Deere & Company

Caleb A Perkinson

Jeffrey Scott Puhalla

Kevin Park Cowles

Ryan J King

Jason A Jelinek

Haifeng Zhang

Waylon R Lindseth

An object counting device adjusts a signal to account for noise to improve object counting accuracy. A controller receives an electromagnetic radiation (e.g., light) intensity signal from radiation detectors and determines that its value is within a voltage threshold, thereby indicating that no object is passing through the radiation. The controller determines a derivative of the signal and that the derivative is less than a derivative threshold level for at least a predefined time. The controller then updates a base noise floor value to be the value of the radiation intensity signal to account for particles within a path of the electromagnetic radiation to improve an object counting accuracy. In some embodiments, the processor can scale the received radiation intensity signal in accordance with the updated base noise floor value.

Device and method for adjusting a signal for an object detector

An object detection system compensates for variations in transmission characteristics within an object passageway caused by, for example, dust or dirt. An object detection device includes a plurality of electromagnetic radiation emitters and detectors arranged in rows on opposite sides of a passageway. First lenses focus radiation from the emitters into a semi-columnated beams of radiation that together create a plane of semi-columnated electromagnetic radiation that spans substantially across a width of the passageway. Second lenses focus the received electromagnetic radiation onto corresponding ones of the plurality of radiation detectors. A controller receives a radiation intensity signal from the detectors, determines that its value is outside of a predetermined range, and adjusts an amount of electrical power supplied to the plurality of radiation emitters so that the value of the radiation intensity signal changes to become within the predetermined range.

Device and method for detecting objects passing through a passageway

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Fargo, ND, United States of America

Caleb A Perkinson