Acoustic Medium Jam Detection with Microphone-Based Location
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for detecting hardcopy media jams in transport systems are either localized and require multiple sensors or lack information on the jam location, and existing sound-based detection methods are computationally intensive and resource-heavy.
Innovation Solution
A method using multiple microphones along the transport path to detect sound profiles, processing sound values with simple computations to determine jam location and type, allowing a single sensor to cover a larger area and reduce computational complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If optical or mechanical sensors are used to detect jam location, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to requiring multiple localized sensors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensing functions (location detection and jam detection) into a single acoustic sensor system. By using one microphone to capture sound patterns along the entire transport path and processing these signals to determine both location and jam occurrence, the system eliminates the need for multiple distributed sensors while maintaining detection precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical/optical sensing systems with an acoustic sensing system. Instead of using mechanical sensors positioned at various locations along the transport path, the system uses acoustic wave propagation to transmit information about jam locations to a single microphone, substituting mechanical measurement with acoustic measurement.
2Device complexity
If a single microphone is used to detect jams along the transport path, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates due to inability to provide location information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces acoustic waves as an intermediary carrier that transports information about jam locations from different points along the transport path to the single microphone. The sound patterns generated by jams at various locations serve as intermediaries that encode spatial information, allowing the microphone to receive and process location data without being physically positioned at multiple locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from spatial distribution of sensors to temporal-spectral analysis of acoustic signals. Instead of measuring jam location through spatial distribution of multiple sensors, the system uses the acoustic dimension (sound frequency, amplitude, and temporal patterns) to encode and transmit location information to a single sensor, adding an informational dimension rather than a physical one.
3Measurement precision
If complex signal processing is used to analyze sound patterns, then measurement precision is improved, but use of energy increases due to computational intensity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential features from complex sound patterns for jam detection. Instead of performing comprehensive analysis of all acoustic signal characteristics, the system focuses on extracting specific features (such as amplitude thresholds and temporal patterns) that are most indicative of jams, reducing computational requirements while maintaining detection accuracy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Accurately detects and locates jams with reduced computational resources by processing sound values from multiple microphones, enhancing detection accuracy and reliability without the need for multiple localized sensors.
Implementation Method 1
One or more microphones are included in the scanner and detect the sound of the medium being transported. The microphones produce signals representing the sound...
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A method of indicating a medium jam along a medium transport path; a plurality of microphones for detecting the sound of the medium being transported as it enters medium transport path and producing a signal representing the sound; a plurality of microphones for detecting the sound of the medium being transported in the medium transport path and producing a signal representing the sound in the medium transport; a plurality of microphones for detecting the sound of the medium being existing the medium transport path and producing a signal representing the sound of the medium existing the medium transport; a processor for producing sound values from the signal and computing the maximum sound responsive to the sound values per each microphone, and indicating the medium jam responsive to the sound values.