milk pipeline. The assembly contains optical narrowband filters connected to photodiodes connected to analog-to-digital converters, the outputs of which are connected to a computing and information unit implemented as a controller, the inputs of which are connected to galvanic isolation of the RS-485 port and galvanic isolation of the power supply circuits. The analyzer comprises 16 photodiodes connected to 16 analog-to-digital converters arranged in parallel. The invention reduces the time required for milk quality analysis. 6 fig.

Description

The utility model relates to agriculture, namely to devices for determining milk quality.

The AfiLab is a well-known spectroscopic liquid analyzer from AfiMilk, Israel [1], based on the measurement of shortwave near infrared (SNIR) spectra in transmission and scattering modes at various fixed angles using a set of diode emitters with different spectra. It is characterized as an inexpensive, operational device, but lacks precision, especially with respect to milk proteins.

Also known is the easy-to-use express analyzer MilkoScan-3 in the QFIR range for compositional analysis of milk, including the content of somatic cells, which is a composition of a small-sized device "Fruit Tester 20", FANTEC, Kosai-city, Japan, and a box with a sample in a test tube, connected to a spectrometer and a light source by fiber optic light guides [2].

The NIT-38 Milk Analyzer, manufactured by NIRTech, Australia, is also well-known. It is used to determine the content of components such as fat, protein, and lactose in liquid dairy products. The NIT-38 is a SWNIR transmission spectrophotometer based on an array of silicon photodiodes. The analyzer records the spectrum of radiation transmitted through the sample in the SWNIR range. Within this range, fat, protein, water, and other components of dairy products absorb radiation energy to varying degrees. To correlate spectra with the concentration of protein, fat, and other components in samples, it is necessary to construct a calibration using samples with standardized parameters. The NIT-38 analyzer is calibrated using the latent structure projection (LSP) regression method. Calibration models are then loaded into the NIT-38 analyzer's microprocessor. The sample analysis procedure consists of loading the sample into a cuvette and recording the transmission spectrum, selecting a calibration model based on the product type, and viewing the determination result on the monitor. Determination of up to 4 indicators occurs within 60 s.

The common disadvantages of known spectrometric infrared express milk analyzers are

insufficient sensitivity to weakly absorbing components, such as protein, expressed either in low accuracy or in the complexity of the calibration model, i.e. low reliability of protein determination;

the absence in the readings of data suitable for identifying a milk drink, i.e. a product reconstituted from dry milk powder, for example, micellized casein, cholesterol oxide or somatic cells and bacteria typical of milk;

insufficient dynamic range for determining fats in batches of samples with significant variations in their mass fraction and globule sizes, resulting in a decrease in the accuracy of fat determination using calibration models with a wide variation in fat content.

The closest device to the proposed one is a device for determining the complex quality indicator and quality category of milk, comprising a temperature meter, an ultrasonic meter for measuring the mass fractions of fat, protein, dry nonfat milk solids (SNF), and added water, as well as milk density, and an ionometric pH meter, as well as a computing and information unit connected to these meters, consisting of units for processing information and displaying the measured parameters. It additionally contains ionometric meters for measuring the content of calcium, sodium, and/or ammonium ions, and the computing and information unit additionally includes a storage unit for information on the values of the parameters measured by the device and entered by the operator, the individual and complex quality indicators, and the quality category of the test sample, as well as a unit for recording the information stored in the device and transferring it to paper and magnetic media.

The disadvantages of the prototype device are the high time costs for quality analysis and the lack of control during the milking process.

The objective of the utility model is to reduce time costs when analyzing milk quality.

The stated objective is achieved by the fact that in the milk quality analyzer, containing a meter, a computing and information unit, a printed circuit board is additionally introduced, the meter is made in the form of optical narrow-band filters and photodiodes connected to an ADC, the outputs of which are connected to the computing and information unit, made in the form of a control controller, to the inputs of which a galvanic isolation of the RS485 port and galvanic isolation of the power supply circuits are connected, while the printed circuit board is installed on one side of the transparent milk pipeline, and on the other side a broadband light source is placed.

The technical result achieved is to ensure continuous control of milk quality throughout the entire milking process.

Fig. 1 shows a functional diagram of the proposed milk quality analyzer, containing a printed circuit board 1, optical narrow-band filters 2, photodiodes 3, ADC 4, control controller 5, galvanic isolation of R-485 port 6, galvanic isolation of power supply circuits 7, and a broadband radiation source 8.

Fig. 2 shows the external appearance of a broadband radiation source - krypton-a) and halogen-b).

Fig. 3 shows the emission spectrum of a halogen source,

Fig. 4 - the transmission bands of the optical filters of the first version of the photo detector,

Fig. 5 - transmission bands of optical filters of the second version of the photo detector.

The proposed device operates as follows.

The milk quality analyzer comprises a printed circuit board 1 mounted on one side of the transparent milk pipeline surface and containing narrow-band optical filters 2, photodiodes 3, an ADC 4, a control controller 5, and galvanic isolation units 6 and 7. Such an analyzer, using a broadband radiation source, reduces the measurement time, since the use of optical narrow-band filters 2, sixteen photodiodes 3, and an ADC 4 operating in parallel will reduce the measurement time by 16 times, since the entire spectrum will be measured in parallel in one go, rather than sequentially in 16 passes. A krypton or halogen emitter 8, for example, can be used as a broadband radiation source (Fig. 2a and b).

The broadband radiation source generates a spectrum in the range from 350 nm to 1000 nm - Fig. 3. To isolate individual sections of the spectrum, optical filters with passbands are used on the receiving side - Figs. 4 and 5.

Under each optical filter there is a photodiode, from the output of which the analog signal is fed to the ADC input and then read in digital form by the controller, which performs preliminary spectrum processing and transmits data via the RS-485 port.

Sources of information

1. Patent EP 1444501 B1 dated 08.11.2001.

2. Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy, Volume 16 Issue 4, Pages 389-398 (2008).

3. http://www.nirtech.net/DairyAnalyser.htm.

4. Patent No. 47527 RU, GOIN 33/04, published on August 27, 2005.

Claims (1)

A milk analyzer characterized in that it is a printed unit designed with the possibility of installation on the surface of a transparent milk pipeline, containing optical narrow-band filters connected to photodiodes connected to analog-to-digital converters, the outputs of which are connected to a computing and information unit designed in the form of a control controller, to the inputs of which a galvanic isolation of the RS-485 port and a galvanic isolation of the power supply circuits are connected, wherein the analyzer contains 16 photodiodes connected to 16 analog-to-digital converters located in parallel.