Applanation Firmness Measurement Using Pneumatic Flow Interruption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for measuring the firmness of leaves and planar segments of organs with thin, flexible cell walls are limited by deformation issues and lack of accuracy, particularly for irregular and segmented tissues, and do not effectively capture cell turgor pressure-dependent firmness.
Innovation Solution
An on-screen applanation system using a porous element through which air flows, where the organ is compressed until air flow is interrupted, allowing for reversible pressure measurement to determine firmness, utilizing a screen with a porous element and a compression system suitable for soft tissues like fruits and vegetables.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If compression is applied to measure firmness of leaves and planar segments, then firmness measurement is obtained, but deformation of the tissue occurs causing measurement inaccuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a pneumatic system where air flows through a porous element and the leaf tissue. The air flow is gradually reduced until the leaf obstructs the flow, at which point the applied pressure equals the firmness. This pneumatic approach allows measurement without excessive mechanical compression that would deform the tissue, thereby improving measurement accuracy while minimizing shape change.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a porous element through which air flows during the measurement process. The porous structure allows controlled air passage and gradual pressure application, enabling the measurement of firmness at the point of flow obstruction without causing significant tissue deformation. This resolves the contradiction by providing a gentler measurement mechanism.
2Adaptability or versatility
If applanation technique is used for convex organs, then firmness measurement is achieved, but the technique cannot be applied to irregular and segmented tissues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal measurement system that works for both convex organs and irregular/segmented tissues. The pneumatic apparatus with porous element can accommodate various tissue shapes and sizes, allowing the same basic principle (measuring pressure at flow obstruction) to be applied across different tissue types, thereby improving adaptability while maintaining measurement precision through the consistent underlying mechanism.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system provides accurate, reversible firmness measurements that correlate with cell turgor pressure, enabling effective post-harvest quality assessment and irrigation management benchmarking, overcoming previous limitations by minimizing deformation and improving measurement precision.
Implementation Method 1
a screen having inserted or engraved a porous element by which an air flow is crossed
Implementation Method 2
measure the cell turgor pressure dependent firmness of leaves and planar segments of organs
Data Source
AI summary
The applanation system on air permeated screen (1) of this invention is a versatile instrument for measurement of tissue firmness generated by cell turgor pressure of leaves and organs segments with thin and elastic cell wall of several stalk, leaves, fruits and roots. It is composed by an air source with adjusted maximum flow (6), a porous element (2) inserted on a screen (1), by which air flows, and a device for compression application (4). For measurements, the organ is progressively pressed against the screen until reversible interruption of the air flow crossing the porous element (2) is indicative of adequate applanation of the leaf against the screen. In this condition, one takes the firmness measurement reading as the applanation pressure (5). This firmometer enables postharvest quality evaluation and measurements for ecophysiology studies and irrigation management procedure benchmarking.