US 12,346,146 B2
System and method for counting spatially arranged, moving markers
Mateusz Semegen, Komorowo (PL); Rafal Kasperowicz, Komorowo (PL); Maciej Rot, Komorowo (PL); and Kacper Ostrowski, Komorowo (PL)
Assigned to HEAVY KINEMATIC MACHINES SP. ZO. O., Komorowo (PL)
Appl. No. 17/797,444
Filed by HEAVY KINEMATIC MACHINES SP. Z O. O., Komorowo (PL)
PCT Filed Dec. 9, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/085383
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 4, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/155979, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 12, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 20461509 (EP), filed on Feb. 4, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0390978 A1, Dec. 8, 2022
Int. Cl. G06C 15/04 (2006.01); A63B 21/062 (2006.01)
CPC G06C 15/04 (2013.01) [A63B 21/0628 (2015.10); A63B 2220/13 (2013.01); A63B 2225/54 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for counting spatially arranged, moving markers, wherein said markers are arranged to move along a movement axis being parallel to a sensors axis of sensors configured to detect said markers during movement, whereas there are fewer sensors than markers,
the method comprising the steps of:
arranging said sensors, in an initial setup, such that at least two of the sensors are arranged such that all the markers precede them taking into account an axis of movement of a direction of an engaging movement;
providing a computer implemented method comprising the steps of:
providing information on a number of said markers;
providing information on a sequence of said sensors;
providing information on the initial setup by specifying how many markers are preceding and following each sensor taking into account the axis of movement and the direction of the engaging movement;
determining a sensor ST having 0 following markers and a sensor ST-1 following the ST sensor in the direction of the engaging movement;
awaiting detection of a marker of said markers by the sensor ST-1;
determining a sensor SB closest to a starting sensor taking into account said direction of the engaging movement and at the same time having more than 0 detected markers;
verifying whether the SB sensor is the starting sensor and in case it is not, determining a number of moved markers as a sum of detected markers and following markers for the SB;
in the case the verifying step is positive, setting a variable H as a sum of predefined heights of objects associated with said markers preceding the starting sensor based on the number of markers preceding the starting sensor as well as the number of markers counted by the starting sensor;
determining a sensor STT as the closest sensor following ST−H; and
awaiting detection of a marker of said markers by the sensor STT.