Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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PRODUCT DISPENSING SYSTEM
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to processing systems and, more
particularly,
to processing systems that are used to generate products from a plurality of
separate
ingredients.
BACKGROUND
Processing systems may combine one or more ingredients to form a product.
Unfortunately, such systems are often static in configuration and are only
capable of
generating a comparatively limited number of products. While such systems may
be
capable of being reconfigured to generate other products, such reconfiguration
may require
extensive changes to mechanical / electrical / software systems.
For example, in order to make a different product, new components may need to
be
added, such as e.g., new valves, lines, manifolds, and software subroutines.
Such extensive
modifications may be required due to existing devices / processes within the
processing
system being non-reconfigurable and having a single dedicated use, thus
requiring that
additional components be added to accomplish new tasks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a system for
controlling
selection and distribution of a product in a product dispensing system is
disclosed. The
system includes a user interface for prompting a selection and selecting the
product, a
machine control processor in communication with the user interface, a power
distribution
module connected to the machine control processor, and a power supply unit for
supplying
power to the system through the power distribution module.
Some embodiments of this aspect of the present invention may include one or
more
of the following features. Wherein the machine control processor further
includes a
microprocessor, and a communication interface. Wherein the machine control
processor
controls the distribution of the product through control of the power
distribution module and
a control logic subsystem.
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Wherein the power distribution module supplys power to the machine control
processor
through the power supply unit. Wherein the communication between the machine
control
processor and the user interface is a wireless communication. Wherein the
communication
between the machine control processor and the user interface is a wired
communication.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method for
controlling
selection and distribution of a product from a product dispensing system. The
method
includes prompting a selection of the product on a user interface,
communicating the
selection from the user interface to a machine control processor, and
dispensing the product
under the control of the machine control processor and a product distribution
module.
Some embodiments of this aspect of the present invention may include one or
more
of the following features. Wherein the machine control processor further
includes a
microprocessor, and a communication interface. Wherein the selection is
communicated to
the user interface from a wireless device. Wherein the wireless device selects
the product
ro from the user interface using a downloaded application. Wherein the
wireless device is a
device from the group comprising a smartphone, a desktop computer, a laptop
computer, an
MP3 player, and a tablet computer. Wherein the selection communinication from
the user
interface to the machine control processor is a wireless communication.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a system for
monitoring flow
conditions of fluid flowing from a product container through a solenoid pump
is disclosed.
The system includes at least one solenoid pump comprising a solenoid coil,
which, when
energized, produces a stroke of the solenoid pump, at least one product
container connected
to the at least one solenoid pump wherein the at least one solenoid pump pumps
fluid from
the at least one product container during each stroke, at least one PWM
controller
configured to energize the at least one solenoid pump, at least one current
sensor for sensing
the current flow through the solenoid coil and producing an output of the
sensed current
flow, and a control logic subsystem for controlling the flow of fluids through
the solenoid
pump by commanding the PWM controller and for monitoring the current through
the
solenoid pump by receiving the output from the current sensor, wherein the
control logic
subsystem uses the measured current flow through the solenoid coil to
determine whether
the stroke of the solenoid pump is functional.
Some embodiments of this aspect of the present invention may include one or
more
of the following features: wherein the control logic subsystem uses at least
the measured
current flow through the solenoid coil to determine a Sold-Out condition of
the at least one
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product container. Wherein the control logic subsystem uses the measured
current flow
through the solenoid coil to determine whether the stroke of the solenoid pump
is non-
functional. Wherein the control logic subsystem uses the measured current flow
through the
solenoid coil to determine whether the stroke of the solenoid pump is a Sold-
Out Stroke.
Wherein the control logic subsystem determines a Sold-Out condition of the at
least one
product container if a threshold number of consecutive Sold-Out Strokes is
reached.
Wherein the at least one product container further comprising an RFID tag that
stores a fuel
gauge value representing the amount of fluid remaining in the at least one
product container.
Wherein the control logic subsystem determines a Sold-Out condition of the at
least one
product container if a given number of consecutive Sold-Out Strokes are
determined and the
fuel gauge is above a threshold volume.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method for
monitoring
flow of fluid from a product container through a solenoid pump is dislosed.
The method
includes energizing a solenoid coil of the solenoid pump to produce a stroke
of the solenoid
pump, pumping fluid from a product container through the solenoid pump during
each
stroke, sensing the current flow through the solenoid using a current sensor
and producing
an output of sensed current flow, monitoring the current through the solenoid
pump using a
control logic subsystem, the control logic subsystem receiving the sensed
current flow from
the current sensor, and determining whether the stroke of the solenoid pump is
functional.
Some embodiments of this aspect of the present invention may include one or
more
of the following features: wherein the control logic subsystem determining a
Sold-Out
condition of the at least one product container using at least the measured
current flow
through the solenoid coil. Wherein the control logic subsystem determining
whether the
stroke of the solenoid pump is non-functional using the measured current flow
through the
solenoid coil. Wherein the control logic subsystem determining whether the
stroke of the
solenoid pump a Sold-Out Stroke using the measured current flow through the
solenoid coil.
Wherein the control logic subsystem determining a Sold-Out condition of the at
least one
product container if a threshold number of consecutive Sold-Out Strokes is
reached.
Determining the amount of fluid remaining in the product container using an
RFID tag that
stores a fuel gauge value representing the amount of fluid remaining in the at
least one
product container. Wherein the control logic subsystem determining a Sold-Out
condition
of the product container if a given number of consecutive Sold-Out Strokes are
determined
and the fuel gauge is above a threshold volume.
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In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a system for
determining a
Sold-Out condition of a product container is disclosed. The system includes at
least one
solenoid pump comprising a solenoid coil, which, when energized, produces a
stroke of the
pump, at least one product container connected to the at least one solenoid
pump wherein
the at least one solenoid pump pumps fluid from the at least one product
container during
each stroke, at least one PWM controller configured to energize the at least
one solenoid
pump and control the voltage applied to the at least one solenoid pump, at
least one current
sensor for sensing the current flow through the solenoid coil and producing an
output of the
sensed current flow, and a control logic subsystem for controlling the flow of
fluids through
the solenoid pump by commanding the PWM controller and for monitoring the
current
through the pump by receiving the output from the current sensor, wherein the
control logic
subsystem uses at least the measured current flow through the solenoid coil to
determine a
Sold-Out condition of the at least one product container.
Some embodiments of this aspect of the present invention may include one or
more
of the following features: Wherein the control logic subsystem determines if
the at least one
solenoid pump stroke was a functional stroke based on the output of the
current sensor.
Wherein the control logic subsystem determines if the at least one solenoid
pump stroke
was a Sold-Out Stroke based on the output of the current sensor. Wherein the
control logic
subsystem determines a Sold-Out condition of the at least one product
container if a
threshold number of consecutive Sold-Out Strokes is reached. Wherein the
control logic
subsystem determines if the at least one solenoid pump stroke was a non-
functional stroke
based on the output of the current sensor. Wherein the at least one product
container further
comprising an RFID tag that stores a fuel gauge value representing the amount
of fluid
remaining in the at least one product container. Wherein the control logic
subsystem
determines a Sold-Out condition of the system if a given number of consecutive
Sold-Out
strokes are determined and the fuel gauge is above a threshold volume. Wherein
the control
logic subsystem varies a high frequency duty cycle of the PWM controller to
control the
current measured by the current sensor. At least one power supply connected to
the at least
one solenoid pump via the at least one PWM controller and the at least one
current sensor.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method for cross
reading
mitigation in a product dispensing system is disclosed. The method includes
scanning a
plurality of RFID tag assemblies in the product dispensing system, evaluating
the RFID tag
assemblies for position within the product dispensing system, if one or more
RFID tag
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assemblies are read in more than one slot, determining the time in slot,
comparing the
fitment maps, and comparing received signal strength indication values.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, in a first
implementation, a
flow sensor includes a fluid chamber configured to receive a fluid. A
diaphragm assembly
is configured to be displaced whenever the fluid within the fluid chamber is
displaced. A
transducer assembly is configured to monitor the displacement of the diaphragm
assembly
and generate a signal based, at least in part, upon the quantity of fluid
displaced within the
fluid chamber.
Some embodiments of this aspect of the present invention may include one or
more
of the following features: wherein the transducer assembly comprising a linear
variable
differential transformer coupled to the diaphragm assembly by a linkage
assembly; wherein
the transducer assembly comprising a needle/magnet cartridge assembly; wherein
the
transducer assembly comprising a magnetic coil assembly; wherein the
transducer assembly
comprising a Hall Effect sensor assembly; wherein the transducer assembly
comprising a
piezoelectric buzzer element; wherein the transducer assembly comprising a
piezoelectric
sheet element; wherein the transducer assembly comprising an audio speaker
assembly;
wherein the transducer assembly comprising an accelerometer assembly; wherein
the
transducer assembly comprising a microphone assembly; and/or wherein the
transducer
assembly comprising an optical displacement assembly.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method for
determining
a product container is empty is disclosed. The method includes energizing a
pump
assembly, pumping a micro-ingredient from a product container, displacing a
capacitive
.. plate a displacement distance, measuring the capacitance of a capacitor,
calculating the
displacement distance from the measured capacitance, and determining whether
the
product container is empty.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention a method for
determining
a product container is empty is disclosed. The method includes energizing a
pump
assembly, displacing a diaphragm assembly a displacement distance by pumping a
micro-
ingredient from a product container, measuring the displacement distance using
a transducer
assembly, using the transducer assembly generating a signal based, at least in
part, upon the
quantity of micro-ingredient pumped from the product container, and
determining, using the
signal, whether the product container is empty.
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In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a bracket for a
product
dispensing system is disclosed. The bracket includes a plurality of tabs and
configured to
align at least one bar code reader onto the door of the product dispensing
system.
These aspects of the invention are not meant to be exclusive and other
features,
aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to
those of
ordinary skill in the art when read in conjunction with the appended claims
and
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be
better
understood by reading the following detailed description, taken together with
the drawings
wherein:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of one embodiment of a processing system;
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of one embodiment of a control logic subsystem
included within the processing system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view of one embodiment of a high volume ingredient
subsystem included within the processing system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view of one embodiment of a microingredient subsystem
included within the processing system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5A is a diagrammatic side view of one embodiment of a capacitance-based
flow sensor included within the processing system of FIG. 1 (during a non-
pumping
condition);
FIG. 5B is a diagrammatic top view of the capacitance-based flow sensor of
FIG.
5A;
FIG. 5C is a diagrammatic view of two capacitive plates included within the
capacitance-based flow sensor of FIG. 5A;
FIG. 5D is a time-dependent graph of the capacitance value of the capacitance
based
flow sensor of FIG. 5A (during a non-pumping condition, a pumping condition,
and an
empty condition);
FIG. 5E is a diagrammatic side view of the capacitance-based flow sensor of
FIG.
5A (during a pumping condition);
FIG. 5F is a diagrammatic side view of the capacitance-based flow sensor of
FIG.
5A (during an empty condition);
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FIG. 5G is a diagrammatic side view of an alternative embodiment of the flow
sensor of FIG. 5A;
FIG. 5H is a diagrammatic side view of an alternative embodiment of the flow
sensor of FIG. 5A;
FIG. 6A is a diagrammatic view of a plumbing / control subsystem included
within
the processing system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6B is a diagrammatic view of one embodiment of a gear-based, positive
displacement flow measuring device;
FIG. 7A and 7B diagrammatically depict an embodiment of a flow control module
of FIG. 3;
FIGS. 8-14C diagrammatically depict various alternative embodiments of a flow
control module of FIG. 3;
FIG. 15A and 15B diagrammatically depict a portion of a variable line
impedance;
FIG. 15C diagrammatically depicts one embodiment of a variable line impedance;
FIG. 16A and 16B diagrammatically depict a gear of a gear-based positive
displacement flow measuring device according to one embodiment; and
FIG. 17 is a diagrammatic view of a user interface subsystem included within
the
processing system of FIG. 1.
FIG. 18 is a flowchart of an FSM process executed by the control logic
subsystem of
FIG. 1;
FIG. 19 is a diagrammatic view of a first state diagram;
FIG. 20 is a diagrammatic view of a second state diagram;
FIG. 21 is a flowchart of a virtual machine process executed by the control
logic
subsystem of FIG. 1;
FIG. 22 is a flowchart of a virtual manifold process executed by the control
logic
subsystem of FIG. 1;
FIG. 23 is an isometric view of an RFID system included within the processing
system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 24 is a diagrammatic view of the RFID system of FIG. 23;
FIG. 25 is a diagrammatic view of an RFID antenna assembly included within the
RFID system of FIG. 23;
FIG. 26 is an isometric view of an antenna loop assembly of the RFID antenna
assembly of FIG. 25;
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FIG. 27 is an isometric view of a housing assembly for housing the processing
system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 28 is a diagrammatic view of an RFID access antenna assembly included
within the processing system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 29 is a diagrammatic view of an alternative RFID access antenna assembly
included within the processing system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 30 is a diagrammatic view of an embodiment of the processing system of
FIG.
;
FIG. 31 is a diagrammatic view of the internal assembly of the processing
system of
FIG. 30;
FIG. 32 is a diagrammatic view of the upper cabinet of the processing system
of
FIG. 30;
FIG. 33 is a diagrammatic view of a flow control subsystem of the processing
system of FIG. 30;
FIG. 34 is a diagrammatic view of a flow control module of the flow control
subsystem of FIG. 33;
FIG. 35 is a diagrammatic view of the upper cabinet of the processing system
of
FIG. 30;
FIG. 36A and 36B are diagrammatic views of a power module of the processing
system of FIG. 35;
FIG. 37A, 37B, and 37C diagrammatically depict a flow control module of the
flow
control subsystem of FIG. 35;
FIG. 38 is a diagrammatic view of the lower cabinet of the processing system
of
FIG. 30;
FIG. 39 is a diagrammatic view of a microingredient tower of the lower cabinet
of
FIG. 38;
FIG. 40 is a diagrammatic view of a microingredient tower of the lower cabinet
of
FIG. 38;
FIG. 41 is a diagrammatic view of a quad product module of the microingredient
tower of FIG. 39;
FIG. 42 is a diagrammatic view of a quad product module of the microingredient
tower of FIG. 39;
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FIG. 43A, 43B, and 43C are diagrammatic views of one embodiment of a
microingredient container;
FIG. 44 is a diagrammatic view of another embodiment of a microingredient
container;
FIG. 45A and 45B diagrammatically depict an alternative embodiment of a lower
cabinet of the processing system of FIG. 30;
FIG. 46A, 46B, 46C, and 46D diagrammatically depict one embodiment of a
microingredient shelf of the lower cabinet of FIG. 45A and 45B.
FIG. 47A, 47B, 47C, 47D, 47E, and 47F diagrammatically depict a quad product
module of the microingredient shelf of FIG. 46A, 46B, 46C, and 46D;
FIG. 48 diagrammatically depicts a plumbing assembly of the quad product
module
of FIG. 47A, 47B, 47C, 47D, 47E. and 47F:
FIG. 49A, 49B, 49C diagrammatically depict a large volume microingredient
assembly of the lower cabinet of FIG. 45A and 45B;
FIG. 50 diagrammatically depicts a plumbing assembly of large volume
microingredient assembly of FIG. 49A, 49B, 49C;
FIG. 51 diagrammatically depicts one embodiment of a user interface screen in
a
user interface bracket;
FIG. 52 diagrammatically depicts one embodiment of a user interface bracket
without a screen;
FIG. 53 is a detailed side view of the bracket of FIG. 52;
FIGS. 54 and 55 diagrammatically depict a membrane pump:
FIG. 56 is a cross sectional view of one embodiment of a flow control module
in a
de-energized position;
FIG. 57 is a cross sectional view of one embodiment of a flow control module
with
the binary valve in an open position;
FIG. 58 is a cross sectional view of one embodiment of a flow control module
in a
partially energized position;
FIG. 59 is a cross sectional view of one embodiment of a flow control module
in a
fully energized position;
FIG. 60 is a cross sectional view of one embodiment of a flow control module
with
an anemometer sensor;
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FIG. 61 is a cross sectional view of one embodiment of a flow control module
with a
paddle wheel sensor;
FIG. 62 is a top cut-away view of one embodiment of the paddle wheel sensor;
FIG. 63 is an isometric view of one embodiment of a flow control module;
FIG. 64 is one embodiment of a dither scheduling scheme;
FIG. 65 is a cross sectional view of one embodiment of a flow control module
in a
fully energized position with the fluid flow path indicated;
FIG. 66 is a schematic representation of an exemplary solenoid pump,
measurement
and control circuitry;
FIG. 67 is a schematic representation of the pwm controller and current
sensing
circuit;
FIG. 68A, 68B, 68C and 68D plot the time varying current in a solenoid pump
for a
different normal, empty and occluded cases according to one embodiment;
FIGS. 69A, 69B, 69C, 69D. 69E, and 69F diagrammatically depict an alternative
quad product module of the microingredient shelf of FIG. 46A, 46B, 46C, and
46D
according to one embodiment;
FIG. 70A is a view of one embodiment of the external communication module
according to one embodiment;
FIG. 70B is an exploded view of one embodiment of the external communication
module according to one embodiment;
FIGS. 71A, 71B, and 71C are isometric views of one embodiment of the external
communication module mounting in the upper door of the processing system
according to
one embodiment;
FIG. 72 is a view of one embodiment of the alignment bracket according to one
embodiment;
FIG. 73 is a flow diagram of a method for cross talk mitigation according to
one
embodiment;
FIG. 74 is a plot of pulses and Sold-Out Value of a product according to one
embodiment;
FIG. 75 is a plot of pulses and Sold-Out Value and pulses and Estimated
Standard
Deviation according to one embodiment;
FIG. 76 is a diagrammatic representation of the leak detection for the flow
control
module according to one embodiment;
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FIG. 77 is a diagrammatic representation of the leak detection for the flow
control
module according to one embodiment;
FIG. 78 is a plot of time and volume showing the leak integrator and leak
detected;
FIG. 79 is a block diagram of a power module;
FIG. 80 is a diagrammatic view of one embodiment of the power module of FIG.
79;
FIG. 81 is a diagrammatic view of one the power module of FIG. 80 in
communication with a user interface module according to one embodiment;
FIG. 82 is a diagrammatic view of one embodiment of a configuration of
connections between the power module of FIG. 80 and other subsystems and
devices of the
processing system, according to one embodinanet; and
FIG. 83 is one embodimnet of connections within the configuration of FIG. 82.
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS
Described herein is a product dispensing system. The system includes one or
more
modular components, also termed "subsystems". Although exemplary systems are
described herein, in various embodiments. the product dispensing system may
include one
or more of the subsystems described, but the product dispensing system is not
limited to
only one or more of the subsystems described herein. Thus, in some
embodiments,
additional subsystems may be used in the product dispensing system.
The following disclosure will discuss the interaction and cooperation of
various
electrical components, mechanical components, electro-mechanical components,
and
software processes (i.e., "subsystems") that allow for the mixing and
processing of various
ingredients to form a product. Examples of such products may include but are
not limited
to: dairy-based products (e.g., milkshakes, floats, malts, frappes); coffee-
based products
(e.g., coffee, cappuccino, espresso); soda-based products (e.g., floats, soda
w/ fruit juice);
tea-based products (e.g., iced tea, sweet tea, hot tea); water-based products
(e.g., spring
water, flavored spring water, spring water w/ vitamins, high-electrolyte
drinks, high-
carbohydrate drinks); solid-based products (e.g., trail mix, granola-based
products, mixed
nuts, cereal products, mixed grain products); medicinal products (e.g.,
infusible medicants,
injectable medicants, ingestible medicants, dialysates); alcohol-based
products (e.g.. mixed
drinks, wine spritzers, soda-based alcoholic drinks, water-based alcoholic
drinks, beer with
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flavor "shots"); industrial products (e.g., solvents, paints, lubricants,
stains); and health /
beauty aid products (e.g., shampoos, cosmetics, soaps, hair conditioners, skin
treatments,
topical ointments).
