Wireless object counter

• US 7,386,237 B1
• Filed: 02/08/2007
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mesa Laboratories Inc.
• Original Assignee: Point Six Wireless LLC (Mesa Laboratories Inc.)
• Inventors: Compton, John I.
• Primary Examiner(s): PASCAL, LESLIE C
• Application Number:
  US11/703,990
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 398/151, 398130-131, 398/106, 398/154, 250/221, 250/221.1, 250/224, 250/338.1, 250/341, 340/825.2, 340/933, 340/934, 340/10.1, 340/10.3, 340/10.6, 340942-943, 340/825.65, 340/600, 377/6, 377/53
• US Class Current: 398/106
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/12 using one transmitter and one receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors

Abstract

A battery powered transmitter circuit has a LED of a continuously cycling microcomputer transmit a beam of a predetermined number of infrared pulses at predetermined time periods to a sensor of a battery powered receiver circuit. Only a clock circuit of each circuit of the same frequency is continuously powered. The two clock circuits are synchronized each time that the sensor senses the predetermined number of infrared pulses. When an object breaks the beam, the sensor causes a count of the object by a microcomputer of the receiver circuit. The receiver microcomputer is inactivated when the sensor does not sense the predetermined number of infrared pulses during one or more cycles of operation of the receiver microcomputer. There is only one count incremented on a count display after the beam is interrupted until the sensor again senses the predetermined number of infrared pulses.

Claims

1. A wireless object counter comprising:

a continuously cycling transmitter circuit and a receiver circuit separated from each other to provide a path therebetween along which objects to be counted move;

said transmitter circuit having its operation independent of any activity of said receiver circuit;

said transmitter circuit having a continuously operating clock circuit for causing a burst of a predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses as a beam during a predetermined period of time;

said receiver circuit having a continuously operating clock circuit of the same frequency as said clock circuit of said transmitter circuit so that said clock circuit of said receiver circuit is synchronized with said clock circuit of said transmitter circuit only when said receiver circuit is to be activated for a cycle of operation to determine if the transmitted burst of a predetermined number of infrared pulses as a beam from said transmitter circuit is received;

said receiver circuit being activated prior to said transmitter circuit transmitting a burst of a predetermined number of infrared pulses as a beam when said receiver circuit is to be activated for the cycle of operation;

and said receiver circuit having a counter for counting each time that the beam of the infrared pulses of each of the bursts of at least the predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses is interrupted by an object to be counted.

2. The wireless object counter according to claim 1 comprising said clock circuit of said transmitter circuit being the only continuously operating element in said transmitter circuit and said clock circuit of said receiver circuit being the only continuously operating element in said receiver circuit.

3. The wireless object counter according to claim 2 comprising said clock circuit of said receiver circuit being synchronized with said clock circuit of said transmitter circuit each time after said receiver circuit has received a burst of a predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses as a beam from said transmitter circuit by synchronization of said clock circuit of said receiver circuit with said clock circuit of said transmitter circuit.

4. The wireless object counter according to claim 3 comprising said receiver circuit being inactivated when it does not receive one of the bursts of a predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses as a beam from said transmitter circuit for a predetermined number of times that the bursts of a predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses as a beam are transmitted from said transmitter circuit.

5. The wireless object counter according to claim 2 comprising said receiver circuit being inactivated when it does not receive one of the bursts of a predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses as a beam from said transmitter circuit for a predetermined number of times that the bursts of a predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses as a beam are transmitted from said transmitter circuit.

6. The wireless object counter according to claim 1 comprising said receiver circuit being inactivated when it does not receive one of the bursts of a predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses as a beam from said transmitter circuit for a predetermined number of times that the bursts of a predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses as a beam are transmitted from said transmitter circuit.

7. The wireless object counter according to claim 1 comprising:

a first battery for powering said transmitter circuit;

and a second battery for powering said receiver circuit.

8. The wireless object counter according to claim 1 comprising a display for displaying as a count of the number of objects counted only the first count of any plurality of successive counts received by said counter of said receiver circuit until there is an interruption of the successive counts.

9. The wireless object counter according to claim 1 comprising said receiver circuit continuing to cycle until said receiver circuit fails to receive one of the bursts of the infrared pulses from said transmitter circuit for a predetermined number of cycles of operation of said receiver circuit.

10. The wireless object counter according to claim 9 comprising said receiver circuit ceasing to cycle for a predetermined period of time after it fails to receive one of the bursts of the infrared pulses from said transmitter circuit for the predetermined number of cycles of operation of said receiver circuit.

