Patent ID: 6845326

Claim:
An apparatus for measuring a constituent content of an agricultural product, comprising: a device for forming a stream of the agricultural product; an optical sensing window in the device allowing passage of radiation from a radiation source to pass through the stream of agricultural product to a receiver, the optical sensing window being configured, in comparison to the device, to provide a narrower passageway for the stream of agricultural product to provide for a more uniform consistency in the stream of agricultural product; a radiation source for irradiating the stream of the agricultural product as the stream of the agricultural product passes through the optical sensing window; a receiver for receiving radiation transmitted from the radiation source through the stream of agricultural product and the optical sensing window, and for converting the received radiation into a corresponding electrical signal; and a computer, coupled to the receiver, for receiving the electrical signal and for processing the electrical signal to generate data for use in determining a constituent content of the agricultural product.