Audio detection of medium jam

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9260261-B2
Application number	US-201313786502-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2013
Priority date	Mar 6, 2013
Publication date	Feb 16, 2016
Grant date	Feb 16, 2016

Abstract

A method of indicating a medium jam along a medium transport path comprising one or more rollers for use in conveying the medium along the medium transport path; a microphone for detecting the sound of the medium being conveyed and producing a signal representing the sound; a processor for producing sound values from the signal and computing a moving window sum responsive to the sound values; computing a high amplitude count responsive to the sound values; and computing a post roller sum responsive to the sound values; and indicating the medium jam responsive to the moving window sum, high amplitude count, or post roller sum.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of indicating a medium jam along a medium transport path comprising:
(a) one or more rollers for use in conveying the medium along the medium transport path;
(b) a microphone for detecting the sound of the medium being conveyed and producing a signal representing the sound;
(c) a processor for producing sound values from the signal and:
(i) computing a moving window sum responsive to the sound values;
(ii) computing a high amplitude count responsive to the sound values; and
(iii) computing a post roller sum responsive to the sound values; and

(d) indicating the medium jam responsive to the moving window sum, high amplitude count, or post roller sum.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein (c) (i) includes computing the sum of sound values using a given window width.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein (c) (ii) includes computing the sum of sound values that are greater than a high amplitude sound threshold value.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein (c) (iii) includes computing a sum of sound values from a region of the medium transport path after one of the rollers.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein (d) includes indicating a medium jam when the moving window sum is greater than a moving window sum threshold value.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein (d) includes indicating a medium jam when the high amplitude count is greater than a high amplitude count threshold value.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein (d) includes indicating a medium jam when the post roller sum is greater than a post roller sum threshold value.

8. A method of indicating a medium jam along a medium transport path comprising:
(a) one or more rollers for use in conveying the medium along the medium transport path;
(b) a microphone for detecting the sound of the medium being conveyed and producing a signal representing the sound;
(c) a processor for producing sound values from the signal and:
(i) computing a moving window sum responsive to the sound values;
(ii) computing a high amplitude count responsive to the sound values;
(iii) computing a post roller sum responsive to the sound values; and
(iv) computing a pre roller sum responsive to the sound values; and

(d) indicating the medium jam responsive to the moving window sum, high amplitude count, post roller sum, or pre roller sum.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein (c) (i) includes computing the sum of sound values using a given window width.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein (c) (ii) includes computing the sum of sound values that are greater than a high amplitude sound threshold value.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein (c) (iii) includes computing a sum of sound values from a region of the medium transport path after one of the rollers.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein (c) (iv) includes computing a sum of sound values from a region of the medium transport path before one of the rollers.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein (d) includes indicating a medium jam when the moving window sum is greater than a moving window sum threshold value.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein (d) includes indicating a medium jam when the high amplitude count is greater than a high amplitude count threshold value.

15. The method of claim 8 wherein (d) includes indicating a medium jam when the post roller sum is greater than a post roller sum threshold value.

16. The method of claim 8 wherein (d) includes indicating a medium jam when the pre roller sum is greater than a pre roller sum threshold value.

Assignees

• Kodak Alaris Inc

Inventors

• Adams Jr James E
• Link Bruce A

Classifications

• B65H29/125

  between two sets of rollers · CPC title

• B65H5/062

  between rollers or balls · CPC title

• B65H2515/50

  Vibrations; Oscillations · CPC title

• B65H7/06 Primary

  responsive to presence of faulty articles or incorrect separation or feed (B65H7/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65H2511/528

  Jam · CPC title