11. The wireless object counter according to claim 10 in which said receiver circuit is activated for at least one cycle of operation after ceasing to cycle for the predetermined period of time to determine if said receiver circuit receives one of the bursts of at least the predetermined minimum number of the infrared pulses as a beam from said transmitter circuit during the at least one cycle of operation that said receiver circuit is activated.

12. The wireless object counter according to claim 1 in which at least the predetermined minimum number of the infrared pulses transmitted by said transmitter circuit is a constant.

13. The wireless object counter according to claim 1 in which said receiver circuit is activated for at least one cycle of operation after ceasing to cycle for the predetermined period of time to determine if said receiver circuit receives one of the bursts of at least the predetermined minimum number of the infrared pulses as a beam from said transmitter circuit during the at least one cycle of operation that said receiver circuit is activated.

14. A method of wireless counting of objects moving along a predetermined path comprising:

transmitting a beam of at least a predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses, under control of a continuously operating clock circuit of a continuously cycling transmitter circuit having its operation independent of any activity of a receiver circuit, from the transmitter circuit across the predetermined path during each cycle of operation of the receiver circuit so that the beam of at least the predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses will be blocked by an object moving along the predetermined path;

receiving the beam of at least the predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses at the receiver circuit disposed on the opposite side of the predetermined path from the transmitter circuit unless the beam of at least the predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses is blocked, the receiver circuit having a clock circuit of the same frequency as the clock circuit of the transmitter circuit and being synchronized therewith at least during each cycle of operation and the receiver circuit being activated prior to transmission by the transmitter circuit of the beam of at least the predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses;

counting each time that the receiver circuit does not receive the beam of at least the predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses and storing each count;

and synchronizing the clock circuit of the receiver circuit with the clock circuit of the transmitter circuit each time that the receiver circuit is to be activated for a cycle of operation.

15. The method according to claim 14 comprising displaying a count of the number of objects by adding only a count of one to a count display irrespective of the number of consecutive cycles of operation that the receiver circuit does not receive the beam of at least the predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses.

16. The method according to claim 15 in which the predetermined period of time that the receiver circuit receives the beam of at least the predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses is a constant.

17. A method of wireless counting of objects moving along a predetermined path comprising:

transmitting a beam of at least a predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses, under control of a continuously operating clock circuit of a continuously cycling transmitter circuit having its operation independent of any activity of a receiver circuit, from the transmitter circuit across the predetermined path during each cycle of operation of the receiver circuit so that the beam of at least the predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses will be blocked by an object moving along the predetermined path;

receiving the beam of at least the predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses at the receiver circuit disposed on the opposite side of the predetermined path from the transmitter circuit unless the beam of at least the predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses is blocked, the receiver circuit having a clock circuit of the same frequency as the clock circuit of the transmitter circuit and being synchronized therewith at least during each cycle of operation and the receiver circuit being activated prior to transmission by the transmitter circuit of the beam of at least the predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses;

counting each time that the receiver circuit does not receive the beam of at least the predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses and storing each count;

stopping activation of the receiver circuit for a first predetermined period of time after the receiver circuit has not received the beam of at least the predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses for a second predetermined period of time;

activating the receiver circuit for a third predetermined period of time after the receiver circuit has been stopped for the first predetermined period of time;

continuing to stop the receiver circuit after each of its activations for the second predetermined period of time if the receiver circuit has not received the beam of at least the predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses during each activation of the receiver circuit for the third predetermined period of time;

and synchronizing the clock circuit of the receiver circuit with the clock circuit of the transmitter circuit each time that the receiver circuit is to be activated irrespective of whether the receiver circuit has been inactivated for one or more cycles of operation of the beam transmission from the transmitter circuit.

18. The method according to claim 17 comprising displaying a count of the number of objects by adding only a count of one to a count display irrespective of the number of consecutive cycles of operation that the receiver circuit does not receive the beam of at least the predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses.

19. The method according to claim 18 in which each first predetermined period of time that activation of the receiver circuit is stopped is a constant.

20. The method according to claim 17 in which each first predetermined period of time that activation of the receiver circuit is stopped is a constant.

21. The method according to claim 20 in which the second predetermined period of time that the receiver circuit has not received the beam of at least the predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses is a constant.

22. The method according to claim 17 in which the second predetermined period of time that the receiver circuit has not received the beam of at least the predetermined minimum number of infrared pulses is a constant.