The products may be produced using one or more "ingredients". Ingredients may
include one or more fluids, powders, solids or gases. The fluids, powders,
solids, and/or
gases may be reconstituted or diluted within the context of processing and
dispensing. The
products may be a fluid, solid, powder or gas.
The various ingredients may be referred to as "macroingredients",
"microingredients", or "large volume microingredients". One or more of the
ingredients
used may be contained within a housing, i.e., part of a product dispensing
machine.
However, one or more of the ingredients may be stored or produced outside the
machine.
For example, in some embodiments, water (in various qualities) or other
ingredients used in
high volume may be stored outside of the machine (for example, in some
embodiments,
high fructose corn syrup may be stored outside the machine), while other
ingredients, for
example, ingredients in powder form, concentrated ingredients, nutraceuticals,
pharmaceuticals and/or gas cylinders may be stored within the machine itself.
Various combinations of the above-referenced electrical components, mechanical
components, electro-mechanical components, and software processes are
discussed below.
While combinations are described below that disclose e.g., the production of
beverages and
medicinal products (e.g., dialysates) using various subsystems, this is not
intended to be a
limitation of this disclosure, rather, exemplary embodiments of ways in which
the
subsystems may work together to create/dispense a product. Specifically, the
electrical
components, mechanical components, electro-mechanical components, and software
processes (each of which will be discussed below in greater detail) may be
used to produce
any of the above-referenced products or any other products similar thereto.
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a generalized view of processing system 10
that
is shown to include a plurality of subsystems namely: storage subsystem 12,
control logic
subsystem 14, high volume ingredient subsystem 16, microingredient subsystem
18,
plumbing/control subsystem 20, user interface subsystem 22, and nozzle 24.
Each of the
above described subsystems 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 will be described below in
greater detail.
During use of processing system 10, user 26 may select a particular product 28
for
dispensing (into container 30) using user interface subsystem 22. Via user
interface
subsystem 22, user 26 may select one or more options for inclusion within such
product.
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For example, options may include but are not limited to the addition of one or
more
ingredients. In one exemplary embodiment, the system is a system for
dispensing a
beverage. In this embodiment, the user may select various flavorings (e.g.
including but not
limited to lemon flavoring, lime flavoring, chocolate flavoring, and vanilla
flavoring) to be
added into a beverage; the addition of one or more nutraceuticals (e.g.
including but not
limited to Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B
p, and
Zinc) into a beverage; the addition of one or more other beverages (e.g.
including but not
limited to coffee, milk, lemonade, and iced tea) into a beverage; and the
addition of one or
more food products (e.g. ice cream, yogurt) into a beverage.
Once user 26 makes the appropriate selections, via user interface subsystem
22, user
interface subsystem 22 may send the appropriate data signals (via data bus 32)
to control
logic subsystem 14. Control logic subsystem 14 may process these data signals
and may
retrieve (via data bus 34) one or more recipes chosen from a plurality of
recipes 36
maintained on storage subsystem 12. The term "recipe" referring to
instructions for
processing/creating the requested product. Upon retrieving the recipe(s) from
storage
subsystem 12, control logic subsystem 14 may process the recipe(s) and provide
the
appropriate control signals (via data bus 38) to e.g. high volume ingredient
subsystem 16,
microingredient subsystem 18 (and, in some embodiments, large volume
microingredients,
not shown, which may be included in the description with respect to
microingredients with
respect to processing. With respect to the subsystems for dispensing these
large volume
microingredients, in some embodiments, an alternate assembly from the
microingredient
assembly, may be used to dispense these large volume microingredients), and
plumbing /
control subsystem 20, resulting in the production of product 28 (which is
dispensed into
container 30).
Referring also to FIG. 2, a diagrammatic view of control logic subsystem 14 is
shown. Control logic subsystem 14 may include microprocessor 100 (e.g., an ARM
tm
microprocessor produced by Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, California),
nonvolatile
memory (e.g. read only memory 102), and volatile memory (e.g. random access
memory
104); each of which may be interconnected via one or more data/system buses
106, 108. As
discussed above, user interface subsystem 22 may be coupled to control logic
subsystem 14
via data bus 32.
Control logic subsystem 14 may also include an audio subsystem 110 for
providing
e.g. an analog audio signal to speaker 112, which may be incorporated into
processing
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system 10. Audio subsystem 110 may be coupled to microprocessor 100 via
data/system
bus 114.
Control logic subsystem 14 may execute an operating system, examples of which
may include but are not limited to Microsoft Windows CE tm, Redhat Linux tm,
Palm OS
tm, or a device-specific (i.e., custom) operating system.
The instruction sets and subroutines of the above-described operating system,
which
may be stored on storage subsystem 12, may be executed by one or more
processors (e.g.
microprocessor 100) and one or more memory architectures (e.g. read-only
memory 102
and/or random access memory 104) incorporated into control logic subsystem 14.
Storage subsystem 12 may include, for example, a hard disk drive, a solid
state
drive, an optical drive, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory
(ROM), a CF
(i.e., compact flash) card, an SD (i.e., secure digital) card, a SmartMedia
card, a Memory
Stick, and a MultiMedia card, for example.
As discussed above, storage subsystem 12 may be coupled to control logic
subsystem 14 via data bus 34. Control logic subsystem 14 may also include
storage
controller 116 (shown in phantom) for converting signals provided by
microprocessor 100
into a format usable by storage system 12. Further, storage controller 116 may
convert
signals provided by storage subsystem 12 into a format usable by
microprocessor 100.
In some embodiments, an Ethernet connection is also included.
As discussed above, high-volume ingredient subsystem (also referred to herein
as
-macroingredients") 16, microingredient subsystem 18, and/or plumbing /
control
subsystem 20 may be coupled to control logic subsystem 14 via data bus 38.
Control logic
subsystem 14 may include bus interface 118 (shown in phantom) for converting
signals
provided by microprocessor 100 into a format usable by high-volume ingredient
subsystem
16, microingredient subsystem 18, and/or plumbing / control subsystem 20.
Further, bus
interface 118 may convert signals provided by high-volume ingredient subsystem
16,
microingredient subsystem 18 and/or plumbing / control subsystem 20 into a
format usable
by microprocessor 100.
As will be discussed below in greater detail, control logic subsystem 14 may
execute
one or more control processes 120 (e.g., finite state machine process (FSM
process 122),
virtual machine process 124, and virtual manifold process 126, for example)
that may
control the operation of processing system 10. The instruction sets and
subroutines of
control processes 120, which may be stored on storage subsystem 12, may be
executed by
14
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one or more processors (e.g. microprocessor 100) and one or more memory
architectures
(e.g. read-only memory 102 and/or random access memory 104) incorporated into
control
logic subsystem 14.
Referring also to FIG. 3, a diagrammatic view of high-volume ingredient
subsystem
16 and plumbing/control subsystem 20 are shown. High-volume ingredient
subsystem 16
may include containers for housing consumables that are used at a rapid rate
when making
beverage 28. For example, high-volume ingredient subsystem 16 may include
carbon
dioxide supply 150, water supply 152, and high fructose corn syrup supply 154.
The high-
volume ingredients, in some embodiments, are located within close proximity to
the other
subsystems. An example of carbon dioxide supply 150 may include, but is not
limited to, a
tank (not shown) of compressed, gaseous carbon dioxide. An example of water
supply 152
may include but is not limited to a municipal water supply (not shown), a
distilled water
supply, a filtered water supply, a reverse-osmosis ("RO") water supply or
other desired
water supply. An example of high fructose corn syrup supply 154 may include,
but is not
limited to, one or more tank(s) (not shown) of highly-concentrated, high
fructose corn
syrup, or one or more bag-in-box packages of high-fructose corn syrup.
High-volume ingredient subsystem 16 may include a carbonator 156 for
generating
carbonated water from carbon dioxide gas (provided by carbon dioxide supply
150) and
water (provided by water supply 152). Carbonated water 158, water 160 and high
fructose
corn syrup 162 may be provided to cold plate assembly 163 (for example, in
embodiments
where a product is being dispensed in which it may be desired to be cooled. In
some
embodiments, the cold plate assembly is not included as part of the dispensing
systems or
may be by-passed). Cold plate assembly 163 may be designed to chill carbonated
water
158, water 160, and high fructose corn syrup 162 down to a desired serving
temperature
(e.g. 40 F).
While a single cold plate 163 is shown to chill carbonated water 158, water
160, and
high fructose corn syrup 162, this is for illustrative purposes only and is
not intended to be a
limitation of disclosure, as other configurations are possible. For example,
an individual
cold plate may be used to chill each of carbonated water 158, water 160 and
high fructose
corn syrup 162. Once chilled, chilled carbonated water 164, chilled water 166,
and chilled
high fructose corn syrup 168 may be provided to plumbing / control subsystem
20. And in
still other embodiments, a cold plate may not be included. In some
embodiments, at least
one hot plate may be included.
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Although the plumbing is depicted as having the order shown, in some
embodiments, this order is not used. For example, the flow control modules
described
herein may be configured in a different order, i.e., flow measuring device,
binary valve and
then variable line impedance.
For descriptive purposes, the system will be described below with reference to
using
the system to dispense soft drinks as a product, i.e., the
macroingredients/high-volume
ingredients described will include high-fructose corn syrup, carbonated water
and water.
However, in other embodiments of the dispensing system, the macroingredients
themselves,
and the number of macroingredients, may vary.
For illustrative purposes, plumbing / control subsystem 20 is shown to include
three
flow control modules 170, 172, 174. Flow control modules 170, 172, 174 may
generally
control the volume and/or flow rate of high-volume ingredients. Flow control
modules 170,
172, 174 may each include a flow measuring device (e.g., flow measuring
devices 176, 178,
180), which measure the volume of chilled carbonated water 164, chilled water
166 and
chilled high fructose corn syrup 168 (respectively). Flow measuring devices
176, 178, 180
may provide feedback signals 182, 184. 186 (respectively) to feedback
controller systems
188, 190, 192 (respectively).
Feedback controller systems 188, 190, 192 (which will be discussed below in
greater
detail) may compare flow feedback signals 182, 184, 186 to the desired flow
volume (as
defined for each of chilled carbonated water 164, chilled water 166, and
chilled high
fructose corn syrup 168: respectively). Upon processing flow feedback signals
182, 184,
186, feedback controller systems 188, 190, 192 (respectively) may generate
flow control
signals 194, 196, 198 (respectively) that may be provided to variable line
impedances 200,
202, 204 (respectively). Examples of variable line impedances 200, 202, 204
are disclosed
and claimed in U.S. Patent No.: 5,755,683 (Attorney Docket B13) and U.S.
Patent
Publication No.: 2007/0085049 (Attorney Docket E66). Variable line impedances
200, 202,
204 may regulate the flow of chilled carbonated water 164, chilled water 166
and chilled
high fructose corn syrup 168 passing through lines 218, 220, 222
(respectively), which are
provided to nozzle 24 and (subsequently) container 30. However, additional
embodiments
of the variable line impedances are described herein.
Lines 218, 220, 222 may additionally include binary valves 212, 214, 216
(respectively) for preventing the flow of fluid through lines 218, 220, 222
during times
when fluid flow is not desired/required (e.g. during shipping, maintenance
procedures, and
16
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downtime).
In one embodiment, binary valves 212. 214, 216 may include solenoid operated
binary valves. However, in other embodiments, the binary valves may be any
binary valve
known in the art, including, but not limited to a binary valve actuated by any
means.
Additionally, binary valves 212, 214, 216 may be configured to prevent the
flow of fluid
through lines 218, 220, 222 whenever processing system 10 is not dispensing a
product.
Further, the functionality of binary valves 212, 214, 216 may be accomplished
via variable
line impedances 200, 202, 204 by fully closing variable line impedances 200.
202, 204, thus
preventing the flow of fluid through lines 218, 220, 222.
As discussed above, FIG. 3 merely provides an illustrative view of plumbing /
control subsystem 20. Accordingly, the manner in which plumbing/control
subsystem 20 is
illustrated is not intended to be a limitation of this disclosure, as other
configurations are
possible. For example, some or all of the functionality of feedback controller
systems 182,
184, 186 may be incorporated into control logic subsystem 14. Also, with
respect to the
flow control modules 170, 172, 174, the sequential configuration of the
components are
shown in FIG. 3 for illustration purposes only. Thus, the sequential
configuration shown
serves merely as an exemplary embodiment. However, in other embodiments, the
components may be arranged in a different sequence.
Referring also to FIG. 4, a diagrammatic top-view of microingredient subsystem
18
and plumbing/control subsystem 20 is shown. Microingredient subsystem 18 may
include
product module assembly 250, which may be configured to releasably engage one
or more
product containers 252, 254, 256, 258, which may be configured to hold
microingredients
for use when making product 28. The microingredients are substrates that are
used in
making the product. Examples of such micro ingredients/substrates may include
but are not
limited to a first portion of a soft drink flavoring, a second portion of a
soft drink flavoring,
coffee flavoring, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and may be fluids, powders
or solids.
However for illustrative purposes, the description below refers to
microingredients that are
fluids. In some embodiments, the microingredients are powders or solids. Where
a
microingredient is a powder, the system may include an additional subsystem
for metering
the powder and/or reconstituting the powder (although. as described in
examples below,
where the microingredient is a powder, the powder may be reconstituted as part
of the
methods of mixing the product, i.e., the software manifold).
Product module assembly 250 may include a plurality of slot assemblies 260,
262,
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264, 266 configured to releasably engage plurality of product containers 252,
254, 256, 258.
In this particular example, product module assembly 250 is shown to include
four slot
assemblies (namely slots 260, 262, 264, 266) and, therefore, may be referred
to as a quad
product module assembly. When positioning one or more of product containers
252, 254,
256, 258 within product module assembly 250, a product container (e.g. product
container
254) may be slid into a slot assembly (e.g. slot assembly 262) in the
direction of arrow 268.
Although as shown herein, in the exemplary embodiment, a "quad product module"
assembly is described, in other embodiments, more or less product may be
contained within
a module assembly. Depending on the product being dispensed by the dispensing
system,
the numbers of product containers may vary. Thus, the numbers of product
contained
within any module assembly may be application specific, and may be selected to
satisfy any
desired characteristic of the system, including, but not limited to,
efficiency, necessity
and/or function of the system.
For illustrative purposes, each slot assembly of product module assembly 250
is
shown to include a pump assembly. For example, slot assembly 252 is shown to
include
pump assembly 270; slot assembly 262 is shown to include pump assembly 272;
slot
assembly 264 is shown to include pump assembly 274; and slot assembly 266 is
shown to
include pump assembly 276.
An inlet port, coupled to each of pump assemblies 270, 272, 274, 276, may
releasably engage a product orifice included within the product container. For
example,
pump assembly 272 is shown to include inlet port 278 that is configured to
releasably
engage container orifice 280 included within product container 254. Inlet port
278 and/or
product orifice 280 may include one or more sealing assemblies (not shown),
for example,
one or more o-rings or a luer fitting, to facilitate a leak-proof seal. The
inlet port (e.g., inlet
port 278) coupled to each pump assembly may be constructed of a rigid "pipe-
like" material
or may be constructed from a flexible "tubing-like" material.
An example of one or more of pump assemblies 270, 272, 274, 276 may include,
but
is not limited to, a solenoid piston pump assembly that provides a
calibratedly expected
volume of fluid each time that one or more of pump assemblies 270, 272, 274,
276 are
energized. In one embodiment, such pumps are available from ULKA Costruzioni
Elettromeccaniche S.p.A. of Pavia, Italy. For example, each time a pump
assembly (e.g.
pump assembly 274) is energized by control logic subsystem 14 via data bus 38,
the pump
assembly may provide approximately 30 !IL of the fluid microingredient
included within
18
product container 256 (however, the volume of flavoring provided may vary
calibratedly).
Again, for illustrative purposes only, the microingredients are fluids in this
section of the
description. The term "calibratedly" refers to volumetric, or other
information and/or
characteristics, that may be ascertained via calibration of the pump assembly
and/or
individual pumps thereof.
Other examples of pump assemblies 270, 272, 274, 276 and various pumping
techniques are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,808,161 (Attorney Docket A38);
U.S. Patent
No. 4,826,482 (Attorney Docket A43); U.S. Patent No. 4,976,162 (Attorney
Docket A52);
U.S. Patent No. 5,088,515 (Attorney Docket A49); and U.S. Patent No.
5,350,357(Attorney
Docket 147). In some
embodiments, the pump assembly may be a membrane pump as shown in FIGS. 54-55.
In
some embodiments, the pump assembly may be any of the pump assemblies and may
use
any of the pump techniques described in U.S. Patent No. 5,421,823 (Attorney
Docket 158) .
The above-cited references describe non-limiting examples of pneumatically
actuated membrane-based pumps that may be used to pump fluids. A pump assembly
based
on a pneumatically actuated membrane may be advantageous, for one or more
reasons,
including but not limited to, ability to deliver quantities, for example,
microliter quantities
of fluids of various compositions reliably and precisely over a large number
of duty cycles;
and/or because the pneumatically actuated pump may require less electrical
power because
it may use pneumatic power, for example, from a carbon dioxide source.
Additionally, a
membrane-based pump may not require a dynamic seal, in which the surface moves
with
respect to the seal. Vibratory pumps such as those manufactured by ULKA
generally
require the use of dynamic elastomeric seals, which may fail over time for
example, after
exposure to certain types of fluids and/or wear. In some embodiments,
pneumatically-
actuated membrane-based pumps may be more reliable, cost effective and easier
to calibrate
than other pumps. They may also produce less noise, generate less heat and
consume less
power than other pumps. A non-limiting example of a membrane-based pump is
shown in
FIG. 54.
The various embodiments of the membrane-based pump assembly 2900, shown in
FIGS. 54-55, include a cavity, which in FIG. 54 is 2942, which may also be
referred to as a
pumping chamber, and in FIG. 55 is 2944, which may also be referred to as a
control fluid
chamber. The cavity includes a diaphragm 2940 which separates the cavity into
the two
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chambers, the pumping chamber 2942 and the volume chamber 2944.
Referring now to FIG. 54, a diagrammatic depiction of an exemplary membrane-
based pump assembly 2900 is shown. In this embodiment, the membrane-based pump
assembly 2900 includes membrane or diaphragm 2940, pumping chamber 2942,
control
fluid chamber 2944 (best seen in FIG. 55), a three-port switching valve 2910
and check
valves 2920 and 2930. In some embodiments, the volume of pumping chamber 2942
may
be in the range of approximately 20 microliters to approximately 500
microliters. In an
exemplary embodiment, the volume of pumping chamber 2942 may be in the range
of
approximately 30 microliters to approximately 250 microliters. In other
exemplary
embodiments, the volume of pumping chamber 2942 may be in the range of
approximately
40 microliters to approximately 100 microliters.
Switching valve 2910 may be operated to place pump control channel 2958 either
in
fluid communication with switching valve fluid channel 2954, or switching
valve fluid
channel 2956. In a non-limiting embodiment, switching valve 2910 may be an
electromagnetically operated solenoid valve, operating on electrical signal
inputs via control
lines 2912. In other non-limiting embodiments, switching valve 2910 may be a
pneumatic
or hydraulic membrane-based valve, operating on pneumatic or hydraulic signal
inputs. In
yet other embodiments. switching valve 2910 may be a fluidically,
pneumatically,
mechanically or electromagnetically actuated piston within a cylinder. More
generally, any
other type of valve may be contemplated for use in pump assembly 2900, with
preference
that the valve is capable of switching fluid communication with pump control
channel 2958
between switching valve fluid channel 2954 and switching valve fluid channel
2956.
In some embodiments, switching valve fluid channel 2954 is ported to a source
of
positive fluid pressure (which may be pneumatic or hydraulic). The amount of
fluid
pressure required may depend on one or more factors, including, but not
limited to, the
tensile strength and elasticity of diaphragm 2940, the density and/or
viscosity of the fluid
being pumped, the degree of solubility of dissolved solids in the fluid,
and/or the length and
size of the fluid channels and ports within pump assembly 2900. In various
embodiments,
the fluid pressure source may be in the range of approximately 15 psi to
approximately 250
psi. In an exemplary embodiment, the fluid pressure source may be in the range
of
approximately 60 psi to approximately 100 psi. In another exemplary
embodiment, the
fluid pressure source may be in the range of approximately 70 psi to
approximately 80 psi.
