Patent ID: 8928458
Filing Date: 2015-01-06
Classification: E05F,E06B,G07C,G08B

Abstract:
1. A method for monitoring a flow of a detectable item through a passageway, the method comprising: generating detection signals indicative of a presence of the detectable item, wherein the generating is performed by narrow beam presence sensors provided along the passageway, from an entry end to an exit end; sequentially reading each one of the detection signals from each one of the sensors at predetermined time intervals; for a given time interval, allocating a detection value to each one of the sensors, the detection value for each one of the sensors being zero (0) if a detection period of the detection signal of the each one of the sensors is less than a predetermined value and one (1) if the detection period is equal to or larger than the predetermined value; generating an item variable when, from a first reading time interval to a second reading time interval, storing the detection values in the corresponding item variable for a plurality of time intervals; calculating a position number representative of a physical position of the item in the passageway at a given time interval by summing the detection values in the item variable for the time interval and dividing the result by a number of consecutive sensors having a detection value that is different from zero (0) for the item variable; and calculating a flow of the item variable using the position number of the item variable at consecutive time intervals.