Patent ID: 8656759
Filing Date: 2014-02-25
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
1. A portable handheld consistometer comprising: a probe having a shaft and a probe tip attached to a first end of the shaft, the probe tip having a cross-sectional area greater than that of the shaft, the probe configured to be inserted into a material to measure the consistency thereof; a force sensor attached to a second end of the shaft opposite the first end, the force sensor also being coupled to processing circuitry, the force sensor configured to measure the force with which the probe tip penetrates the material; a distance sensor coupled to the processing circuitry, the distance sensor configured to measure the distance that the probe tip penetrates into the material; and a display screen coupled to the processing circuitry and configured to display the results of consistency measurements; wherein the microcontroller is configured to provide to the display an indication of the penetration speed of the probe tip into the material; and wherein the microcontroller is further configured to record a plurality of penetration speeds throughout set increments of the penetration depth, wherein if the number of recorded penetration speeds that fall outside of preset limits exceeds a threshold percentage value, no consistency measurement is displayed.