As discussed above, some embodiments of the dispensing system may produce
carbonated
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beverages and thus, may use, as an ingredient, carbonated water. In these
embodiments, the
gas pressure of CO2 used to generate carbonated beverages is often
approximately 75 psi,
the same source of gas pressure may also be regulated lower and used in some
embodiments
to drive a membrane-based pump for pumping small quantities of fluids in a
beverage
dispenser.
In response to the appropriate signal provided via control lines 2912, valve
2910
may place switching valve fluid channel 2954 into fluid communication with
pump control
channel 2958. Positive fluid pressure may thus be transmitted to diaphragm
2940, which in
turn may force fluid in pumping chamber 2942 out through pump outlet channel
2950.
Check valve 2930 ensures that the pumped fluid is prevented from flowing out
of pumping
chamber 2942 through inlet channel 2952.
Switching valve 2910 via control lines 2912may place the pump control channel
2958 into fluid communication with switching valve fluid channel 2956, which
may cause
the diaphragm 2940 to reach the wall of the pumping chamber 2942 (as shown in
FIG. 54).
In an embodiment, switching valve fluid channel 2956 may be ported to a vacuum
source,
which when placed in fluid communication with pump control channel 2958, may
cause
diaphragm 2940 to retract, reducing the volume of pump control chamber 2944,
and
increasing the volume of pumping chamber 2942. Retraction of diaphragm 2940
causes
fluid to be pulled into pumping chamber 2942 via pump inlet channel 2952.
Check valve
2920 prevents reverse flow of pumped fluid back into pumping chamber 2942 via
outlet
channel 2950.
In an embodiment, diaphragm 2940 may be constructed of semi-rigid spring-like
material, imparting on the diaphragm a tendency to maintain a curved or
spheroidal shape,
and acting as a cup-shaped diaphragm type spring. For example, diaphragm 2940
may be
constructed or stamped at least partially from a thin sheet of metal, the
metal that may be
used includes but is not limited to high carbon spring steel, nickel-silver,
high-nickel alloys,
stainless steel, titanium alloys, beryllium copper, and the like. Pump
assembly 2900 may
be constructed so that the convex surface of diaphragm 2940 faces the pump
control
chamber 2944 and/or the pump control channel 2958. Thus, diaphragm 2940 may
have a
natural tendency to retract after it is pressed against the surface of pumping
chamber 2942.
In this circumstance, switching valve fluid channel 2956 may be ported to
ambient
(atmospheric) pressure, allowing diaphragm 2940 to automatically retract and
draw fluid
into pumping chamber 2942 via pump inlet channel 2952. In some embodiments the
21
concave portion of the spring-like diaphragm defines a volume equal to, or
substantially /
approximately equal to the volume of fluid to be delivered with each pump
stroke. This has
the advantage of eliminating the need for constructing a pumping chamber
having a defined
volume, the exact dimensions of which may be difficult and/or expensive to
manufacture
.. within acceptable tolerances. In this embodiment, the pump control chamber
is shaped to
accommodate the convex side of the diaphragm at rest, and the geometry of the
opposing
surface may be any geometry, i.e., may not be relevant to performance.
In an embodiment, the volume delivered by a membrane pump may be performed in
an 'open-loop' manner, without the provision of a mechanism to sense and
verify the
delivery of an expected volume of fluid with each stroke of the pump. In
another
embodiment, the volume of fluid pumped through the pump chamber during a
stroke of the
membrane may be measured using a Fluid Management System ("FMS") technique,
described in greater detail in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,808,161 (Attorney Docket
A38); 4,826,482
(Attorney Docket A43); 4,976,162 (Attorney Docket A52); 5,088,515 (Attorney
Docket
A49); and 5,350,357 (Attorney Docket 147) .
Briefly, FMS meaiumment is used to detect the volume of fluid
delivered with each stroke of the membrane-based pump. A small fixed reference
air
chamber is located outside of the pump assembly, or example in a pneumatic
manifold (not
shown). A valve isolates the reference chamber and a second pressure sensor.
The stroke
volume of the pump may be precisely computed by charging the reference chamber
with air,
measuring the pressure, and then opening the valve to the pumping chamber. The
volume
of air on the chamber side may be computed based on the fixed volume of the
reference
chamber and the change in pressure when the reference chamber was connected to
the pump
chamber. In some embodiments, the volume of fluid pumped through the pump
chamber
during a stroke of the membrane may be measured using an Acoustic Volume
Sensing
("AVS") technique. Acoustic volume measurement technology is the subject of
U.S. Patent
Nos. 5,575,310 (Attorney Docket B28) and 5,755,683 (Attorney Docket B13)
assigned to
DEKA Products Limited Partnership, as well as U.S. Patent Application
Publication Nos.
US 2007/0228071 Al (Attorney Docket E70), US 2007/0219496 Al, US 2007/0219480
Al, US 2007/0219597 Al and WO 2009/088956.
Fluid volume sensing, in the nanoliter range is possible with this
embodiment, thus contributing to highly accurate and precise monitoring of the
volume
pumped. Other alternate techniques for measuring fluid flow may also be used;
for
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example, Doppler-based methods; the use of Hall-effect sensors in combination
with a vane
or flapper valve; the use of a strain beam (for example, related to a flexible
member over a
fluid chamber to sense deflection of the flexible member); the use of
capacitive sensing with
plates; or thermal time of flight methods.
Product module assembly 250 may be configured to releasably engage bracket
assembly 282. Bracket assembly 282 may be a portion of (and rigidly fixed
within)
processing system 10. Although referred to herein as a "bracket assembly", the
assembly
may vary in other embodiments. The bracket assembly serves to secure the
product module
assembly 282 in a desired location. An example of bracket assembly 282 may
include but is
not limited to a shelf within processing system 10 that is configured to
releasably engage
product module 250. For example, product module 250 may include an engagement
device
(e.g. a clip assembly, a slot assembly, a latch assembly, a pin assembly; not
shown) that is
configured to releasably engage a complementary device that is incorporated
into bracket
assembly 282.
Plumbing/control subsystem 20 may include manifold assembly 284 that may be
rigidly affixed to bracket assembly 282. Manifold assembly 284 may be
configured to
include a plurality of inlet ports 286, 288, 290. 292 that are configured to
releasably engage
a pump orifice (e.g. pump orifices 294, 296, 298, 300) incorporated into each
of pump
assemblies 270, 272, 274, 276. When positioning product module 250 on bracket
assembly
282, product module 250 may be moved in the direction of the arrow 302, thus
allowing for
inlet ports 286, 288, 290, 292 to releasably engage pump orifices 294, 296,
298, 300
(respectively). Inlet ports 286, 288, 290, 292 and/or pump orifices 294, 296,
298, 300 may
include one or more o-ring or other sealing assemblies as described above (not
shown) to
facilitate a leak-proof seal. The inlet ports (e.g., inlet ports 286, 288,
290, 292) included
within manifold assembly 284 may be constructed of a rigid "pipe-like"
material or may be
constructed from a flexible "tubing-like" material.
Manifold assembly 284 may be configured to engage tubing bundle 304, which may
be plumbed (either directly or indirectly) to nozzle 24. As discussed above,
high-volume
ingredient subsystem 16 also provides fluids in the form of, in at least one
embodiment,
chilled carbonated water 164, chilled water 166 and/or chilled high fructose
corn syrup 168
(either directly or indirectly) to nozzle 24. Accordingly, as control logic
subsystem 14 may
regulate (in this particular example) the specific quantities of the various
high-volume
ingredients e.g. chilled carbonated water 164, chilled water 166, chilled high
fructose corn
23
syrup 168 and the quantities of the various micro ingredients (e.g. a first
substrate (i.e.,
flavoring, a second substrate (i.e., a nutraceutical, and a third substrate
(i.e., a
pharmaceutical), control logic subsystem 14 may accurately control the makeup
of product
28.
As discussed above, one or more of pump assemblies 270, 272, 274, 276 may be a
solenoid piston pump assembly that provides a defined and consistent amount of
fluid each
time that one or more of pump assemblies 270, 272, 274, 276 are energized by
control logic
subsystem 14 (via data bus 38). Further and as discussed above, control logic
subsystem 14
may execute one or more control processes 120 that may control the operation
of processing
system 10. An example of such a control process may include a drive signal
generation
process (not shown) for generating a drive signal that may be provided from
control logic
subsystem 14 to pump assemblies 270. 272, 274, 276 via data bus 38. One
exemplary
methodology for generating the above-described drive signal is disclosed in
U.S. Patent
Application No. 11/851,344, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING A
DRIVE SIGNAL, which was filed on 06 September 2007, now U.S. Patent 7,905,373
(Attorney Docket F45) .
Although FIG. 4 depicts one nozzle 24, in various other embodiments, more than
one nozzle 24 may be included. In some embodiments, more than one container 30
may
receive product dispensed from the system, for example, via more than one set
of tubing
bundles. Thus, in some embodiments, the dispensing system may be configured
such that
one or more users may request one or more products to be dispensed
concurrently.
Capacitance-based flow sensors 306, 308, 310, 312 may be utilized to sense
flow of
the above-described microingredients through each of pump assemblies 270. 272,
274, 276.
Referring also to FIG. 5A (side view) and FIG. 5B (top view), a detailed view
of
.. exemplary capacitance-based flow sensor 308 is shown. Capacitance-based
flow sensor
308 may include first capacitive plate 310 and second capacitive plate 312.
Second
capacitive plate 312 may be configured to be movable with respect to first
capacitive plate
310. For example, first capacitive plate 310 may be rigidly affixed to a
structure within
processing system 10. Further, capacitance-based flow sensor 308 may also be
rigidly
affixed to a structure within processing system 10. However, second capacitive
plate 312
may be configured to be movable with respect to first capacitive plate 310
(and capacitance-
based flow sensor 308) through the use of diaphragm assembly 314. Diaphragm
assembly
314 may be configured to allow for the displacement of second capacitive plate
312 in the
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direction of arrow 316. Diaphragm assembly 314 may be constructed of various
materials
that allow for displacement in the direction of arrow 316. For example,
diaphragm
assembly 314 may be constructed out of a stainless steel foil with a PET
(i.e., Polyethylene
Terephthalate) coating to prevent corrosion of the stainless steel foil.
Alternatively,
diaphragm assembly 314 may be constructed of a titanium foil. Further still,
diaphragm
assembly 314 may be constructed of a plastic in which one surface of the
plastic diaphragm
assembly is metalized to form second capacitive plate 312. In some
embodiments, the
plastic may be, but is not limited to, an injection molded plastic or a PET
rolled sheet.
As discussed above, each time a pump assembly (e.g. pump assembly 272) is
energized by control logic subsystem 14 via data bus 38, the pump assembly may
provide a
calibrated volume of fluid, for example 30-33 pL, of the appropriate
microingredient
included within e.g., product container 254. Accordingly, control logic
subsystem 14 may
control the flow rate of the microingredients by controlling the rate at which
the appropriate
pump assembly is energized. An exemplary rate of energizing a pump assembly is
between
3 Hz (i.e. three times per second) to 30 Hz (i.e. 30 times per second).
Accordingly, when pump assembly 272 is energized, a suction is created (within
chamber 318 of capacitance-based flow sensor 308) that effectuates drawing of
the
appropriate microingredient (e.g. a substrate) from e.g. product container
254. Therefore,
upon pump assembly 272 being energized and creating a suction within chamber
318,
second capacitive plate 312 may be displaced downward (with respect to FIG.
SA), thus
increasing distance "d" (i.e. the distance between first capacitive plate 310
and second
capacitive plate 312).
Referring also to FIG. SC and as is known in the art, the capacitance (C) of a
capacitor is determined according to the following equation:
eA
= -
wherein "E" is the permittivity of the dielectric material positioned between
first
capacitive plate 310 and second capacitive plate 312; "IV is the area of the
capacitive
plates; and "d" is the distance between first capacitive plate 310 and second
capacitive plate
312. As "d" is positioned in the denominator of the above-described equation,
any increase
in "d" results in a corresponding decrease in "C" (i.e. the capacitance of the
capacitor).
Continuing with the above-stated example and referring also to FIG. 5D, assume
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that when pump assembly 272 is not energized, the capacitor formed by first
capacitive
plate 310 and second capacitive plate 312 has a value of 5.00 pF. Further
assume that when
pump assembly 272 is energized at time T=1, a suction is created within
chamber 316 that
is sufficient to displace second capacitive plate 312 downward a distance
sufficient to result
in a 20% reduction in the capacitance of the capacitor formed by first
capacitive plate 310
and second capacitive plate 312. Accordingly, the new value of the capacitor
formed by
first capacitive plate 310 and second capacitive plate 312 may be 4.00 pF. An
illustrative
example of a second capacitive plate 312 being displaced downward during the
above-
described pumping sequence is shown in FIG. 5E.
As the appropriate microingredient is drawn from product container 254, the
suction
within chamber 318 may be reduced and second capacitive plate 312 may be
displaced
upward to its original position (as shown in figure 5A). As second capacitive
plate 312 is
displaced upward, the distance between second capacitive plate 312 and first
capacitive
plate 310 may be reduced back to its initial value. Accordingly, the
capacitance of the
.. capacitor formed by first capacitive plate 310 and second capacitive plate
312 may once
again be 5.00 pF. When second capacitive plate 312 is moving upward and
returning to its
initial position, the momentum of second capacitive plate 312 may result in
second
capacitive plate 312 overshooting its initial position and momentarily being
positioned
closer to first capacitive plate 310 then during the initial position of the
second capacitive
plate 312 (as shown in FIG. 5A). Accordingly, the capacitance of the capacitor
formed by
first capacitive plate 310 and second capacitive plate 312 may momentarily
increase above
its initial value of 5.00 pF and shortly thereafter stabilize at 5.00 pF.
The above-described varying of the capacitance value of between (in this
example)
5.00 pF and 4.00 pF while pump assembly 272 is repeatedly cycled on and off
may continue
until e.g. product container 254 is empty. Assume for illustrative purposes
that product
container 254 is emptied at time T=5. At this point in time, second capacitive
plate 312
may not return to its original position (as shown in FIG. 5A). Further, as
pump assembly
272 continues to be cycled, second capacitive plate 312 may continue to be
drawn
downward until second capacitive plate 312 can no longer be displaced (as
shown in FIG.
5F). At this point in time, due to the increase in distance "d" over and above
that illustrated
in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5E, the capacitance value of the capacitor formed by first
capacitive
plate 310 and second capacitive plate 312 may be minimized to minimum
capacitance value
320. The actual value of minimum capacitance value 320 may vary depending upon
the
26
flexibility of diaphragm assembly 314.
Accordingly, by monitoring the variations in the capacitance value (e.g.,
absolute
variations or peak-to-peak variations) of the capacitor formed by first
capacitive plate 310
and second capacitive plate 312, the proper operation of e.g. pump assembly
272 may be
verified. For example, if the above-described capacitance value cyclically
varies between
5.00 pF and 4.00 pF, this variation in capacitance may be indicative of the
proper operation
of pump assembly 272 and a nonempty product container 254. However, in the
event that
the above-described capacitance value does not vary (e.g. remains at 5.00 pF),
this may be
indicative of a failed pump assembly 272 (e.g., a pump assembly that includes
failed
mechanical components and/or failed electrical components) or a blocked nozzle
24.
Further, in the event that the above-described capacitance value decreases to
a point
below 4.00 pF (e.g. to minimum capacitance value 320), this may be indicative
of product
container 254 being empty. Additionally still, in the event that the peak-to-
peak variation is
less than expected (e.g., less than the above-described 1.00 pF variation),
this may be
indicative of a leak between product container 254 and capacitance-based flow
sensor 308.
To determine the capacitance value of the capacitor formed by first capacitive
plate
310 and second capacitive plate 312, a signal may be provided (via conductors
322, 324) to
capacitance measurement system 326. The output of capacitance measurement
system 326
may be provided to control logic subsystem 14. An example of capacitance
measurement
system 326 may include the CY8C21434-24LFXI PSOC offered by Cypress
Semiconductor
of San Jose, California, the design and operation of which are described
within the "CSD
User Module" published by Cypress Semiconductor,.
Capacitance measurement circuit 326 may he configured to provide
compensation for environmental factors (e.g., temperature, humidity, and power
supply
voltage change).
Capacitance measurement system 326 may be configured to take capacitance
measurements (with respect to the capacitor formed with first capacitive plate
310 and
second capacitive plate 312) over a defined period of time to determine if the
above-
described variations in capacitance are occurring. For example, capacitance
measurement
system 326 may be configured to monitor changes in the above-described
capacitance value
that occur over the time frame of 0.50 seconds. Accordingly and in this
particular example,
as long as pump assembly 272 is being energized at a minimum rate of 2.00 Hz
(i.e., at least
once every 0.50 seconds), at least one of the above-described capacitance
variations should
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be sensed by capacitance measurement system 326 during each 0.50 second
measurement
cycle.
While flow sensor 308 is described above as being capacitance-based, this is
for
illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be a limitation of this
disclosure, as other
configurations are possible and are considered to be within the scope of this
disclosure.
For example and referring also to FIG. 5G, assume for illustrative purposes
that flow
sensor 308 does not include first capacitive plate 310 and second capacitive
plate 312.
Alternatively, flow sensor 308 may include transducer assembly 328 that may be
(directly
or indirectly) coupled to diaphragm assembly 314. If directly coupled,
transducer assembly
328 may be mounted on/attached to diaphragm assembly 314. Alternatively, if
indirectly
coupled, transducer assembly 328 may be coupled to diaphragm assembly 314 with
e.g.,
linkage assembly 330.
As discussed above, as fluid is displaced through chamber 318, diaphragm
assembly
314 may be displaced. For example, diaphragm assembly 314 may move in the
direction of
arrow 316. Additionally/alternatively, diaphragm assembly 314 may distort
(e.g., become
slightly concave/convex (as illustrated via phantom diaphragm assemblies 332,
334). As is
known in the art, whether: (a) diaphragm assembly 314 remains essentially
planar while
being displaced in the direction of arrow 316; (b) flexes to become convex
diaphragm
assembly 332/concave diaphragm assembly 334 while remaining stationary with
respect to
arrow 316; or (c) exhibits a combination of both forms of displacement, may
depend upon a
plurality of factors (e.g., the rigidity of various portions of diaphragm
assembly 314).
Accordingly, by utilizing transducer assembly 328 (in combination with linkage
assembly
330 and/or transducer measurement system 336) to monitor the displacement of
all or a
portion of diaphragm assembly 314, the quantity of fluid displaced through
chamber 318
may be determined.
Through the use of various types of transducer assemblies (to be discussed
below in
greater detail), the quantity of fluid passing through chamber 318 may be
determined.
For example, transducer assembly 328 may include a linear variable
differential
transformer (LVDT) and may be rigidly affixed to a structure within processing
system 10,
which may be coupled to diaphragm assembly 314 via linkage assembly 330. An
illustrative and non-limiting example of such an LVDT is an SE 750 100
produced by
Macro Sensors of Pennsauken, New Jersey. Flow sensor 308 may also be rigidly
affixed to
a structure within processing system 10. Accordingly, if diaphragm assembly
314 is
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displaced (e.g., along arrow 316 or flexed to become convex/concave), the
movement of
diaphragm assembly 314 may be monitored. Therefore, the quantity of fluid
passing
through chamber 318 may also be monitored. Transducer assembly 328 (i.e.,
which
includes LVDT) may generate a signal that may be processed (e.g.,
amplified/converted/filtered) by transducer measurement system 336. This
processed signal
may then be provided to control logic subsystem 14 and used to ascertain the
quantity of
fluid passing through chamber 318.
