The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 10, 1995
Filed:
Aug. 24, 1994
Tahir M Mansour, Livonia, MI (US);
Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus for counting flat sheets of specularly reflective material juxtaposed in side by side relationship including a source of a parallel, collimated, beam of light adapted for movement to shine on a finite point across sides of a plurality of flat sheets at a shallow, acute angle of incidence relative to the sides of the flat sheets such that the beam of light is specularly reflected from the sides of the flat sheets except at one terminal edge of each side of the flat sheets where the beam of light is diffusely reflected, a sensor for sensing light diffusely reflected from the terminal edge of each of the flat sheets and generating an output signal in response to the intensity of the diffusely reflected light, and a microprocessor receiving the output signal from the sensor and generating a numerical count of the flat sheets over which the beam of light has been moved.