Sensing unevenness with a difference feeler ( sterilization cassette groove )

摘要

A cassette sensing mechanism and a method for detecting the unevenness of a surface (270) by detecting the difference between two paths on the surface The mechanism contains two pawls (202,206) connected to a connector (260) at one end. The second end of one pawl contacts a portion of one path on the surface, and the second end of the other pawl contacts a portion of the other path on the surface. One path is smooth, and the other path contains grooves. A sensor (212) on one pawl senses the relative position of the other pawl. The unevenness of the surface (270) can be detected by monitoring the relative positions of the two pawls (202,206) as the two pawls travel along the two paths. The sensing mechanism may be used for monitoring the position on a cassette in a sterilization system. <IMAGE> <IMAGE>