Alternatively, transducer assembly 328 may include a needle/magnetic cartridge
assembly (e.g., such as a phonograph needle/magnetic cartridge assembly) and
may be
rigidly affixed to a structure within processing system 10. An illustrative
and non-limiting
example of such a needle/magnetic cartridge assembly is a N 16 D produced by
Toshiba
Corporation of Japan Transducer assembly 328 may be coupled to diaphragm
assembly 314
via linkage assembly 330 (e.g., a rigid rod assembly). The needle of
transducer assembly
328 may be configured to contact the surface of linkage assembly 330 (i.e.,
the rigid rod
assembly). Accordingly, as diaphragm assembly 314 is displaced/flexes (as
discussed
above), linkage assembly 330 (i.e., rigid rod assembly) is also displaced (in
the direction of
arrow 316) and may rub against the needle of transducer assembly 328.
Therefore, the
combination of transducer assembly 328 (i.e., the needle/magnetic cartridge)
and linkage
assembly 330 (i.e., the rigid rod assembly) may generate a signal that may be
processed
(e.g., amplified/converted/filtered) by transducer measurement system 336.
This processed
signal may then be provided to control logic subsystem 14 and used to
ascertain the quantity
of fluid passing through chamber 318.
Alternatively, transducer assembly 328 may include a magnetic coil assembly
(e.g.,
similar to a voice coil of a speaker assembly) and may be rigidly affixed to a
structure
within processing system 10. An illustrative and non-limiting example of such
a magnetic
coil assembly is a 5526-1 produced by API Delevan Inc. of East Aurora, New
York.
Transducer assembly 328 may be coupled to diaphragm assembly 314 via linkage
assembly
330, which may include an axial magnet assembly. An illustrative and non-
limiting
example of such an axial magnet assembly is a D16 produced by K & J Magnetics,
Inc. of
Jamison, Pennsylvania. The axial magnet assembly included within linkage
assembly 330
may be configured to slide coaxially within the magnetic coil assembly of
transducer
assembly 328. Accordingly, as diaphragm assembly 314 is displaced/flexes (as
discussed
above), linkage assembly 330 (i.e., the axial magnet assembly) is also
displaced (in the
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direction of arrow 316). As is known in the art, the movement of an axial
magnet assembly
within a magnetic coil assembly induces a current within the windings of the
magnetic coil
assembly. Accordingly, the combination of the magnetic coil assembly (not
shown) of
transducer assembly 328 and the axial magnet assembly (not shown) of linkage
assembly
330 may generate a signal that may be processed (e.g.,
amplified/converted/filtered) and
then provided to control logic subsystem 14 and used to ascertain the quantity
of fluid
passing through chamber 318.
Alternatively, transducer assembly 328 may include a Hall Effect sensor
assembly
and may be rigidly affixed to a structure within processing system 10. An
illustrative and
non-limiting example of such a Hall Effect sensor assembly is a ABOiKUA-T
produced by
Allegro Microsystems Inc. of Worcester, Massachusetts Transducer assembly 328
may be
coupled to diaphragm assembly 314 via linkage assembly 330, which may include
an axial
magnet assembly. An illustrative and non-limiting example of such an axial
magnet
assembly is a D16 produced by K & J Magnetics, Inc. of Jamison, Pennsylvania.
The axial
magnet assembly included within linkage assembly 330 may be configured to be
positioned
proximate the Hall Effect sensor assembly of transducer assembly 328.
Accordingly, as
diaphragm assembly 314 is displaced/flexes (as discussed above), linkage
assembly 330
(i.e., the axial magnet assembly) is also displaced (in the direction of arrow
316). As is
known in the art, a Hall Effect sensor assembly is an assembly that generates
an output
voltage signal that varies in response to changes in a magnetic field.
Accordingly, the
combination of the Hall Effect sensor assembly (not shown) of transducer
assembly 328 and
the axial magnet assembly (not shown) of linkage assembly 330 may generate a
signal that
may be processed (e.g., amplified/converted/filtered) and then provided to
control logic
subsystem 14 and used to ascertain the quantity of fluid passing through
chamber 318.
Piezoelectric, as used herein, refers to any material which exhibits a
piezoelectric
effect. The materials may include, but are not limited to, the following:
ceramic, films,
metals, crystals.
Alternatively, transducer assembly 328 may include a piezoelectric buzzer
element
that may be directly coupled to diaphragm assembly 314. Accordingly, linkage
assembly
330 may not be utilized. An illustrative and non-limiting example of such a
piezoelectric
buzzer element is a KBS-13DA-12A produced by AVX Corporation of Myrtle Beach,
South Carolina. As is known in the art, a piezoelectric buzzer element may
generate an
electrical output signal that varies depending on the amount of mechanical
stress that the
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piezoelectric buzzer element is exposed to. Accordingly, as diaphragm assembly
314 is
displaced / flexes (as discussed above), the piezoelectric buzzer element
(included within
transducer assembly 328) may be exposed to mechanical stress and, therefore,
may generate
a signal that may be processed (e.g., amplified/converted/filtered) by
transducer
measurement system 336. This processed signal may then be provided to control
logic
subsystem 14 and used to ascertain the quantity of fluid passing through
chamber 318.
Alternatively, transducer assembly 328 may include a piezoelectric sheet
element
that may be directly coupled to diaphragm assembly 314. Accordingly, linkage
assembly
330 may not be utilized. An illustrative and non-limiting example of such a
piezoelectric
sheet element is a 0-1002794-0 produced by MSI/Schaevitz of Hampton, Virginia.
As is
known in the art, a piezoelectric sheet element may generate an electrical
output signal that
varies depending on the amount of mechanical stress that the piezoelectric
sheet element is
exposed to. Accordingly, as diaphragm assembly 314 is displaced/flexes (as
discussed
above), the piezoelectric sheet element (included within transducer assembly
328) may be
exposed to mechanical stress and, therefore, may generate a signal that may be
processed
(e.g., amplified/converted/filtered) by transducer measurement system 336.
This processed
signal may then be provided to control logic subsystem 14 and used to
ascertain the quantity
of fluid passing through chamber 318.
Alternatively, the above-described piezoelectric sheet element (included
within
.. transducer assembly 328) may be positioned proximate and acoustically
coupled with
diaphragm assembly 314. The piezoelectric sheet element (included within
transducer
assembly 328) may or may not include a weight assembly to enhance the ability
of the
piezoelectric sheet element to resonate. Accordingly, as diaphragm assembly
314 is
displaced/flexes (as discussed above), the piezoelectric sheet element
(included within
transducer assembly 328) may be exposed to mechanical stress (due to the
acoustic
coupling) and, therefore, may generate a signal that may be processed (e.g.,
amplified/converted/filtered) by transducer measurement system 336. This
processed signal
may then be provided to control logic subsystem 14 and used to ascertain the
quantity of
fluid passing through chamber 318.
Alternatively, transducer assembly 328 may include an audio speaker assembly
in
which the cone of the audio speaker assembly may be directly coupled to
diaphragm
assembly 314. Accordingly, linkage assembly 330 may not be utilized. An
illustrative and
non-limiting example of such an audio speaker assembly is a AS01308MR-2X
produced by
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Projects Unlimited of Dayton, Ohio. As is known in the art, the audio speaker
assembly
may include a voice coil assembly and a permanent magnet assembly within which
the
voice coil assembly slides. While a signal is typically applied to the voice
coil assembly to
generate movement of the speaker cone, if the speaker is manually moved, a
current will be
induced in the voice coil assembly. Accordingly, as diaphragm assembly 314 is
displaced /
flexes (as discussed above), the voice coil of the audio speaker assembly
(included within
transducer assembly 328) may be displaced with respect to the above-described
permanent
magnet assembly and, therefore, a signal may be generated that may be
processed (e.g.,
amplified/converted/filtered) by transducer measurement system 336 This
processed signal
may then be provided to control logic subsystem 14 and used to ascertain the
quantity of
fluid passing through chamber 318.
Alternatively, transducer assembly 328 may include an accelerometer assembly
that
may be directly coupled to diaphragm assembly 314. Accordingly, linkage
assembly 330
may not be utilized. An illustrative and non-limiting example of such an
accelerometer
assembly is a AD22286-R2 produced by Analog Devices, Inc. of Norwood,
Massachusetts.
As is known in the art, an accelerometer assembly may generate an electrical
output signal
that varies depending on the acceleration that the accelerometer assembly is
exposed to.
Accordingly, as diaphragm assembly 314 is displaced/flexes (as discussed
above), the
accelerometer assembly (included within transducer assembly 328) may be
exposed to
varying levels of acceleration and, therefore, may generate a signal that may
be processed
(e.g., amplified/converted/filtered) by transducer measurement system 336.
This processed
signal may then be provided to control logic subsystem 14 and used to
ascertain the quantity
of fluid passing through chamber 318.
Alternatively, transducer assembly 328 may include a microphone assembly that
may be positioned proximate and acoustically coupled with diaphragm assembly
314.
Accordingly, linkage assembly 330 may not be utilized. An illustrative and non-
limiting
example of such a microphone assembly is a EA-21842 produced by Knowles
Acoustics of
Itasca. Illinois. Accordingly, as diaphragm assembly 314 is displaced / flexes
(as discussed
above), the microphone assembly (included within transducer assembly 328) may
be
exposed to mechanical stress (due to the acoustic coupling) and, therefore,
may generate a
signal that may be processed (e.g., amplified/converted/filtered) by
transducer measurement
system 336. This processed signal may then be provided to control logic
subsystem 14 and
used to ascertain the quantity of fluid passing through chamber 318.
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Alternatively, transducer assembly 328 may include an optical displacement
assembly configured to monitor the movement of diaphragm assembly 314.
Accordingly,
linkage assembly 330 may not be utilized. An illustrative and non-limiting
example of such
an optical displacement assembly is a Z4W-V produced by Advanced Motion
Systems, Inc.
of Pittsford, New York. Assume for illustrative purposes that the above-
described optical
displacement assembly includes a optical signal generator that directs an
optical signal
toward diaphragm assembly 314 , which is reflected off of diaphragm assembly
314 and is
sensed by an optical sensor (also included within optical displacement
assembly).
Accordingly, as diaphragm assembly 314 is displaced/flexes (as discussed
above), the
optical signal sensed by the above-described optical sensor (included within
transducer
assembly 328) may vary. Therefore, a signal may be generated by the optical
displacement
assembly (included within transducer assembly 328) that may be processed
(e.g.,
amplified/converted/filtered) by transducer measurement system 336. This
processed signal
may then be provided to control logic subsystem 14 and used to ascertain the
quantity of
fluid passing through chamber 318.
While the above-described examples of flow sensor 308 are meant to be
illustrative,
they are not intended to be exhaustive, as other configurations are possible
and are
considered to be within the scope of this disclosure. For example, while
transducer
assembly 328 is shown to be positioned outside of diaphragm assembly 314.
transducer
.. assembly 328 may be positioned within chamber 318.
While several of the above-described examples of flow sensor 308 are described
as
being coupled to diaphragm assembly 314, this is for illustrative purposes
only and is not
intended to be a limitation of this disclosure, as other configurations are
possible and are
considered to be within the scope of this disclosure. For example and
referring also to FIG.
5H, flow sensor 308 may include piston assembly 338 that may be biased by
spring
assembly 340. Piston assembly 338 may be positioned proximate and configured
to bias
diaphragm assembly 314. Accordingly, piston assembly 338 may emulate the
movement of
diaphragm assembly 314. Therefore, transducer assembly 328 may be coupled to
piston
assembly 338 and achieve the results discussed above.
Further, when flow sensor 308 is configured to include piston assembly 338 and
spring assembly 340, transducer assembly 328 may include an inductance
monitoring
assembly configured to monitor the inductance of spring assembly 340.
Accordingly,
linkage assembly 330 may not be utilized. An illustrative and non-limiting
example of such
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an inductance monitoring assembly is a L/C Meter II B produced by Almost All
Digital
Electronics of Auburn, Washington. Accordingly, as diaphragm assembly 314 is
displaced!
flexes (as discussed above), the inductance of spring assembly 340 sensed by
the above-
described inductance monitoring assembly (included within transducer assembly
328) may
vary i.e., due to the changes in resistance as spring assembly 340 flexes.
Therefore, a signal
may be generated by the inductance monitoring assembly (included within
transducer
assembly 328) that may be processed (e.g., amplified/converted/filtered) by
transducer
measurement system 336. This processed signal may then be provided to control
logic
subsystem 14 and used to ascertain the quantity of fluid passing through
chamber 318.
Referring also to FIG. 6A, a diagrammatic view of plumbing/control subsystem
20
is shown. While the plumbing/control subsystem described below concerns the
plumbing/control system used to control the quantity of chilled carbonated
water 164 being
added to product 28, via flow control module 170, this is for illustrative
purposes only and
is not intended to be a limitation of this disclosure, as other configurations
are also possible.
For example, the plumbing/control subsystem described below may also be used
to control
e.g., the quantity of chilled water 166 (e.g., via flow control module 172)
and/or chilled high
fructose corn syrup 168 (e.g., via flow control module 174) being added to
product 28.
As discussed above, plumbing/control subsystem 20 may include feedback
controller system 188 that receives flow feedback signal 182 from flow
measuring device
176. Feedback controller system 188 may compare flow feedback signal 182 to
the desired
flow volume (as defined by control logic subsystem 14 via data bus 38). Upon
processing
flow feedback signal 182, feedback controller system 188 may generate flow
control signal
194 that may be provided to variable line impedance 200.
Feedback controller system 188 may include trajectory shaping controller 350,
flow
regulator 352, feed forward controller 354, unit delay 356, saturation
controller 358, and
stepper controller 360, each of which will be discussed below in greater
detail.
Trajectory shaping controller 350 may be configured to receive a control
signal from
control logic subsystem 14 via data bus 38. This control signal may define a
trajectory for
the manner in which plumbing/control subsystem 20 is supposed to deliver fluid
(in the
case, chilled carbonated water 164 via flow control module 170) for use in
product 28.
However, the trajectory provided by control logic subsystem 14 may need to be
modified
prior to being processed by e.g., flow controller 352. For example, control
systems tend to
have a difficult time processing control curves that are made up of a
plurality of line
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segments (i.e., that include step changes). For example, flow regulator 352
may have
difficulty processing control curve 370, as it consists of three distinct
linear segments,
namely segments 372, 374, 376. Accordingly, at the transition points (e.g.,
transition points
378, 380), flow controller 352 specifically (and plumbing/control subsystem 20
generally)
would be required to instantaneously change from a first flow rate to a second
flow rate.
Therefore, trajectory shaping controller 350 may filter control curve 30 to
form smoothed
control curve 382 that is more easily processed by flow controller 352
specifically (and
plumbing/control subsystem 20 generally), as an instantaneous transition from
a first flow
rate to a second flow rate is no longer required.
Additionally, trajectory shaping controller 350 may allow for the pre-fill
wetting and
post-fill rinsing of nozzle 24. In some embodiments, and/or for some recipes,
one or more
ingredients may present problems to the nozzle 24 if the ingredient (referred
to herein as
"dirty ingredient") contacts the nozzle 24 directly, i.e., in the form in
which it is stored. In
some embodiments, the nozzle 24 may be pre-fill wetted with a "pre-fill"
ingredient, for
example, water, so as to prevent the direct contact of these "dirty
ingredients" with the
nozzle 24. The nozzle 24 may following, be post-fill rinsed with a "post-wash
ingredient",
for example, water.
Specifically, in the event that nozzle 24 is pre-fill wetted with, for
example, 10 mL
of water, and/or post-fill rinsed with, for example, 10 mL of water or any
"post-wash"
ingredient, once the adding of the dirty ingredient has stopped, trajectory
shaping controller
350 may offset the pre-wash ingredient added during the pre-fill wetting
and/or post-fill
rinsing by providing an additional quantity of dirty ingredient during the
fill process.
Specifically, as container 30 is being filled with product 28, the pre-fill
rinse water or "pre-
wash" may result in product 28 being initially under-concentrated with the
dirty ingredient,
Trajectory shaping controller 350 may then add dirty ingredient at a higher-
than-needed
flow rate, resulting in product 28 transitioning from "under-concentrated" to
"appropriately
concentrated" to "over-concentrated", or present in a concentration higher
than that which is
called for by the particular recipe. However, once the appropriate amount of
dirty
ingredient has been added, the post-fill rinse process may add additional
water, or another
appropriate "post-wash ingredient", resulting in product 28 once again
becoming
"appropriately-concentrated" with the dirty ingredient.
Flow controller 352 may be configured as a proportional-integral (PI) loop
controller. Flow controller 352 may perform the comparison and processing that
was
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generally described above as being performed by feedback controller system
188. For
example, flow controller 352 may be configured to receive feedback signal 182
from flow
measuring device 176. Flow controller 352 may compare flow feedback signal 182
to the
desired flow volume (as defined by control logic subsystem 14 and modified by
trajectory
.. shaping controller 350). Upon processing flow feedback signal 182, flow
controller 352
may generate flow control signal 194 that may be provided to variable line
impedance 200.
Feed forward controller 354 may provide a "best guess" estimate concerning
what
the initial position of variable line impedance 200 should be. Specifically,
assume that at a
defined constant pressure, variable line impedance has a flow rate (for
chilled carbonated
water 164) of between 0.00 mL/second and 120.00 mL/second. Further, assume
that a flow
rate of 40 mL/second is desired when filling container 30 with a beverage
product 28.
Accordingly, feed forward controller 354 may provide a feed forward signal (on
feed
forward line 384) that initially opens variable line impedance 200 to 33.33%
of its
maximum opening (assuming that variable line impedance 200 operates in a
linear fashion).
When determining the value of the feed forward signal, feed forward controller
354
may utilize a lookup table (not shown) that may be developed empirically and
may define
the signal to be provided for various initial flow rates. An example of such a
lookup table
may include, but is not limited to, the following table:
Flowrate mL / second Signal to stepper
controller
0 pulse to 0 degrees
pulse to 30 degrees
40 pulse to 60 degrees
60 pulse to 150 degrees
80 pulse to 240 degrees
100 pulse to 270 degrees
120 pulse to 300 degrees
Again, assuming that a flow rate of 40 mL/second is desired when filling
container
with beverage product 28, for example, feed forward controller 354 may utilize
the
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above-described lookup table and may pulse the stepper motor to 60.0 degrees
(using feed
forward line 384). Although in the exemplary embodiment a stepper motor is
used, in
various other embodiments, any other type of motor may be used including but
not limited
to a servo motor.
Unit delay 356 may form a feedback path through which a previous version of
the
control signal (provided to variable line impedance 200) is provided to flow
controller 352.
Saturation controller 358 may be configured to disable the integral control of
feedback controller system 188 (which, as discussed above, may be configured
as a PI loop
controller) whenever variable line impedance 200 is set to a maximum flow rate
(by stepper
controller 360), thus increasing the stability of the system by reducing flow
rate overshoots
and system oscillations.
Stepper controller 360 may be configured to convert the signal provided by
saturation
controller 358 (on line 386) into a signal usable by variable line impedance
200. Variable
line impedance 200 may include a stepper motor for adjusting the orifice size
(and,
therefore, the flow rate) of variable line impedance 200. Accordingly, control
signal 194
may be configured to control the stepper motor included within variable line
impedance.
Referring also to FIG. 6B, an example of flow measuring devices 176, 178, 180
of
flow control modules 170, 172, 174, respectively, may include but is not
limited to a paddle
wheel flow measuring device, a turbine-type flow measuring device, or a
positive
displacement flow measuring device (e.g., gear-based, positive displacement
flow
measuring device 388). Thus, in various embodiments, the flow measuring device
may be
any device capable of measuring flow, either directly or indirectly. In the
exemplary
embodiment, a gear-based, positive displacement, flow measuring device 388 is
used. In
this embodiment, the flow measuring device 388 may include a plurality of
meshing gears
(e.g., gears 390, 392) that e.g., may require that any content passing through
gear-based,
positive displacement flow measuring device 388 follow one or more defined
pathways
(e.g., pathways 394. 396), resulting in e.g., the counterclockwise rotation of
gear 390 and
the clockwise rotation of gear 392. By monitoring the rotation of gears 390,
392, a
feedback signal (e.g., feedback signal 182) may be generated and provided to
the
appropriate flow controller (e.g., flow controller 352).
