Analyzing internal pressure of a closed container
AssigneeBenthos, Inc.
InventorRobert G. Melvin, II
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of analyzing internal pressure of a closed container includes inducing vibration in a surface of a closed container; detecting sound resulting from the vibration; deriving information representing the detected sound; and determining whether the information corresponds to a predetermined spectral frequency condition and a predetermined spectral amplitude condition. The surface is at least partially conductive and inducing includes imposing a magnetic field on the surface. The predetermined spectral frequency condition and the predetermined spectral amplitude condition correspond to ranges of acceptable values. The detected sound is used to determine whether the closed container contains a pressure level within a predetermined range of pressure levels.
Claims30
A method comprising:
- inducing vibration in a surface of a closed container;
- detecting sound resulting from the vibration;
- deriving information representing the detected sound;
- determining whether a frequency component of the information corresponds to a predetermined spectral frequency condition, and
- determining whether an amplitude component of the information corresponds to a predetermined spectral amplitude condition.
A method comprising:
- inducing vibration in a surface of a closed container by imposing a magnetic field on the surface;
- detecting sound resulting from the vibration;
- deriving information representing the detected sound;
- determining whether a frequency component of the information corresponds to a predetermined frequency condition, wherein the predetermined frequency condition corresponds to a range of acceptable frequencies, including
- comparing the information to the range of acceptable frequencies, and
- determining whether an amplitude component of the information corresponds to a predetermined amplitude condition, wherein the predetermined amplitude condition corresponds to a minimum or a maximum amplitude threshold, including
- comparing the information to the amplitude thresholds.
A method of operating a manufacturing line, comprising:
- passing closed containers through a container inspection system,
- at the container inspection system:
- inducing vibration in a surface of each of the closed containers;
- detecting sound resulting from the vibration;
- deriving information representing the detected sound;
- determining whether a frequency component of the information corresponds to a predetermined spectral frequency condition, and
- determining whether an amplitude component of the information corresponds to a predetermined spectral amplitude condition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.