Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Automatic control of flow cutoff or diversion – Level or overflow responsive
Patent
1994-11-17
2000-05-09
Walczak, David J.
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Automatic control of flow cutoff or diversion
Level or overflow responsive
141 83, 141 95, 141206, 141360, 137392, 222640, B65B 130
Patent
active
060589868
ABSTRACT:
An electronic control for an automatic filling beverage dispensing valve is shown. The dispensing valve includes a valve body, a flow control mechanism and a solenoid. The valve further includes an electrically conductive cup actuated lever for operating a micro-switch that is operatively connected to the electronic control of the present invention. The valve body includes a nozzle and a stainless steel electrical contact for providing electrical connection between the electronic control and the beverage as it flows through the nozzle into a cup. The electronic control of the present invention is microprocessor controlled and includes an internal signal generator which generates a signal independent of the input line frequency supplying the power to the control. This generated signal is buffered and applied to the dispensing cup lever while simultaneously being applied to a reference input of a phase-locked loop detector circuit. When beverage fills a cup to the rim thereof the beverage can flow over the rim and thereby provide an electrical continuity between the electrically conductive lever and the stainless steel contact within the nozzle. Thus, a signal is conducted to an input of the phase locked-loop detector circuit where that electrical signal is compared to the generated reference signal. If the two signals are matched in both frequency and phase, the detector circuit generates a continuity detected signal to the micro-processor. The microprocessor thereby ends dispensing by de-energizing the solenoid.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4712591 (1987-12-01), McCann et al.
patent: 4972883 (1990-11-01), Hassell et al.
patent: 4974643 (1990-12-01), Bennett et al.
patent: 5129548 (1992-07-01), Wisniewski
patent: 5228486 (1993-07-01), Henninger
Bethuy Timothy W.
Hall, Jr. Robert Charles
Naimon Errol Jeffrey
Hakanson Sten Erik
IMI Cornelius Inc.
Maust Timothy L.
Walczak David J.
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