Referring also to FIGS. 7-14, various illustrative embodiments of a flow
control
module (e.g., flow control module 170) are shown. However, as discussed above,
the order
of the various assemblies may vary in various embodiments, i.e., the
assemblies may be
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arranged in any order desired. For example, in some embodiments the assemblies
are
arranged in the following order: flow measuring device, binary valve, variable
impedance;
while in other embodiments, the assemblies are arranged in the following
order: flow
measuring device, variable impedance, binary valve. In some embodiments, it
may be
desired to vary the order of the assemblies to either maintain pressure and
fluid on the
variable impedance or vary the pressure on the variable impedance. In some
embodiments,
the variable impedance valve may include a lip seal. In these embodiments, it
may be
desirable to maintain pressure and fluid on the lip seal. This may be
accomplished by
ordering the assemblies as follows: flow measuring device, variable impedance,
and binary
valve. The binary valve being downstream from the variable line impedance
maintains
pressure and liquid on the variable impedance such that the lip
seal maintains a desirable seal.
Referring first to FIGS. 7A and 7B, one embodiment of the flow control module
170a is shown. In some embodiments, the flow control module 170a may generally
include
flow meter 176a, variable line impedance 200a and binary valve 212a, and may
have a
generally linear fluid flow path there-through. Flow meter 176a may include
fluid inlet 400
for receiving a high-volume ingredient from high-volume ingredient subsystem
16. Fluid
inlet 400 may communicate the high-volume ingredient to a gear-based, positive
displacement, flow measuring device (e.g., gear-based, positive displacement
device 388
generally described above), including a plurality of intermeshing gears (e.g.,
including gear
390) disposed within housing 402. The high-volume ingredient may pass from
flow meter
176a to a binary valve 212a via fluid passage 404.
Binary valve 212a may include banjo valve 406 actuated by solenoid 408. Banjo
valve 406 may be biased (e.g., by a spring, not shown) to position banjo valve
406 toward a
closed position, thereby preventing the flow of the high-volume ingredient
through flow
control module 170a. Solenoid coil 408 may be energized (e.g., in response to
a control
signal from control logic subsystem 14), to linearly drive plunger 410, via
linkage 412, to
move banjo valve 406 out of sealing engagement with valve seat 414, thereby
opening
binary valve 212a to permitting flow of the high-volume ingredient to variable
line
impedance 200a.
As mentioned above, variable line impedance 200a may regulate the flow of the
high-volume ingredients. Variable line impedance 200a may include drive motor
416,
which may include, but is not limited to a stepper motor, or a servo motor.
Drive motor 416
38
may be coupled to variable impedance valve 418, generally. As mentioned above,
variable
impedance valve 418 may control the flow of the high-volume ingredients, e.g.,
passing
from binary valve 212a via fluid passage 420, and exiting from fluid discharge
422.
Examples of variable impedance valve 418 are disclosed and claimed in U.S.
Patent No.:
5,755,683 (Attorney Docket B13) and U.S. Patent Publication No.: 2007/0085049
(Attorney
Docket E66). While not shown, a gearbox may be coupled between drive motor 416
and
variable impedance valve 418.[
Refening also to FIGS. 8 and 9, another embodiment of a flow control module
(e.g..
flow control module 170b) is shown, generally including flow meter 176b,
binary valve
212b, and variable line impedance 200b. Similar to flow control module 170a,
flow control
module 170b may include fluid inlet 400, which may communicate the high-volume
ingredient to flow meter 176b. Flow meter 176b may include meshing gears 390,
392
disposed with in cavity 424, e.g., which may be formed within housing member
402.
Meshing gears 390, 392 and cavity 424 may define flow pathways about the
perimeter of
cavity 424. The high-volume ingredient may pass from flow meter 176b to binary
valve
212b via fluid passage 404. As shown, fluid inlet 400 and fluid passage 404
may provide
for a 90 degree flow path in to, and out of, flow meter 176b (i.e., into and
out of cavity 424).
Binary valve 212b may include banjo valve 406, urged into engagement with
valve
seat 414 (e.g., in response to a biasing force applied by spring 426 via
linkage 412). When
solenoid coil 408 is energized. plunger 410 may be retracted toward solenoid
coil 408,
thereby moving banjo valve 406 out of sealing engagement with valve seat 414,
thereby
allowing the high-volume ingredient to flow to variable line impedance 200b.
In other
embodiments, the banjo valve 406 may be downstream from the variable line
impedance
200b.
Variable line impedance 200b may generally include a first rigid member (e.g.,
shaft
428) having a first surface. Shaft 428 may define a first fluid-path portion
with a first
terminus at the first surface. The first terminus may include a groove (e.g.,
groove 430)
defined on the first surface (e.g., of shaft 428). Groove 430 may taper from a
large cross-
sectional area to a small cross-sectional area normal to the tangent of the
curve of the first
surface. However, in other embodiments, the shaft 428 may include a bore
(i.e., a straight
ball-style hole, see FIG. 15C) rather than a groove 430. A second rigid member
(e.g.,
housing 432) may have a second surface (e.g., inner bore 434). The second
rigid member
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(e.g., housing 432) may define a second fluid-path portion with a second
terminus at the
second surface. The first and second rigid members are capable of being
rotated with
respect to each other from a fully open position continuously through
partially open
positions to a closed position. For example, shaft 428 may be rotatably driven
relative to
housing 432 by drive motor 416 (e.g., which may include, a stepper motor or a
servo
motor). The first and second surfaces define a space therebetween. An aperture
(e.g..
opening 436) in the second rigid member (i.e., housing 432) may provide fluid
communication between the first and second fluid-path portions when the first
and second
rigid members are in the fully open position or in one of the partially open
positions with
respect to each other. Fluid flowing between the first and second fluid-path
portions flows
through the groove (i.e., groove 430) as well as the aperture (i.e., opening
436). At least
one sealing means (e.g., a gasket, o-ring, or the like, not shown) in some
embodiments, may
be disposed between the first and second surfaces providing a seal between the
first and
second rigid members for preventing fluid from leaking out of the space which
also
prevents fluid leaking from the desired flow path. However, in the exemplary
embodiment
as shown, this type of sealing means is not used. Rather, in the exemplary
embodiments, a
lip seal 429 or other sealing means, is used to seal the space.
Various connection arrangements may be included for fluidly coupling flow
control
modules 170, 172, 174 to high-volume ingredient subsystem 16 and/or downstream
components, e.g.. nozzle 24. For example, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 with
respect to flow
control module 170b, locking plate 438 may be slidingly disposed relative to
guide feature
440. A fluid line (not shown) may be at least partially inserted into fluid
discharge 422 and
locking plate 438 may be slidingly translated to lock the fluid line in
engagement with fluid
discharge. Various gaskets, o-rings, or the like may be employed to provide a
fluid-tight
connection between the fluid line and fluid discharge 422.
FIGS. 10 through 13 depict various additional embodiments of flow control
modules
(e.g., flow control modules 170c, 170d, 170e, and 170f, respectively). Flow
control
modules 170c, 170d, 170e. 170f generally differ from previously described flow
control
modules 170a, 170b in terms of fluid connections and relative variable line
impedance 200
and binary valve 212 orientations. For example, flow control modules 170d and
170f,
shown in FIGS. 11 and 13 respectively, may include barbed fluid connections
442 for
communicating fluid to/from flow meters 176d and 176f. Similarly, flow control
module
170c may include barbed fluid connection 444 for communicating fluid to/from
variable
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line impedance 200c. Various additional/alternative fluid connection
arrangements may be
equally utilized. Similarly, various relative orientations of solenoid 408 and
configurations
of spring bias for banjo valve 406 may be employed to suit various packaging
arrangements
and design criteria.
Referring also to FIGS. 14A-14C, yet another embodiment of a flow control
module
is depicted (i.e., flow control module 170g). Flow control module 170g may
generally
include flow meter 176g, variable line impedance 200g, and binary valve 212g
(e.g., which
may be a solenoid actuated banjo valve, as generally described herein above).
Referring to
FIG. 14C, the lip seals 202g may be seen. Also. FIG. 14C shows one exemplary
embodiment where the flow control module includes a cover which may provide
protection
to the various flow control module assemblies. Although not depicted in all
embodiments
shown, each of the embodiments of the flow control module may also include a
cover
It should be noted that while the flow control module (e.g., flow control
modules
170, 172, 174) have been described as being configured such that high-volume
ingredients
flow from high-volume ingredient subsystem 16 to the flow meter (e.g., flow
meters 176,
178, 180), then to the variable line impedance (e.g., variable line impedance
200, 202, 204),
and finally through the binary valve (e.g., binary valves 212, 214, 216), this
should not be
construed as a limitation on the present disclosure. For example, as shown and
discussed
with respect to FIGS. 7 through 14C, the flow control modules may be
configured having a
flow path from high-volume ingredient subsystem 16, to the flow meter (e.g.,
flow meters
176, 178, 180), then to the binary valve (e.g., binary valve 212, 214, 216),
and finally
through the variable line impedance (e.g., variable line impedance 200, 202,
204). Various
additional/alternative configurations may be equally utilized. Additionally,
one or more
additional components may be interconnected between one or more of the flow
meter, the
binary valve, and the variable line impedance.
Referring to FIGS. 15A and 15B, a portion of a variable line impedance (e.g.,
variable line impedance 200) is shown including drive motor 416 (e.g., which
may be a
stepper motor, a servo motor, or the like). Drive motor 416 may coupled to
shaft 428,
having groove 430 therein. Referring now to FIG. 15C, in some embodiments, the
shaft
.. 428 includes a bore, and in the exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15C,
the bore is a
ball-shaped bore. As discussed, e.g., with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, drive
motor 416 may
rotate shaft 428 relative to a housing (e.g., housing 432) to regulate flow
through the
variable line impedance. Magnet 446 may be coupled to shaft 428 (e.g., maybe
at least
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partially disposed within axial opening in shaft 428. Magnet 446 may be
generally
diametrically magnetized, providing south pole 450 and north pole 452. The
rotational
position of shaft 428 may be determined, e.g., based upon the magnetic flux
imparted by
magnet 446 on one or more magnetic flux sensing devices, e.g., sensors 454,
456 shown in
FIG. 9. Magnetic flux sensing devices may include, but are not limited to, for
example, a
Hall-Effect sensor, or the like. The magnetic flux sensing device may provide
a position
feedback signal, e.g., to control logic subsystem 14.
Referring again to FIG. 15C, in some embodiments, the magnet 446 is located on
the opposite side as the embodiment shown and described above with respect to
FIGS. 8
and 9. Additionally, in this embodiment, the magnet 446 is held by magnet
holder 480.
In addition/as an alternative to utilizing magnetic position sensors (e.g.,
for
determining the rotational position of the shaft), the variable line impedance
may be
determined based upon, at least in part, a motor position, or an optical
sensor to detect shaft
position.
Referring next to FIGS. 16A and 16B, a gear (e.g., gear 390) of a gear-based,
positive displacement, flow measuring device (e.g., gear-based, positive
displacement, flow
measuring device 388) may include one or more magnets (e.g., magnets 458, 460)
coupled
thereto. As discussed above, as a fluid (e.g., a high-volume ingredient) flows
through gear-
based, positive displacement, flow measuring device 388. gear 390 (and gear
392) may
rotate. The rate of rotation of gear 390 may be generally proportional to the
flow rate of the
fluid passing through gear-based, positive displacement, flow measuring device
388. The
rotation (and/or rate of rotation) of gear 390 may be measured using a
magnetic flux sensor
(e.g., a Hall-Effect sensor, or the like), which may measure the rotational
movement of axial
magnets 458, 460 coupled to gear 390. The magnetic flux sensor, e.g., which
may be
disposed on printed circuit board 462, depicted in FIG. 8, may provide a flow
feedback
signal (e.g., flow feedback signal 182) to a flow feedback controller system
(e.g., feedback
controller system 188).
Flow Control Module Leak Detect
In various embodiments, a flow control module may be in an operational state
but
fluid should not be flowing, i.e., the flow control module is not acting on
any pump
command. In some embodiments, a system including a method for leak detection
may be
used to detect fluid flow from the flow control module when fluid should not
be flowing.
In various embodiments of the flow control module leak detect, the leak detect
may
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be activated when the flow control module is not acting on any pump commands,
and the
banjo valve or other valve controller is idle and the gear meter monitor is
idle any post-pour
gear meter spin-down time has elapsed. When these conditions are met, the leak
detection
is activated. In some embodiments, a predetermined lapsed time may be given to
the flow
control module before the leak detection is activated.
Referring now also to FIG. 76, in various embodiments, the leak detection
method
includes three states: leak test start; leak test initialize and leak test
run. In the leak test start
the leak detection is idle because one or more of the activation criteria have
not been met.
In various embodiments, the activation criteria may include one or more of the
above-
described criteria. In the leak test initialize state the timing guard band,
which occurs when
the flow control module transitions from an active state to an idle state
(i.e. once the
activation criteria have been met) is controlled. In the leak test run state,
once the timing
guard band has elapsed, the leak test method remains in this state until the
flow control
module is activated.
Referring now also to FIG. 77, at a high level, the FCM leak detection method
receives and monitors the fluid volume communicated and determined by the gear
meter. If
that reported volume exceeds a pre-determined, preset threshold, an alert is
raised. To
accomplish this, a "leaky integrator" algorithm is used which, in some
embodiments,
includes for each update, the fluid volume measured by the gear meter is added
to a running
sum¨the integrator; and if the integrator exceeds a threshold, a leak is
determined. For
each update, the integrator is then reduced by a fixed -drain amount". The
running sum
does not have a value below zero.
In various embodiments, three coefficients may be used; these include the
Update
Period, the Leak Detection Threshold and the Integrator Drain Rate. In various
other
embodiments, different coefficients may be used or additional or less
coefficients may be
used.
In some embodiments, the Update Period defines how often the leak detect is
executed. In some embodiments, the leak detect may be executed regularly, for
example,
executes once every 2 seconds (0.5 Hz). In some embodiments, the Leak
Detection
Threshold is set and if the integrator exceeds this value, a leak is declared.
The Leak
Detection Threshold may, in some embodiments, be defined in terms of the
maximum flow
rate defined in the flow control module calibration data as follows:
Leak_Detection_Threshold = (0.25 * FCM Maximum_Flow_Rate) * Update_Period
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In some embodiments, the Integrator Drain Rate is a value in which the
integrated
gear meter flow is reduced by for each update. This may be beneficial for
example because
draining the integrator improves the method's noise immunity and allows the
algorithm to
reset should a leak condition clear. The Integrator Drain Rate is defined in
terms of the
maximum flow rate defined in the flow control module's calibration data as
follows:
Integrator_Drain_Rate = (0.001 * FCM_Maximum_Flow_Rate) * Update_Period
In various embodiments, a leak is determined and, in some embodiments, an
alert or
alarm is generated when the following conditions are met: the Integrator
exceeds the Leak
Detection Threshold and the alert generation is "armed". In various
embodiments, the alert
generation is "armed" when the algorithm is initialized and whenever the
integrator is zero.
In various embodiments, the alert generation is "disarmed" when an alert is
generated. This
arming/disarming process keeps the method and system from generating a large
number of
alerts for a single leak event. The following are examples of when alerts may
be generated.
These are given only by illustration and example and are not intended to be an
exhaustive
list. In various embodiments, the method may vary and different conditions may
generate
alerts/alarms. In various embodiments, additional conditions may generate
alerts/alarms.
As an example, a flow control module leaks steadily until the integrator
exceeds the
threshold. The flow control module continues to leak. In this example, a
single alert may
be generated when the integrator first crosses the threshold.
As another example, a flow control module leaks intermittently until the
integrator
eventually exceeds the threshold. The integrator then oscillates around the
threshold. In
this example, a single alert may be generated when the integrator first
crosses the threshold.
The disarming logic present in some embodiments may prevent subsequent
nuisance alerts
should the integrator re-cross the threshold.
As another example, a flow control module leaks steadily until the integrator
exceeds the threshold. The flow control module then stops leaking. In this
example, an
alert may be generated when the integrator first crosses the threshold. When
the flow
control module stops leaking, the integrator may slowly drain all the way back
to zero.
Once the integrator drains back to zero, alert generation may be re-aimed so
that additional
alerts may be generated should the flow control module begin to leak again.
Referring now also to FIG. 77, this graph presents data collected during an
example
of the leak detection method. In this example, a high fructose corn syrup leak
was
simulated using a flow control module manual override. The manual override was
toggled
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open-and-closed for a period of time, and then held in its full-open position.
Once a leak
was declared, the manual override was closed. As shown in FIG. 77, the
integrator can be
seen to grow until the leak is declared. At that point the integrator is not
allowed to grow
any more. Once the manual override is closed, the integrator can be seen to
drain back to
zero at which time the leak state is cleared and the alert is re-armed.
Referring also to FIG. 17, a diagrammatic view of user interface subsystem 22
is
shown. User interface subsystem 22 may include touch screen interface 500
(exemplary
embodiments described below with respect to FIGS. 51-53) that allows user 26
to select
various options concerning beverage 28. For example, user 26 (via "drink size"
column
502) may be able to select the size of beverage 28. Examples of the selectable
sizes may
include but are not limited to: "12 ounce"; "16 ounce"; "20 ounce"; "24
ounce"; "32
ounce"; and "48 ounce".
User 26 may be able to select (via "drink type" column 504) the type of
beverage 28.
Examples of the selectable types may include but are not limited to: "cola";
"lemon-lime";
"root beer"; "iced tea"; "lemonade"; and "fruit punch".
User 26 may also be able to select (via "add-ins" column 506) one or more
flavorings/products for inclusion within beverage 28. Examples of the
selectable add-ins
may include but are not limited to: "cherry flavor"; "lemon flavor"; "lime
flavor";
"chocolate flavor"; "coffee flavor"; and "ice cream".
Further, user 26 may be able to select (via "nutraceuticals" column 508) one
or more
nutraceuticals for inclusion within beverage 28. Examples of such
nutraceuticals may
include but are not limited to: "Vitamin A"; "Vitamin B6"; "Vitamin B12";
"Vitamin C";
"Vitamin D"; and "Zinc".
In some embodiments, an additional screen at a level lower than the touch
screen
may include a "remote control" (not shown) for the screen. The remote control
may include
buttons indicating up, down, left and right and select, for example. However,
in other
embodiments, additional buttons may be included.
Once user 26 has made the appropriate selections, user 26 may select "GO!"
button
510 and user interface subsystem 22 may provide the appropriate data signals
(via data bus
32) to control logic subsystem 14. Once received, control logic subsystem 14
may retrieve
the appropriate data from storage subsystem 12 and may provide the appropriate
control
signals to e.g., high volume ingredient subsystem 16, microingredient
subsystem 18, and
plumbing/control subsystem 20, which may be processed (in the manner discussed
above)
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to prepare beverage 28. Alternatively, user 26 may select "Cancel" button 512
and touch
screen interface 500 may be reset to a default state (e.g., no buttons
selected).
User interface subsystem 22 may be configured to allow for bidirectional
communication with user 26. For example, user interface subsystem 22 may
include
informational screen 514 that allows processing system 10 to provide
information to user
26. Examples of the types of information that may be provided to user 26 may
include but
is not limited to advertisements, information concerning system malfunctions /
warnings,
and information concerning the cost of various products.
As discussed above, control logic subsystem 14 may execute one or more control
processes 120 that may control the operation of processing system 10.
Accordingly, control
logic subsystem 14 may execute a finite state machine process (e.g., FSM
process 122).
As also discussed above, during use of processing system 10. user 26 may
select a
particular beverage 28 for dispensing (into container 30) using user interface
subsystem 22.
Via user interface subsystem 22, user 26 may select one or more options for
inclusion
within such beverage. Once user 26 makes the appropriate selections, via user
interface
subsystem 22, user interface subsystem 22 may send the appropriate indication
to control
logic subsystem 14, indicating the selections and preferences of user 26 (with
respect to
beverage 28).
