Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for detecting and counting articles

US5031156A · kind A · utility

5Cited by
12References
37Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 12, 1989
Grant dateJul 9, 1991
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 12, 2009

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06M7/00
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Articles, moving along a delivery path, are counted by directing a stream of pressurized air toward one major surface of the passing articles, the direction of the air stream being transverse to the direction of travel. Sensors arranged about the air stream detect the acoustic signal which varies with changes in the profile of the passing articles, exemplified by signatures. The detected acoustic signal is divided into a plurality of frequency ranges which, in one preferred emboidment, are averaged to reduce the effect of noise which may be present in only limited ones of the frequency bands. The averaged signals are then compared against thresholds to determine the instantaneous state of the articles, exemplified by a signature stream, to generate count signals.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.