Detection of process abnormalities in a media processing system
AssigneeKodak Alaris Inc.
InventorsThomas G. Middleton, Bruce A. Link, Daniel P. Phinney
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Abstract
Sheet media jams are detected along a media transport path by one or more vibration sensors that capture mechanical movements of components along the path that interact with the sheet media for driving or guiding the sheet media along the transport path. The detected vibrations during the advancing of the sheets are analyzed for distinguishing between detected vibrations associated with normal handling of the sheets and detected vibrations associated with abnormal handling of the sheets. An error condition can be signaled to a control system in response to distinguishing the detected vibrations associated with the abnormal handling of the sheets.
Claims14
A method of monitoring transport of a sheet media though a media processing apparatus comprising steps of:
- conveying at least one sheet media with a transport apparatus including one or more rollers from a queue mechanism along a medium transport path;
- detecting a vibration propagating in the media processing apparatus using at east one vibration detection unit and generating detected vibration signals;
- detecting, with at least one sound acquisition unit, the sound of the medium being transported and producing sound signals;
- weighting the sound signals by combining information from the at least one vibration detection unit and the at least one sound acquisition unit;
- analyzing, in a processing system, the detected vibration signals and weighted sound signals, wherein the analyzing includes determining whether the detected vibration signals and weighted sound signals are associated with normal or abnormal handling of sheet media in the media processing apparatus;
- signaling an error condition to a control system in response to determining that the detected vibration signals and weighted sound signals are associated with abnormal handling of the sheets.
A media processing apparatus comprising:
- a transport apparatus for advancing sheet media from a queue mechanism through one or more media processing stages to an ejection mechanism, wherein the transport apparatus includes rollers for engaging the sheet media and support structures for rotatably supporting the rollers;
- at least one vibration detection unit for detecting vibration signals as the media is transported;
- at least one sound acquisition unit for detecting sound signals as the media is transported;
- a processing system configured to weight the sound signals by combining information from the at least one vibration detection unit and the at least one sound acquisition unit, and to analyze the detected vibration signals and weighted sound signals, wherein the analyzing includes determining whether the detected vibration signals and weighted sound signals are associated with normal or abnormal handling of sheet media in the media processing apparatus;
- and
- a control unit that receives an error condition signal from the processing system in response to determining that the detected vibration signals are associated with abnormal handling of the sheet media.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.