When making a selection, user 26 may select a multi-portion recipe that is
essentially the combination of two separate and distinct recipes that produces
a multi-
component product. For example, user 26 may select a root beer float, which is
a multi-
portion recipe that is essentially the combination of two separate and
distinct components
(i.e. vanilla ice cream and root beer soda). As a further example, user 26 may
select a drink
that is a combination of cola and coffee. This cola/coffee combination is
essentially a
combination of two separate and distinct components (i.e. cola soda and
coffee).
Referring also to FIG. 18, upon receiving 550 the above-described indication,
FSM
process 122 may process 552 the indication to determine if the product to be
produced (e.g.,
beverage 28) is a multi-component product.
If the product to be produced is a multi-component product 554, FSM process
122
may identify 556 the recipe(s) required to produce each of the components of
the multi-
component product. The recipe(s) identified may be chosen from plurality of
recipes 36
maintained on storage subsystem 12, shown in FIG. 1.
If the product to be produced is not a multi-component product 554, FSM
process
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122 may identify 558 a single recipe for producing the product. The single
recipe may be
chosen from plurality of recipes 36 maintained on storage subsystem 12.
Accordingly, if
the indication received 550 and processed 552 was an indication that defined a
lemon-lime
soda, as this is not a multi-component product, FSM process 122 may identify
558 the
single recipe required to produce the lemon-lime soda.
If the indication concerns a multi-component product 554, upon identifying 556
the
appropriate recipes chosen from plurality of recipes 36 maintained on storage
subsystem 12,
FSM process 122 may parse 560 each of the recipes into a plurality of discrete
states and
define one or more state transitions. FSM process 122 may then define 562 at
least one
finite state machine (for each recipe) using at least a portion of the
plurality of discrete
states.
If the indication does not concern a multi-component product 554, upon
identifying
558 the appropriate recipe chosen from plurality of recipes 36 maintained on
storage
subsystem 12. FSM process 122 may parse 564 the recipe into a plurality of
discrete states
and define one or more state transitions. FSM process 122 may then define 566
at least one
finite state machine for the recipe using at least a portion of the plurality
of discrete states.
As is known in the art, a finite state machine (FSM) is a model of behavior
composed of a finite number of states, transitions between those states and/or
actions. For
example and referring also to FIG. 19, if defining a finite state machine for
a physical
doorway that can either be fully opened or fully closed, the finite state
machine may include
two states, namely -opened" state 570 and -closed" state 572. Additionally,
two transitions
may be defined that allow for the transition from one state to another state.
For example,
transition state 574 "opens" the door (thus transitioning from "closed" state
572 to "open"
state 570) and transition state 576 "closes" the door (thus transitioning from
"opened" state
570 to "closed" state 572).
Referring also to FIG. 20, a state diagram 600 concerning the manner in which
coffee may be brewed is shown. State diagram 600 is shown to include five
states, namely:
idle state 602; ready to brew state 604; brewing state 605; maintain
temperature state 608;
and off state 610. Additionally, five transition states are shown. For
example, transition
state 612 (e.g., installing coffee filter, installing coffee grounds, filling
coffee machine with
water) may transition from idle state 602 to ready to brew state 604.
Transition state 614
(e.g., pressing the brew button) may transition from ready to brew state 604
to brewing state
606. Transition state 616 (e.g., exhausting the water supply) may transition
from brewing
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state 606 to maintain temperature 608. Transition state 618 (e.g., turning the
power switch
off or exceeding a maximum "maintain temperature" time) may transition from
maintain
temperature state 608 to off state 610. Transition state 620 (e.g., turning
the power switch
on) may transition from off state 610 to idle state 602.
Accordingly, FSM process 122 may generate one or more finite state machines
that
correspond to the recipes (or portions thereof) utilized to produce a product.
Once the
appropriate finite state machines are produced, control logic subsystem 14 may
execute the
finite state machine(s) and generate the product (e.g., multi-component or
single
component) requested by e.g., user 26.
Accordingly, assume that processing system 10 receives 550 an indication (via
user
interface subsystem 22) that user 26 has selected a root beer float. FSM
process 122 may
process 552 the indication to determine if the root beer float is a multi-
component product
554. As the root beer float is a multi-component product, FSM process 122 may
identify
556 the recipes required to produce the root beer float (namely the recipe for
root beer soda
and the recipe for vanilla ice cream) and parse 560 the recipe for root beer
soda and the
recipe for vanilla ice cream into a plurality of discrete states and define
one or more state
transitions. FSM process 122 may then define 562 at least one finite state
machine (for each
recipe) using at least a portion of the plurality of discrete states. These
finite state machines
may subsequently be executed by control logic subsystem 14 to produce the root
beer float
selected by user 26.
When executing the state machines corresponding to the recipes, processing
system
10 may utilize one or more manifolds (not shown) included within processing
system 10.
As used in this disclosure, a manifold is a temporary storage area designed to
allow for the
execution of one or more processes. In order to facilitate the movement of
ingredients into
and out of the manifolds, processing system 10 may include a plurality of
valves
(controllable by e.g., control logic subsystem 14) for facilitating the
transfer of ingredients
between manifolds. Examples of various types of manifolds may include but are
not limited
to: a mixing manifold, a blending manifold, a grinding manifold, a heating
manifold, a
cooling manifold, a freezing manifold, a steeping manifold, a nozzle, a
pressure manifold, a
vacuum manifold, and an agitation manifold.
For example, when making coffee, a grinding manifold may grind coffee beans.
Once the beans are ground, water may be provided to a heating manifold in
which water
160 is heated to a predefined temperature (e.g. 212 F). Once the water is
heated, the heated
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water (as produced by the heating manifold) may be filtered through the ground
coffee
beans (as produced by the grinding manifold). Additionally and depending on
how
processing system 10 is configured, processing system 10 may add cream and/or
sugar to
the coffee produced in another manifold or at nozzle 24.
Accordingly, each portion of a multi-portion recipe may be executed in a
different
manifold included within processing system 10. Therefore, each component of a
multi-
component recipe may be produced in a different manifold included within
processing
system 10. Continuing with the above-stated example, the first component of
the multi-
component product (i.e., the root beer soda) may be produced within a mixing
manifold
included within processing system 10. Further, the second component of the
multi-
component product (i.e., the vanilla ice cream) may be produced within a
freezing manifold
included within processing system 10.
As discussed above, control logic subsystem 14 may execute one or more control
processes 120 that may control the operation of processing system 10.
Accordingly, control
logic subsystem 14 may execute virtual machine process 124.
As also discussed above, during use of processing system 10, user 26 may
select a
particular beverage 28 for dispensing (into container 30) using user interface
subsystem 22.
Via user interface subsystem 22, user 26 may select one or more options for
inclusion
within such beverage. Once user 26 makes the appropriate selections, via user
interface
subsystem 22, user interface subsystem 22 may send the appropriate
instructions to control
logic subsystem 14.
When making a selection, user 26 may select a multi-portion recipe that is
essentially the combination of two separate and distinct recipes that produces
a multi-
component product. For example, user 26 may select a root beer float, which is
a multi-
portion recipe that is essentially the combination of two separate and
distinct components
(i.e. vanilla ice cream and root beer soda). As a further example, user 26 may
select a drink
that is a combination of cola and coffee. This cola/coffee combination is
essentially a
combination of two separate and distinct components (i.e. cola soda and
coffee).
Referring also to FIG. 21, upon receiving 650 the above-described
instructions,
virtual machine process 124 may process 652 these instructions to determine if
the product
to be produced (e.g., beverage 28) is a multi-component product.
If 654 the product to be produced is a multi-component product, virtual
machine
process 124 may identify 656 a first recipe for producing a first component of
the multi-
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component product and at least a second recipe for producing at least a second
component
of the multi-component product. The first and second recipes may be chosen
from plurality
of recipes 36 maintained on storage subsystem 12.
If 654 the product to be produced is not a multi-component product, virtual
machine
process 124 may identify 658 a single recipe for producing the product. The
single recipe
may be chosen from plurality of recipes 36 maintained on storage subsystem 12.
Accordingly, if the instructions received 650 were instructions concerning a
lemon-lime
soda, as this is not a multi-component product, virtual machine process 124
may identify
658 the single recipe required to produce the lemon-lime soda.
Upon identifying 656, 658 the recipe(s) from plurality of recipes 36
maintained on
storage subsystem 12, control logic subsystem 14 may execute 660, 662 the
recipe(s) and
provide the appropriate control signals (via data bus 38) to e.g. high volume
ingredient
subsystem 16 microingredient subsystem 18 and plumbing / control subsystem 20,
resulting
in the production of beverage 28 (which is dispensed into container 30).
Accordingly, assume that processing system 10 receives instructions (via user
interface subsystem 22) to create a root beer float. Virtual machine process
124 may
process 652 these instructions to determine if 654 the root beer float is a
multi-component
product. As the root beer float is a multi-component product, virtual machine
process 124
may identify 656 the recipes required to produce the root beer float (namely
the recipe for
root beer soda and the recipe for vanilla ice cream) and execute 660 both
recipes to produce
root beer soda and vanilla ice cream (respectively). Once these products are
produced,
processing system 10 may combine the individual products (namely root beer
soda and
vanilla ice cream) to produce the root beer float requested by user 26.
When executing a recipe, processing system 10 may utilize one or more
manifolds
(not shown) included within processing system 10. As used in this disclosure,
a manifold is
a temporary storage area designed to allow for the execution of one or more
processes. In
order to facilitate the movement of ingredients into and out of the manifolds,
processing
system 10 may include a plurality of valves (controllable by e.g., control
logic subsystem
14) for facilitating the transfer of ingredients between manifolds. Examples
of various
types of manifolds may include but are not limited to: a mixing manifold, a
blending
manifold, a grinding manifold, a heating manifold, a cooling manifold, a
freezing manifold,
a steeping manifold, a nozzle, a pressure manifold, a vacuum manifold, and an
agitation
manifold.
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For example, when making coffee, a grinding manifold may grind coffee beans.
Once the beans are ground, water may be provided to a heating manifold in
which water
160 is heated to a predefined temperature (e.g. 212 F). Once the water is
heated, the heated
water (as produced by the heating manifold) may be filtered through the ground
coffee
beans (as produced by the grinding manifold). Additionally and depending on
how
processing system 10 is configured, processing system 10 may add cream and/or
sugar to
the coffee produced in another manifold or at nozzle 24.
Accordingly, each portion of a multi-portion recipe may be executed in a
different
manifold included within processing system 10. Therefore, each component of a
multi-
component recipe may be produced in a different manifold included within
processing
system 10. Continuing with the above-stated example, the first portion of the
multi-portion
recipe (i.e., the one or more processes utilized by processing system 10 to
make root beer
soda) may be executed within a mixing manifold included within processing
system 10.
Further, the second portion of the multi-portion recipe (i.e., the one or more
processes
utilized by processing system 10 to make vanilla ice cream) may be executed
within a
freezing manifold included within processing system 10.
As discussed above, during use of processing system 10, user 26 may select a
particular beverage 28 for dispensing (into container 30) using user interface
subsystem 22.
Via user interface subsystem 22, user 26 may select one or more options for
inclusion
within such beverage. Once user 26 makes the appropriate selections, via user
interface
subsystem 22, user interface subsystem 22 may send the appropriate data
signals (via data
bus 32) to control logic subsystem 14. Control logic subsystem 14 may process
these data
signals and may retrieve (via data bus 34) one or more recipes chosen from
plurality of
recipes 36 maintained on storage subsystem 12. Upon retrieving the recipe(s)
from storage
subsystem 12, control logic subsystem 14 may process the recipe(s) and provide
the
appropriate control signals (via data bus 38) to e.g. high volume ingredient
subsystem 16
microingredient subsystem 18 and plumbing/control subsystem 20, resulting in
the
production of beverage 28 (which is dispensed into container 30).
When user 26 makes their selection, user 26 may select a multi-portion recipe
that is
essentially the combination of two separate and distinct recipes. For example,
user 26 may
select a root beer float, which is a multi-portion recipe that is essentially
the combination of
two separate and distinct recipes (i.e. vanilla ice cream and root beer soda).
As a further
example, user 26 may select a drink that is a combination of cola and coffee.
This
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cola/coffee combination is essentially a combination of two separate and
distinct recipes
(i.e. cola soda and coffee).
Accordingly, assume that processing system 10 receives instructions (via user
interface subsystem 22) to create a root beer float, knowing that a recipe for
a root beer float
is a multi-portion recipe, processing system 10 may simply obtain the
standalone recipe for
root beer soda, obtain the standalone recipe for vanilla ice cream, and
execute both recipes
to produce root beer soda and vanilla ice cream (respectively). Once these
products are
produced, processing system 10 may combine the individual products (namely
root beer
soda and vanilla ice cream) to produce the root beer float requested by user
26.
When executing a recipe, processing system 10 may utilize one or more
manifolds
(not shown) included within processing system 10. As used in this disclosure,
a manifold is
a temporary storage area designed to allow for the execution of one or more
processes. In
order to facilitate the movement of ingredients into and out of the manifolds,
processing
system 10 may include a plurality of valves (controllable by e.g., control
logic subsystem
14) for facilitating the transfer of ingredients between manifolds. Examples
of various
types of manifolds may include but are not limited to: a mixing manifold, a
blending
manifold, a grinding manifold, a heating manifold, a cooling manifold, a
freezing manifold,
a steeping manifold, a nozzle, a pressure manifold, a vacuum manifold, and an
agitation
manifold.
For example, when making coffee, a grinding manifold may grind coffee beans.
Once the beans are ground, water may be provided to a heating manifold in
which water
160 is heated to a predefined temperature (e.g. 212 F). Once the water is
heated, the heated
water (as produced by the heating manifold) may be filtered through the ground
coffee
beans (as produced by the grinding manifold). Additionally and depending on
how
processing system 10 is configured, processing system 10 may add cream and/or
sugar to
the coffee produced in another manifold or at nozzle 24.
As discussed above, control logic subsystem 14 may execute one or more control
processes 120 that may control the operation of processing system 10.
Accordingly, control
logic subsystem 14 may execute virtual manifold process 126.
Referring also to FIG. 22, virtual manifold process 126 may monitor 680 one or
more processes occurring during a first portion of a multi-portion recipe
being executed on
e.g., processing system 10 to obtain data concerning at least of portion of
the one or more
processes. For example, assume that the multi-portion recipe concerns the
making of a root
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beer float, which (as discussed above) is essentially the combination of two
separate and
distinct recipes (i.e. root beer soda and vanilla ice cream) that may be
chosen from plurality
of recipes 36 maintained on storage subsystem 12. Accordingly, the first
portion of the
multi-portion recipe may be considered the one or more processes utilized by
processing
system 10 to make root beer soda. Further, the second portion of the multi-
portion recipe
may be considered the one or more processes utilized by processing system 10
to make
vanilla ice cream.
Each portion of these multi-portion recipes may be executed in a different
manifold
included within processing system 10. For example, the first portion of the
multi-portion
recipe (i.e., the one or more processes utilized by processing system 10 to
make root beer
soda) may be executed within a mixing manifold included within processing
system 10.
Further, the second portion of the multi-portion recipe (i.e., the one or more
processes
utilized by processing system 10 to make vanilla ice cream) may be executed
within a
freezing manifold included within processing system 10. As discussed above,
processing
system 10 may include a plurality of manifolds, examples of which may include
but are not
limited to: mixing manifolds, blending manifolds, grinding manifolds, heating
manifolds,
cooling manifolds, freezing manifolds, steeping manifolds, nozzles, pressure
manifolds,
vacuum manifolds, and agitation manifolds.
Accordingly, virtual manifold process 126 may monitor 680 the processes
utilized
by processing system 10 to make root beer soda (or may monitor the processes
utilized by
processing system 10 to make vanilla ice cream) to obtain data concerning
these processes.
Examples of the type of data obtained may include but is not limited to
ingredient
data and processing data.
Ingredient data may include but is not limited to a list of ingredients used
during the
first portion of a multi-portion recipe. For example, if the first portion of
a multi-portion
recipe concerns making root beer soda, the list of ingredients may include: a
defined
quantity of root beer flavoring, a defined quantity of carbonated water, a
defined quantity of
non-carbonated water, and a defined quantity of high fructose corn syrup.
Processing data may include but is not limited to a sequential list of
processes
performed on the ingredients. For example, a defined quantity of carbonated
water may
begin to be introduced into a manifold within processing system 10. While
filling the
manifold with carbonated water, the defined quantity of root beer flavoring,
the defined
quantity of high fructose corn syrup, and the defined quantity of non-
carbonated water may
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also be introduced into the manifold.
At least a portion of the data obtain may be stored 682 (e.g., either
temporarily or
permanently). Further, virtual manifold process 126 may enable 684 the
availability of this
stored data for subsequent use by e.g., one or more processes occurring during
a second
.. portion of the multi-portion recipe. When storing 682 the data obtained,
virtual manifold
process 126 may archive 686 the data obtained in a non-volatile memory system
(e.g.,
storage subsystem 12) for subsequent diagnostic purposes. Examples of such
diagnostic
purposes may include enabling a service technician to review ingredient
consumption
characteristics to establish a purchasing plan for purchasing consumables for
processing
system 10. Alternatively/additionally, when storing 682 the data obtained,
virtual manifold
process 126 may temporarily write 688 the data obtained to a volatile memory
system (e.g.,
random access memory 104).
When enabling 684 the availability of the data obtained, virtual manifold
process
126 may route 690 the obtained data (or a portion thereof) to one or more
processes that are
occurring (or will occur) during the second portion of the multi-portion
recipe. Continuing
with the above-stated example, in which the second portion of the multi-
portion recipe
concerns the one or more processes utilized by processing system 10 to make
vanilla ice
cream, virtual manifold process 126 may enable 684 the data obtained (or a
portion thereof)
to be available to the one or more processes utilized to make vanilla ice
cream.
Assume that the root beer flavoring utilized to make the above-described root
beer
float is flavored with a considerable quantity of vanilla flavoring. Further,
assume that
when making the vanilla ice cream, a considerable quantity of vanilla
flavoring is also used.
As virtual manifold process 126 may enable 684 the availability of the
obtained data (e.g.,
ingredient and/or process data) to control logic subsystem (i.e., the
subsystem orchestrating
the one or more processes utilized to make the vanilla ice cream), upon
reviewing this data,
control logic subsystem 14 may alter the ingredients utilized to make the
vanilla ice cream.
Specifically, control logic subsystem 14 may reduce the quantity of vanilla
flavoring
utilized to make the vanilla ice cream to avoid an overabundance of vanilla
flavoring within
the root beer float.
Additionally, by enabling 684 the availability of the obtained data to
subsequently-
executed processes, procedures may be performed that would prove impossible
had that
data not been made available to the subsequently-executed processes.
Continuing with the
above-stated example, assume that it is determined empirically that consumers
tend to not
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like any single-serving of a product that includes more than 10.0 mL of
vanilla flavoring.
Further, assume that 8.0 mL of vanilla flavoring is included within the root
beer flavoring
utilized to make the root beer soda for the root beer float, and another 8.0
mL of vanilla
flavoring is utilized to make the vanilla ice cream utilized to make the root
beer float.
Therefore, if these two products (the root beer soda and the vanilla ice
cream) are combined,
the final product would be flavored with 16.0 mL of vanilla flavoring (which
exceeds the
empirically-defined not-to-exceed 10.0 mL rule).
Accordingly, if the ingredient data for the root beer soda was not stored 682
and the
availability of such stored data was not enabled 684 by virtual manifold
process 126, the
fact that the root beer soda contains 8.0 mL of vanilla flavoring would be
lost and a final
product containing 16.0 mL of vanilla flavoring would be produced.
Accordingly, this
obtained and stored 682 data may be utilized to avoid (or reduce) the
occurrence of any
undesirable effect (e.g., an undesired flavor characteristic, an undesired
appearance
characteristic, an undesired odor characteristic, an undesired texture
characteristic. and
exceeding a maximum recommended dosage of a nutraceutical).
