A page counter using non-invasive optical techniques

Author

Jason Michael Young

Abstract

"The use of paper sheet counters is widespread in the printing industry. These counters range from very exact to an approximate means of counting the number of sheets in a stack. The development of a page counter that used optical methods could benefit the printing industry due to its non-invasive nature. This thesis focuses on using direct imaging techniques to produce a waveform whose peaks represent individual sheets in a stack..

A preliminary investigation of paper edges was conducted in order to determine what characteristics might impede the capture of a reliable waveform. It will be shown that a number of surface features are capable of interfering with the detection of the barriers between sheets. It will also be shown that these features are not restricted to specific categories of paper. Specifically, the effect of compression on a paper stack will be emphasized.

It was considered that the effects of compression might be minimized if a sufficient magnification were used. However, the depth of field required to maintain a recognizable image makes the use of microscope objectives impractical. The use of a thin lens to increase the depth of field will be explored. Experiments will show that while the depth of field is increased, a resulting reduction in image quality is observed. This reduction contributes to a lack of contrast required to produce a reliable signal. While this imaging technique may not be sufficient on it own, it might be used in conjunction with image processing to compensate for the effects of compression"--Abstract, page iii.

Advisor(s)

Watkins, Steve Eugene, 1960-

Committee Member(s)

Wu, Cheng-Hsiao
Story, J. Greg

Department(s)

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Degree Name

M.S. in Electrical Engineering

Publisher

University of Missouri--Rolla

Publication Date

Spring 2004

Pagination

ix, 51 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (page 50).

Rights

© 2004 Jason Michael Young, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Thesis - Restricted Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Subject Headings

Optical detectors
Paper -- Analysis

Thesis Number

T 8430

Print OCLC #

55223398

Link to Catalog Record

Electronic access to the full-text of this document is restricted to Missouri S&T users. Otherwise, request this publication directly from Missouri S&T Library or contact your local library.

Recommended Citation

Young, Jason Michael, "A page counter using non-invasive optical techniques" (2004). Masters Theses. 4426.
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/masters_theses/4426