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AssigneePPG Industries, Inc.
InventorsHobart E. Kenton, Forrest W. Decker
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Abstract
A carriage having (1) an infrared energy ray emitter and detector and (2) an encoder is displaced over a side of stacked glass sheets to sense density of reflected energy rays as a function of carriage position on the stack. The sensed density of reflected infrared energy rays from the edges of the outermost sheets and the interface between adjacent sheets is less than the sensed density of the reflected rays from the sides of the sheets. The output signal of the encoder and of the detector is acted on to determine the number of sheets in the stack.
Claims8
An apparatus for determining number of sheets in a stack, the shets each having an energy reflecting surface portion, comprising:
- a carriage;
- means mounted on said carriage for directing energy rays toward a side of the stacked sheets;
- means for sensing density of reflected energy rays mounted on said carriage in spaced relation to said means for directing energy rays;
- means connected to said sensing means for generating a density signal;
- first wheel means mounted on said carriage adjacent said means for directing energy rays;
- second wheel means mounted on said carriage in spaced relation to said first wheel means and adjacent said sensing means;
- means for generating a signal indicating relative displacement as said carriage moves on said first or second wheel means from a predetermined location along said side of the stacked sheets;
- means for interconnecting said first wheel means;
- said second wheel means and said means for generating a displacement signal when at least one of said wheel means moves over the stacked sheets;
- and
- means for acting on the density signal and the displacement signal to determine the number of sheets in the stack.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.