The availability of this obtained data may allow for subsequent processes to
also be
adjusted. For example, assume that the quantity of salt utilized to make the
vanilla ice
cream varies depending on the quantity of carbonated water utilized to make
the root beer
soda. Again, if the ingredient data for the root beer soda was not stored 682
and the
availability of such stored data was not enabled 684 by virtual manifold
process 126, the
quantity of carbonated water used to make the root beer soda would be lost and
the ability to
adjust the quantity of salt utilized to make the ice cream may be compromised.
As discussed above, virtual manifold process 126 may monitor 680 one or more
processes occurring during a first portion of a multi-portion recipe being
executed on e.g.,
processing system 10 to obtain data concerning at least of portion of the one
or more
processes. The one or more processes monitored 680 may be executed within a
single
manifold of the processing system 10 or may be representative of a single
portion of a
multi-portion procedure executed within a single manifold of processing system
10.
For example, when making the root beer soda, a single manifold may be used
that
has four inlets (e.g., one for the root beer flavoring, one for the carbonated
water, one for
the non-carbonated water, and one for the high fructose corn syrup) and one
outlet (as all of
the root beer soda is being provided to a single secondary manifold).
However, if instead of having one outlet, the manifold has two outlets (one
having a
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flow rate of four times the other), virtual manifold process 126 may consider
this process to
include two separate and distinct portions being executed simultaneously
within the same
manifold. For example, 80% of all of the ingredients may be mixed together to
produce
80% of the total quantity of root beer soda; while the remaining 20% of all of
the
ingredients may be simultaneously mixed together (in the same manifold) to
produce 20%
of the root beer soda. Accordingly, virtual manifold process 126 may enable
684 the data
obtained concerning the first portion (i.e., the 80% portion) to be made
available to the
downstream process that utilizes the 80% of the root beer soda and enable 684
the data
obtained concerning the second portion (i.e., the 20% portion) to be made
available to the
downstream process that utilizes the 20% of the root beer soda.
Additionally/alternatively, the single portion of a multi-portion procedure
executed
within a single manifold of processing system 10 may be indicative of one
process that
occurs within a single manifold that executes a plurality of discrete
processes. For example,
when making vanilla ice cream within the freezing manifold, the individual
ingredients may
be introduced, mixed, and reduced in temperature until frozen. Accordingly,
the process of
making vanilla ice cream may include an ingredient introduction process, an
ingredient
mixing process, and an ingredient freezing process, each of which may be
individually
monitored 680 by virtual manifold process 126.
As discussed above, product module assembly 250 (of microingredient subsystem
18 and plumbing/control subsystem 20) may include a plurality of slot
assemblies 260, 262,
264, 266 configured to releasably engage a plurality of product containers
252, 254, 256,
258. Unfortunately, when servicing processing system 10 to refill product
containers 252,
254, 256, 258, it may be possible to install a product container within the
wrong slot
assembly of product module assembly 250. A mistake such as this may result in
one or
more pump assemblies (e.g., pump assemblies 270, 272, 274, 276) and/or one or
more
tubing assemblies (e.g., tubing bundle 304) being contaminated with one or
more
microingredients. For example, as root beer flavoring (i.e., the
microingredient contained
within product container 256) has a very strong taste, once a particular pump
assembly/tubing assembly is used to distribute e.g., root beer flavoring, it
can no longer be
used to distribute a microingredient having a less-strong taste (e.g., lemon-
lime flavoring,
iced tea flavoring, and lemonade flavoring).
Additionally and as discussed above, product module assembly 250 may be
configured to releasably engage bracket assembly 282. Accordingly, in the
event that
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processing system 10 includes multiple product module assemblies and multiple
bracket
assemblies, when servicing processing system 10, it may be possible to install
a product
module assembly onto the wrong bracket assembly. Unfortunately, such a mistake
may also
result in one or more pump assemblies (e.g., pump assemblies 270, 272, 274,
276) and/or
one or more tubing assemblies (e.g., tubing bundle 304) being contaminated
with one or
more microingredients.
Accordingly, processing system 10 may include an RFID-based system to ensure
the
proper placement of product containers and product modules within processing
system 10.
Referring also to FIGS. 23 & 24, processing system 10 may include RFID system
700 that
may include RFID antenna assembly 702 positioned on product module assembly
250 of
processing system 10.
As discussed above, product module assembly 250 may be configured to
releasably
engage at least one product container (e.g., product container 258). RFID
system 700 may
include RFID tag assembly 704 positioned on (e.g., affixed to) product
container 258.
Whenever product module assembly 250 releasably engages the product container
(e.g.,
product container 258), RFID tag assembly 704 may be positioned within e.g.,
upper
detection zone 706 of RFID antenna assembly 702. Accordingly and in this
example,
whenever product container 258 is positioned within (i.e. releasably engages)
product
module assembly 250, RFID tag assembly 704 should be detected by RFID antenna
assembly 702.
As discussed above, product module assembly 250 may be configured to
releasably
engage bracket assembly 282. RFID system 700 may further include RFID tag
assembly
708 position on (e.g. affixed to) bracket assembly 282. Whenever bracket
assembly 282
releasably engages product module assembly 250, RFID tag assembly 708 may be
positioned within e.g., lower detection zone 710 of RFID antenna assembly 702.
Accordingly, through use of RFID antenna assembly 702 and RFID tag assemblies
704, 708, RFID system 700 may be able to determine whether or not the various
product
containers (e.g., product containers 252, 254, 256, 258) are properly
positioned within
product module assembly 250. Further, RFID system 700 may be able to determine
whether or not product module assembly 250 is properly positioned within
processing
system 10.
While RFID system 700 shown to include one RFID antenna assembly and two
RFID tag assemblies, this is for illustrative purposes only and is not
intended to be a
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limitation of this disclosure, as other configurations are possible.
Specifically, a typical
configuration of RFID system 700 may include one RFID antenna assembly
positioned
within each slot assembly of product module assembly 250. For example, RFID
system 700
may additionally include RFID antenna assemblies 712. 714, 716 positioned
within product
module assembly 250. Accordingly, RFID antenna assembly 702 may determine
whether a
product container is inserted into slot assembly 266 (of product module
assembly 250);
RFID antenna assembly 712 may determine whether a product container is
inserted into slot
assembly 264 (of product module assembly 250); RFID antenna assembly 714 may
determine whether a product container is inserted into slot assembly 262 (of
product module
assembly 250); and RFID antenna assembly 716 may determine whether a product
container is inserted into slot assembly 260 (of product module assembly 250).
Further,
since processing system 10 may include multiple product module assemblies,
each of these
product module assemblies may include one or more RFID antenna assemblies to
determine
which product containers are inserted into the particular product module
assembly.
As discussed above, by monitoring for the presence of an RFID tag assembly
within
lower detection zone 710 of RFID antenna assembly 702, RFID system 700 may be
able to
determine whether product module assembly 250 is properly positioned within
processing
system 10. Accordingly, any of RFID antenna assemblies 702, 712, 714, 716 may
be
utilized to read one or more RFID tag assemblies affixed to bracket assembly
282. For
illustrative purposes, product module assembly 282 is shown to include only a
single RFID
tag assembly 708. However, this is for illustrative purposes only and is not
intended to be a
limitation of this disclosure, as other configurations are possible. For
example, bracket
assembly 282 may include multiple RFID tag assemblies, namely RFID tag
assembly 718
(shown in phantom) for being read by RFID antenna assembly 712; RFID tag
assembly 720
(shown in phantom) for being read by RFID antenna assembly 714; and RFID tag
assembly
722 (shown in phantom) for being read by RFID antenna assembly 716.
One or more of the RFID tag assemblies (e.g., RFID tag assemblies 704, 708,
718,
720, 722) may be passive RFID tag assemblies (e.g., RFID tag assemblies that
do not
require a power source). Additionally, one or more of the RFID tag assemblies
(e.g.. RFID
tag assemblies 704, 708, 718, 720, 722) may be a writeable RFID tag assembly,
in that
RFID system 700 may write data to the RFID tag assembly. Examples of the type
of data
storable within the RFID tag assemblies may include, but is not limited to: a
quantity
identifier for the product container, a production date identifier for the
product container, a
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discard date identifier for the product container, an ingredient identifier
for the product
container, a product module identifier, and a bracket identifier.
With respect to the quantity identifier, in some embodiments, each volume of
ingredient pumped from a container including an RFID tag, the tag is written
to include the
updated volume in the container, and/or, the amount pumped. Where the
container is
subsequently removed from the assembly, and replaced into a different
assembly, the
system will read the RFID tag and will know the volume in the container and/or
the amount
that has been pumped from the container. Additionally, the dates of pumping
may also be
written on the RFID tag.
Accordingly, when each of the bracket assemblies (e.g. bracket assembly 282)
is
installed within processing system 10. an RFID tag assembly (e.g. RFID tag
assembly 708)
may be attached, wherein the attached RFID tag assembly may define a bracket
identifier
(for uniquely identifying the bracket assembly). Accordingly, if processing
system 10
includes ten bracket assemblies. ten RFID tag assemblies (i.e., one attached
to each bracket
assembly) may define ten unique bracket identifiers (i.e. one for each bracket
assembly).
Further, when a product container (e.g. product container 252. 254, 256, 258)
is
manufactured and filled with a microingredient, an RFID tag assembly may
include: an
ingredient identifier (for identifying the microingredient within the product
container); a
quantity identifier (for identifying the quantity of microingredient within
the product
container); a production date identifier (for identifying the date of
manufacture of the
microingredient); and a discard date identifier (for identifying the date on
which the product
container should be discarded/recycled).
Accordingly, when product module assembly 250 is installed within processing
system 10, RFID antenna assemblies 702, 712, 714, 716 may be energized by RFID
subsystem 724. RFID subsystem 724 may be coupled to control logic subsystem 14
via
databus 726. Once energized, RFID antenna assemblies 702, 712, 714, 716 may
begin
scanning their respective upper and lower detection zones (e.g. upper
detection zone 706
and lower detection zone 710) for the presence of RFID tag assemblies.
As discussed above, one or more RFID tag assemblies may be attached to the
bracket assembly with which product module assembly 250 releasably engages.
Accordingly, when product module assembly 250 is slid onto (i.e. releasably
engages)
bracket assembly 282, one or more of RFID tag assemblies 708, 718, 720, 722
may be
positioned within the lower detection zones of RFID antenna assemblies 702.
712, 714, 716
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(respectively). Assume, for illustrative purposes, that bracket assembly 282
includes only
one RFID tag assembly, namely RFID tag assembly 708. Further, assume for
illustrative
purposes that product containers 252, 254, 256, 258 are being installed within
slot
assemblies 260, 262, 264, 266 (respectively). Accordingly, RFID subsystem 714
should
detect bracket assembly 282 (by detecting RFID tag assembly 708) and should
detect
product containers 252. 254, 256, 258 by detecting the RFID tag assemblies
(e.g., RFID tag
assembly 704) installed on each product container.
The location information concerning the various product modules, bracket
assemblies, and product containers, may be stored within e.g. storage
subsystem 12 that is
coupled to control logic subsystem 14. Specifically, if nothing has changed,
RFID
subsystem 724 should expect to have RFID antenna assembly 702 detect RFID tag
assembly 704 (i.e. which is attached to product container 258) and should
expect to have
RFID antenna assembly 702 detect RFID tag assembly 708 (i.e. which is attached
to bracket
assembly 282). Additionally, if nothing has changed: RFID antenna assembly 712
should
detect the RFID tag assembly (not shown) attached to product container 256;
RFID antenna
assembly 714 should detect the RFID tag assembly (not shown) attached to
product
container 254; and RFID antenna assembly 716 should detect the RFID tag
assembly (not
shown) attached to product container 252.
Assume for illustrative purposes that, during a routine service call, product
container
258 is incorrectly positioned within slot assembly 264 and product container
256 is
incorrectly positioned within slot assembly 266. Upon acquiring the
information included
within the RFID tag assemblies (using the RFID antenna assemblies). RFID
subsystem 724
may detect the RFID tag assembly associated with product container 258 using
RFID
antenna assembly 262; and may detect the RFID tag assembly associated with
product
container 256 using RFID antenna assembly 702. Upon comparing the new
locations of
product containers 256, 258 with the previously stored locations of product
containers 256,
258 (as stored on storage subsystem 12), RFID subsystem 724 may determine that
the
location of each of these product containers is incorrect.
Accordingly, RFID subsystem 724, via control logic subsystem 14, may render a
warning message on e.g. informational screen 514 of user-interface subsystem
22,
explaining to e.g. the service technician that the product containers were
incorrectly
reinstalled. Depending on the types of microingredients within the product
containers, the
service technician may be e.g. given the option to continue or told that they
cannot continue.
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As discussed above, certain microingredients (e.g. root beer flavoring) have
such a strong
taste that once they have been distributed through a particular pump assembly
and/or tubing
assembly, the pump assembly/tubing assembly can no longer be used for any
other
microingredient. Additionally and as discussed above, the various RFID tag
assemblies
attached to the product containers may define the microingredient within the
product
container.
Accordingly, if a pump assembly/tubing assembly that was used for lemon-lime
flavoring is now going to be used for root beer flavoring, the service
technician may be
given a warning asking them to confirm that this is what they want to do.
However, if a
pump assembly/tubing assembly that was used for root beer flavoring is now
going to be
used for lemon-lime flavoring, the service technician may be provided with a
warning
explaining that they cannot proceed and must switch the product containers
back to their
original configurations or e.g., have the compromised pump assembly/tubing
assembly
removed and replaced with a virgin pump assembly/tubing assembly. Similar
warnings
may be provided in the event that RFID subsystem 724 detects that a bracket
assembly has
been moved within processing system 10.
RFID subsystem 724 may be configured to monitor the consumption of the various
microingredients. For example and as discussed above, an RFID tag assembly may
be
initially encoded to define the quantity of microingredient within a
particular product
container. As control logic subsystem 14 knows the amount of microingredient
pumped
from each of the various product containers, at predefined intervals (e.g.
hourly), the various
RFID tag assemblies included within the various product containers may be
rewritten by
RFID subsystem 724 (via an RFID antenna assembly) to define an up-to-date
quantity for
the microingredient included within the product container.
Upon detecting that a product container has reached a predetermined minimum
quantity, RFID subsystem 724, via control logic subsystem 14, may render a
warning
message on informational screen 514 of user-interface subsystem 22.
Additionally, RFID
subsystem 724 may provide a warning (via informational screen 414 of user-
interface
subsystem 22) in the event that one or more product containers has reached or
exceeded an
expiration date (as defined within an RFID tag assembly attached to the
product container).
While RFID system 700 is described above as having an RFID antenna assembly
affixed to a product module and RFID tag assemblies affixed to bracket
assemblies and
product containers, this is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended
to be a limitation
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of this disclosure. Specifically, the RFID antenna assembly may be positioned
on any
product container, a bracket assembly, or product module. Additionally, the
RFID tag
assemblies may be positioned on any product container, bracket assembly, or
product
module. Accordingly, in the event that an RFID tag assembly is affixed to a
product
module assembly, the RFID tag assembly may define a project module identifier
that e.g.
defines a serial number for the product module.
Due to the close proximity of the slot assemblies (e.g., slot assemblies 260,
262,
264, 266) included within product module assembly 250, it may be desirable to
configure
RFID antenna assembly 702 in a manner that allows it to avoid reading e.g.,
product
containers positioned within adjacent slot assemblies. For example, RFID
antenna
assembly 702 should be configured so that RFID antenna assembly 702 can only
read RFID
tag assemblies 704, 708; RFID antenna assembly 712 should be configured so
that RFID
antenna assembly 712 can only read RFID tag assembly 718 and the RFID tag
assembly
(not shown) affixed to product container 256; RFID antenna assembly 714 should
be
configured so that RFID antenna assembly 714 can only read RFID tag assembly
720 and
the RFID tag assembly (not shown) affixed to product container 254; and RFID
antenna
assembly 716 should be configured so that RFID antenna assembly 716 can only
read RFID
tag assembly 722 and the RFID tag assembly (not shown) affixed to product
container 252.
RFID Cross Read Mitigation
In some embodiments, upon machine start up, for example, and in some
embodiments, when the machine door is open, a scan of the RFID tag assemblies
is
performed to map the location of the various elements within machine,
including, but not
limited to, the location of each product container. As described herein, an
accurate mapping
is critical for many reasons, including, but not limited to, maintaining
recipes and
dispensing products as well as for maintaining the quality of the products
dispensed. In
some embodiments, to mitigate unintentional reading by RFID antenna assemblies
of, e.g.,
product containers positioned within adjacent slot assemblies, various
embodiments of the
method for scanning tags, described below, may be used.
Referring now also to FIG. 73, the RFID tag assemblies are all scanned and
then the
scanning data is evaluated to determine the position of each RFID tag
assembly. If an RFID
tag assembly is attributed to more than one slot after the scan, then the
scanning data is
further evaluated to determine the correct slot in which to assign the RFID
tag assembly.
In some embodiments, time in slot, fitment maps and RSSI values are used to
determine the
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correct location of the RFID tag assembly.
With respect to time in slot, in some embodiments, this may be a count of the
number of scan cycles an RFID tag assembly has been identified in each slot to
which it was
assigned prior to the scan in which the RFID tag assembly was attributed to
more than one
slot. If an RFID tag assembly has been in the slot in which it was assigned
prior to the scan
(-current slot") for its life and the scan attributed it to a different slot
as well as the current
slot, the time in the current slot will be significantly greater than the
different slot. In some
embodiments, the system will then assign the RFID tag assembly to the slot in
which it has
been assigned to for the highest number of scans, which, in this example, is
the current slot.
In some embodiments, the product container may be a "double wide" product
container and, for these embodiments, the product container will require two
slots adjacent
and within the same product module. In some embodiments, the product module is
a quad
product module and therefore is configured to receive four product containers,
however,
with respect to double wide product container, the quad product module is
configured to
receive two double wide product containers and/or two single product container
and one
double wide product container. With respect to the double wide product
containers, because
these cannot span over two product modules (i.e., cannot cross product module
boundaries),
where an RFID tag assembly attached to a double wide product container has
been read in
more than one slot, and one of the slots is, for example, an odd number slot
(i.e., slot 1 or 3
in a quad product module), then the system may use this information to
eliminate that slot as
a candidate for the position of the RFID tag assembly. Thus, in some
embodiments,
The system may use fitment map information to establish the true/correct
position of the
double wide product container.
In some embodiments, where an RFID tag assembly has been read in multiple
slots
and all of the slots over one have not been eliminated using the time in slot
and/or fitment
map methods, then the system compares the received signal strength indicator
("RSSI")
values. In some embodiments, the slot with the higher RSSI value will be
assigned as the
position of the RFID tag assembly.
If after scanning all of the RFID tag assemblies multiple RFID tag assemblies
are
attributed to one slot ("the slot"), then after the scan, the system may
complete the following
method to determine the correct RFID tag assembly to assign to the slot. In
some
embodiments, time in slot, fitment maps and RSSI values are used to determine
the correct
location of the RFID tag assembly.
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With respect to time in slot, in some embodiments, this may be a count of the
number of scan cycles an RFID tag assembly has been identified in the slot. If
a RFID tag
assembly has been in another slot in which it was assigned prior to the scan
("current slot")
for its life and the scan attributed it to a different slot, i.e., the slot,
the time in the current
slot will be significantly greater than the different slot, i.e., the slot. In
some embodiments,
the system will then assign the RFID tag assembly to the slot in which it has
been assigned
to for the highest number of scans, which, in this example, is the current
slot. However, if a
RFID tag assembly has been in the slot for a predetermined period of time that
is longer
than any of the other candidate RFID tag assembly for the slot, then the RFID
tag assembly
that has been in the slot the longest will be assigned to the slot.
In some embodiments, the product container may be a "double wide" product
container and. for these embodiments, the product container will require two
slots adjacent
and within the same product module. In some embodiments, the product module is
a quad
product module and therefore is configured to receive four product containers,
however,
with respect to double wide product containers, the quad product module is
configured to
receive two double wide product containers and/or two single product container
and one
double wide product container. With respect to the double wide product
containers, because
these cannot span over two product modules (i.e., cannot cross product module
boundaries),
where one of the RFID tag assembly read for the slot is attached to a double
wide product
container and the slot is, for example, an odd number slot (i.e., slot 1 or 3
in a quad product
module), or otherwise could not accommodate the double wide product container,
then the
system may use this information to eliminate that product module/ RFID tag
assembly from
being a candidate for the slot. Thus, in some embodiments, the system may use
fitment map
information to establish the true/correct position of the double wide product
container.
