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.

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.

A card-type medium counting mechanism that calculates the number of card-type medium held so as to stack in a thickness direction, which is capable of improving the accuracy with which the number of card-type medium is counted, is provided. A card-type medium counting mechanism that calculates the number of card-type medium includes optical sensors that calculate the number of the card-type medium held so as to stack in a thickness direction of the card-type medium, a carriage to which the sensors are mounted, a circuit board that is fixed to the carriage, and a carriage driving mechanism that moves the carriage such that the sensors move along an end surface of the card-type medium. In this card-type medium counting mechanism, a processing circuit that processes an output signal from the sensors and outputs a digital signal is mounted to the circuit board.

A card-type medium counting mechanism that calculates the number of card-type medium held so as to stack in a thickness direction, which is capable of improving the accuracy with which the number of card-type medium is counted, is provided. A card-type medium counting mechanism that calculates the number of card-type medium includes optical sensors that calculate the number of the card-type medium held so as to stack in a thickness direction of the card-type medium, a carriage to which the sensors are mounted, a circuit board that is fixed to the carriage, and a carriage driving mechanism that moves the carriage such that the sensors move along an end surface of the card-type medium. In this card-type medium counting mechanism, a processing circuit that processes an output signal from the sensors and outputs a digital signal is mounted to the circuit board.

A sensing system for numerical representation is disclosed. The sensing system is comprised of optical sensors each of which provides output signal, a bar to hold the optical sensor, sliding objects to be slide over the bar to intersect with optical wave of the optical sensors; and a microprocessor to receive the output signals of the optical sensors and converts each unique combination of the output signals into an identifier representing a number.

An apparatus for counting textile cords in a tire reinforcement belt by cutting the reinforcement belt into a plurality of belt units and successively measuring the number of textile cords in each belt unit is provided. The apparatus includes a feed roller having wound therearound a reinforcement belt on which textile cords are arranged along a longitudinal direction of the reinforcement belt; one or more take-up rollers configured to collect the reinforcement belt from the feed roller; a plurality of guide rollers interposed between the take-up rollers and configured to support a top surface or a bottom surface of the reinforcement belt; one or more light sources, each configured to emit a line of light onto a surface of the reinforcement belt that is passing around the guide rollers; and one or more image sensors configured to capture images reflected off the surface of the reinforcement belt.

An apparatus for counting textile cords in a tire reinforcement belt by cutting the reinforcement belt into a plurality of belt units and successively measuring the number of textile cords in each belt unit is provided. The apparatus includes a feed roller having wound therearound a reinforcement belt on which textile cords are arranged along a longitudinal direction of the reinforcement belt; one or more take-up rollers configured to collect the reinforcement belt from the feed roller; a plurality of guide rollers interposed between the take-up rollers and configured to support a top surface or a bottom surface of the reinforcement belt; one or more light sources, each configured to emit a line of light onto a surface of the reinforcement belt that is passing around the guide rollers; and one or more image sensors configured to capture images reflected off the surface of the reinforcement belt.

A pill counting device includes a step feeder having moveable slats interleaved with fixed slats. The movable slats are vertically offset from one another and are configured to move vertically between top platforms of adjacent fixed slats to carry pills vertically up the step feeder. A top movable slat orients a subset of the plurality of pills into a row of pills to be fed into a count chamber. A camera configured to capture an image of a pill of the individual pills as it falls through the count chamber. The device further includes a control system configured to control movement of the movable slats and to control capturing of images by the camera. The control system is further configured to calculate a characteristic of the pill from the image, and to increment a pill counter in response to the characteristic of the pill meeting predefined criteria.

The present invention relates to devices, frameworks and methodologies configured to enable processing of resource consumption data via monitoring physically observable behaviors of an existing resource meter, and devices, frameworks and methodologies configured to enable provision of functionalities based on processing of resource consumption data. Some embodiments of the invention have been particularly developed for application in the context of enabling real-time monitoring of meter data, for example electrical meters, and the provision of functionality of users based on processing of monitored data. While some embodiments will be described herein with particular reference to that application, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to such a field of use, and is applicable in broader contexts.

An indexing container for beverage containers includes a base wall and a pair of side walls extending upward from the base wall to partially define a storage portion. A counter determines a number of beverage containers stored in the indexing container. A display indicates the number of beverage containers stored in the indexing container.