In some embodiments, where multiple RFID tag assemblies have been read in the
slot and all of the RFID tag assemblies over one have not been eliminated
using the time in
slot and/or fitment map methods, then the system compares the receive signal
strength
indicator ("RSSI") values. In some embodiments, the RFID tag assembly with the
higher
RSSI value for the antenna associated with the slot will be assigned as the
position of the
slot.
Accordingly and referring also to FIG. 25, one or more of RFID antenna
assemblies
702, 712, 714, 716 may be configured as a loop antenna. While the following
discussion is
directed towards RFID antenna assembly 702, this is for illustrative purposes
only and is
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not intended to be a limitation of this disclosure, as the following
discussion may be equally
applied to RFID antenna assemblies 712, 714, 716.
RFID antenna assembly 702 may include first capacitor assembly 750 (e.g., a
2.90
pF capacitor) that is coupled between ground 752 and port 754 that may
energize RFID
antenna assembly 702. A second capacitor assembly 756 (e.g., a 2.55 pF
capacitor) maybe
positioned between port 754 and inductive loop assembly 758. Resistor assembly
760 (e.g.,
a 2.00 Ohm resistor) may couple inductive loop assembly 758 with ground 752
while
providing a reduction in the Q factor to increase the bandwidth and provide a
wider range of
operation.
As is known in the art, the characteristics of RFID antenna assembly 702 may
be
adjusted by altering the physical characteristics of inductive loop assembly
758. For
example, as the diameter "d" of inductive loop assembly 758 increases, the far
field
performance of RFID antenna assembly 702 may increase. Further, as the
diameter "d" of
inductive loop assembly 758 decreases; the far field performance of RFID
antenna assembly
702 may decrease.
Specifically, the far field performance of RFID antenna assembly 702 may vary
depending upon the ability of RFID antenna assembly 702 to radiate energy. As
is known
in the art, the ability of RFID antenna assembly 702 to radiate energy may be
dependent
upon the circumference of inductive loop assembly 708 (with respect to the
wavelength of
carrier signal 762 used to energize RFID antenna assembly 702 via port 754.
Referring also to FIG. 26 and in a preferred embodiment, carrier signal 762
may be a
915 MHz carrier signal having a wavelength of 12.89 inches. With respect to
loop antenna
design, once the circumference of inductive loop assembly 758 approaches or
exceeds 50%
of the wavelength of canier signal 762, the inductive loop assembly 758 may
radiate energy
outward in a radial direction (e.g., as represented by arrows 800, 802, 804,
806, 808, 810)
from axis 812 of inductive loop assembly 758, resulting in strong far field
performance.
Conversely, by maintaining the circumference of inductive loop assembly 758
below 25%
of the wavelength of carrier signal 762, the amount of energy radiated outward
by inductive
loop assembly 758 will be reduced and far field performance will be
compromised. Further,
magnetic coupling may occur in a direction perpendicular to the plane of
inductive loop
assembly 758 (as represented by arrows 814. 816), resulting in strong near
field
performance.
As discussed above, due to the close proximity of slot assemblies (e.g., slot
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assemblies 260, 262, 264, 266) included within product module assembly 250, it
may be
desirable to configure RFID antenna assembly 702 in a manner that allows it to
avoid
reading e.g., product containers positioned within adjacent slot assemblies.
Accordingly, by
configuring inductive loop assembly 758 so that the circumference of inductive
loop
assembly 758 is below 25% of the wavelength of carrier signal 762 (e.g., 3.22
inches for a
915 MHz carrier signal), far field performance may be reduced and near field
performance
may be enhanced. Further, by positioning inductive loop assembly 758 so that
the RFID tag
assembly to be read is either above or below RFID antenna assembly 702, the
RFID tag
assembly may be inductively coupled to RFID antenna assembly 702. For example,
when
configured so that the circumference of inductive loop assembly 758 is 10% of
the
wavelength of carrier signal 762 (e.g.. 1.29 inches for a 915 MHz carrier
signal), the
diameter of inductive loop assembly 758 would be 0.40 inches, resulting in a
comparatively
high level of near field performance and a comparatively low level of far
field performance.
Referring also to FIGS. 27 & 28, processing system 10 may be incorporated into
housing assembly 850. Housing assembly 850 may include one or more access
doors/panels 852, 854 that e.g., allow for the servicing of processing system
10 and allow
for the replacement of empty product containers (e.g., product container 258).
For various
reasons (e.g., security, safety, etc), it may be desirable to secure access
doors/panels 852,
854 so that the internal components of beverage dispensing machine 10 can only
be
accessed by authorized personnel. Accordingly, the previously-described RFID
subsystem
(i.e., RF1D subsystem 700) may be configured so that access doors/panels 852,
854 may
only be opened if the appropriate RFID tag assembly is positioned proximate
RFID access
antenna assembly 900. An example of such an appropriate RFID tag assembly may
include
an RFID tag assembly that is affixed to a product container (e.g., RFID tag
assembly 704
that is affixed to product container 258).
RFID access antenna assembly 900 may include multi-segment inductive loop
assembly 902. A first matching component 904 (e.g., a 5.00 pF capacitor) may
be coupled
between ground 906 and port 908 that may energize RFID access antenna assembly
900. A
second matching component 910 (e.g., a 16.56 nanoHenries inductor) may be
positioned
between port 908 and multi-segment inductive loop assembly 902. Matching
components
904, 910 may adjust the impedance of multi-segment inductive loop assembly 902
to a
desired impedance (e.g., 50.00 Ohms). Generally, matching components 904, 910
may
improve the efficiency of RFID access antenna assembly 900.
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RFID access antenna assembly 900 may include a reduction in the Q factor of
element 912 (e.g., a 50 Ohm resistor) that may be configured to allow RFID
access antenna
assembly 900 to be utilized over a broader range of frequencies. This may also
allow RFID
access antenna assembly 900 to be used over an entire band and may also allow
for
tolerances within the matching network. For example, if the band of interest
of RFID
access antenna assembly 900 is 50MHz and reduction of Q factor element (also
referred to
herein as a "de-Qing element") 912 is configured to make the antenna 100MHz
wide, the
center frequency of RFID access antenna assembly 900 may move by 25MHz without
affecting the performance of RFID access antenna assembly 900. De-Qing element
912
may be positioned within multi-segment inductive loop assembly 902 or
positioned
somewhere else within RFID access antenna assembly 900.
As discussed above, by utilizing a comparatively small inductive loop assembly
(e.g., inductive loop assembly 758 of FIGS. 25 & 26), far field performance of
an antenna
assembly may be reduced and near field performance may be enhanced.
Unfortunately,
when utilizing such a small inductive loop assembly, the depth of the
detection range of the
RFID antenna assembly is also comparatively small (e.g., typically
proportional to the
diameter of the loop). Therefore, to obtain a larger detection range depth, a
larger loop
diameter may be utilized. Unfortunately and as discussed above, the use of a
larger loop
diameter may result in increased far field performance.
Accordingly, multi-segment inductive loop assembly 902 may include a plurality
of
discrete antenna segments (e.g., antenna segments 914, 916, 918, 920, 922,
924, 926), with
a phase shift element (e.g., capacitor assemblies 928, 930, 932, 934, 936,
938, 940).
Examples of capacitor assemblies 928, 930, 932, 934, 936, 938, 940 may include
1.0 pF
capacitors or varactors (e.g., voltage variable capacitors) for example, 0.1-
250 pF varactors..
The above-described phase shift element may be configured to allow for the
adaptive
controlling of the phase shift of multi-segment inductive loop assembly 902 to
compensate
for varying conditions; or for the purpose of modulating the characteristics
of multi-segment
inductive loop assembly 902 to provide for various inductive coupling features
and/or
magnetic properties. An alternative example of the above-described phase shift
element is a
coupled line (not shown).
As discussed above, by maintaining the length of an antenna segment below 25%
of
the wavelength of the carrier signal energizing RFID access antenna assembly
900, the
amount of energy radiated outward by the antenna segment will be reduced, far
field
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performance will be compromised, and near field performance will be enhanced.
Accordingly each of antenna segments 914, 916, 918, 920, 922, 924, 926 may be
sized so
that they are no longer than 25% of the wavelength of the carrier signal
energizing RFID
access antenna assembly 900. Further, by properly sizing each of capacitor
assemblies 928.
930, 932, 934, 936, 938. 940, any phase shift that occurs as the carrier
signal propagates
around multi-segment inductive loop assembly 902 may be offset by the various
capacitor
assemblies incorporated into multi-segment inductive loop assembly 902.
Accordingly,
assume for illustrative purposes that for each of antenna segments 914, 916,
918, 920, 922,
924, 926, a 90 phase shift occurs. Accordingly, by utilizing properly sized
capacitor
assemblies 928, 930, 932, 934, 936, 938, 940, the 90 phase shift that occurs
during each
segment may be reduced/eliminated. For example, for a carrier signal frequency
of 915
MHz and an antenna segment length that is less than 25% (and typically 10%) of
the
wavelength of the carrier signal, a 1.2pF capacitor assembly may be utilized
to achieve the
desired phase shift cancellation, as well as tune segment resonance.
While multi-segment inductive loop assembly 902 is shown as being constructed
of
a plurality of linear antenna segments coupled via miter joints, this is for
illustrative
purposes only and is not intended to be a limitation of this disclosure. For
example, a
plurality of curved antenna segments may be utilized to construct multi-
segment inductive
loop assembly 902. Additionally, multi-segment inductive loop assembly 902 may
be
configured to be any loop-type shape. For example, multi-segment inductive
loop assembly
902 may be configured as an oval (as shown in FIG. 28), a circle, a square, a
rectangle, or
an octagon.
While the system is described above as being utilized within a processing
system,
this is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be a limitation
of this disclosure,
as other configurations are possible. For example, the above-described system
may be
utilized for processing/dispensing other consumable products (e.g., ice cream
and alcoholic
drinks). Additionally, the above-described system may be utilized in areas
outside of the
food industry. For example, the above-described system may be utilized for
processing/dispensing: vitamins; pharmaceuticals; medical products, cleaning
products;
lubricants; painting/staining products; and other non-consumable liquids/semi-
liquids/granular solids and/or fluids.
While the system is described above as having the RFID tag assembly (e.g..
RFID
tag assembly 704) that is affixed to the product container (e.g., product
container 258)
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positioned above the RFID antenna assembly (e.g., RFID antenna assembly 702),
which is
positioned above the RFID tag (e.g.. RFID tag assembly 708) that is affixed to
bracket
assembly 282, this for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be a
limitation of this
disclosure, as other configurations are possible. For example, the RFID tag
assembly (e.g.,
RFID tag assembly 704) that is affixed to the product container (e.g., product
container 258)
may be positioned below the RFID antenna assembly (e.g., RFID antenna assembly
702),
which may be positioned below the RFID tag (e.g., RFID tag assembly 708) that
is affixed
to bracket assembly 282.
As discussed above, by utilizing comparatively short antenna segments (e.g.,
antenna segments 914. 916, 918, 920, 922, 924, 926) that are no longer than
25% of the
wavelength of the carrier signal energizing RFID antenna assembly 900, far
field
performance of antenna assembly 900 may be reduced and near field performance
may be
enhanced.
Referring also to FIG. 29, if a higher level of far field performance is
desired from
the RFID antenna assembly, RFID antenna assembly 900a may be configured to
include far
field antenna assembly 942 (e.g., a dipole antenna assembly) electrically
coupled to a
portion of multi-segment inductive loop assembly 902a. Far field antenna
assembly 942
may include first antenna portion 944 (i.e., forming the first portion of the
dipole) and
second antenna portion 946 (i.e., forming the second portion of the dipole).
As discussed
.. above, by maintaining the length of antenna segments 914, 916, 918, 920,
922, 924, 926
below 25% of the wavelength of the carrier signal, far field performance of
antenna
assembly 900a may be reduced and near field performance may be enhanced.
Accordingly,
the sum length of first antenna portion 944 and second antenna portion 946 may
be greater
than 25% of the wavelength of the carrier signal, thus allowing for an
enhanced level of far
.. field performance.
Referring also to FIG. 30, as discussed above (e.g., with reference to FIG.
27)
processing system 10 may be incorporated into housing assembly 850. Housing
assembly
850 may include one or more access doors/panels (e.g., upper door 852, and
lower door
854) that e.g., allow for the servicing of processing system 10 and allow for
the replacement
of empty product containers (e.g., product container 258). Touch screen
interface 500 may
be disposed on upper door 852, allowing facile user access. Upper door 852 may
also
provide access to dispenser assembly 1000, which may allow a beverage
container (e.g.,
container 30) to be filled with a beverage (e.g., via nozzle 24; not shown).
ice, or the like.
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Additionally, lower door 854 may include RFID interrogation region 1002, e.g.,
which may
be associated with RFID access antenna assembly 900, e.g., to permit one or
more of access
doors/panels 852, 854 to be opened. Interrogation region 1002 is depicted for
illustrative
purposes only, as RFID access antenna assembly 900 may be equally located in
various
alternative locations, including locations other than access doors/panels 852,
854.
Referring also to FIGS. 51-53, an exemplary embodiment of the user interface
assembly 5100 is depicted, which may be incorporated into the housing assembly
850
shown in FIG. 30. The user interface assembly may include the touch screen
interface 500.
User interface assembly 5100 may include a touch screen 5102, a frame 5104, a
border
5106, a seal 5108, and a system controller enclosure 5110. The border 5106 may
space the
touch screen 5102, and may also serve as a clean visual border. The touch
screen 5102, in
the exemplary embodiment, is a capacitive touch screen, however, on other
embodiments,
other types of touch screens may be used. However, in the exemplary
embodiment, due to
the capacitive nature of the touch screen 5102 it may be desirable to maintain
a
predetermined distance between the touch screen 5102 and the door 852 via the
border
5106.
The seal 5108 may protect the display shown in FIG. 52 as 5200) and may serve
to
prevent moisture and/or particulates from reaching the display 5200. In the
exemplary
embodiment, the seal 5108 contacts the door of the housing assembly 852 to
better maintain
a seal. In the exemplary embodiment, the display 5200 is an LCD display and is
held by the
frame by at least one set of spring fingers 5202, which may engage the display
5200 and
retain the display 5200. In the exemplary embodiment, the display 5200 is a
15" LCD
display such as model LQ150X1LGB1 from Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan.
However, in
other embodiments, the display may be any type of display. The spring fingers
5202 may
additionally serve as springs, to allow for tolerances within the user
interface assembly
5100, thus, in the exemplary embodiment, the touch screen 5102 is allowed to
float relative
to the display 5200. In the exemplary embodiment, the touch screen 5102 is a
projected
capacitive touch screen such as model ZYP15-10001D by Zytronics of Blaydon on
Tyne,
UK, but in other embodiments, the touch screen may be another type of touch
screen and/or
another capacitive touch screen. In the exemplary embodiment, the seal is a
foam in place
gasket, which in the exemplary embodiment, is made from polyurethane foam die-
cut, but
in other embodiments, may be made from silicone foam or other similar
materials. In some
embodiments, the seal may be an over molded seal or any other type of sealing
body.
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In the exemplary embodiment, the user interface assembly 5100 includes four
sets of
spring fingers 5202. However, other embodiments may include a greater or fewer
number
of spring fingers 5202. In the exemplary embodiment, the spring fingers 5202
and the
frame 5104 are made from ABS, but in other embodiments, may be made from any
material.
Referring also to FIG. 53, the user interface assembly 5100, in the exemplary
embodiment, also includes as least one PCB as well as at least one connector
5114, which,
in some embodiments, may be covered by a connector cap 5116.
Referring also to FIG. 31, consistent with an exemplary embodiment, processing
system 10 may include upper cabinet portion 1004a and lower cabinet portion
1006a.
However, this should not be construed as a limitation on this disclosure, as
other
configurations may be equally utilized. With additional reference also to
FIGS. 32 and 33,
upper cabinet portion 1004a (e.g., which may be covered, at least in part, by
upper door
852) may include one or more features of plumbing subsystem 20, described
above. For
example, upper cabinet portion 1004a may include one or more flow control
modules (e.g.,
flow control module 170), a fluid chilling system (e.g., cold plate 163, not
shown), a
dispensing nozzle (e.g., nozzle 24, not shown), plumbing for connection to
high-volume
ingredient supplies (e.g., carbon dioxide supply 150, water supply 152, and
HFCS supply
154, not shown), and the like. Additionally, upper cabinet portion 1004a may
include ice
hopper 1008 for storing ice, and ice dispensing chute 1010, for dispensing ice
from ice
hopper 1008 (e.g., into beverage containers).
Carbon dioxide supply 150 may be provided by one or more carbon dioxide
cylinders, e.g., which may be remotely located and plumbed to processing
system 10.
Similarly, water supply 152 may be provided as municipal water, e.g., which
may also be
plumbed to processing system 10. High fructose corn syrup supply 154 may
include, for
example, one or more reservoirs (e.g., in the form of five gallon bag-in-box
containers),
which may be remotely stored (e.g., in a back room, etc.). High fructose corn
syrup supply
154 may also by plumbed to processing system 10. Plumbing for the various high-
volume
ingredients may be achieved via conventional hard or soft line plumbing
arrangements.
As discussed above, carbonated water supply 158, water supply 152, and high
fructose corn syrup supply 154 may be remotely located and plumbed to
processing system
10 (e.g., to flow control modules 170, 172, 174). Referring to FIG. 34, a flow
control
module (e.g., flow control module 172) may be coupled to a high-volume
ingredient supply
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(e.g., water 152) via quick plumbing connection 1012. For example, water
supply 152 may
be coupled to plumbing connection 1012, which may be releasably coupled to
flow control
module 172, thereby completing plumbing of water supply 152 to flow control
module 170.
Referring to FIGS. 35, 36A, 36B, 37A, 37B, and 37, another embodiment of the
upper cabinet portion (e.g., upper cabinet portion 1004b) is shown. Similar to
the above-
described exemplary embodiment, upper cabinet portion 1004b may include one or
more
features of plumbing subsystem 20, described above. For example, upper cabinet
portion
1004b may include one or more flow control modules (e.g., flow control module
170), a
fluid chilling system (e.g., cold plate 163, not shown), a dispensing nozzle
(e.g.. nozzle 24,
not shown), plumbing for connection to high-volume ingredient supplies (e.g.,
carbon
dioxide supply 150, water supply 152, and HFCS supply 154, not shown), and the
like.
Additionally, upper cabinet portion 1004b may include ice hopper 1008 for
storing ice, and
ice dispensing chute 1010, for dispensing ice from ice hopper 1008 (e.g., into
beverage
containers).
Referring also to FIGS. 36A-36b, upper cabinet portion 1004b may include power
module 1014. Power module 1014 may house, e.g., a power supply, one or more
power
distribution busses, controllers (e.g., control logic subsystem 14) user
interface controllers,
storage device 12, etc. Power module 1014 may include one or more status
indicators
(indicator lights 1016, generally), and power/data connections (e.g.,
connections 1018
generally).
Referring also to FIGS. 37A, 37B, and 37C, flow control module 170 may be
mechanically and fluidly coupled to upper cabinet portion 1004b via connection
assembly
1020, generally. Connection assembly 1020 may include a supply fluid passage,
e.g., which
may be coupled to a high-volume ingredient supply (e.g., carbonated water 158,
water 160,
high-fructose corn syrup 162, etc) via inlet 1022. Inlet 1024 of flow control
module 170
may be configured to be at least partially received in outlet passage 1026 of
connection
assembly 1020. Accordingly, flow control module 170 may receive high-volume
ingredients via connection assembly 1020. Connection assembly 1020 may further
include
a valve (e.g., ball valve 1028) movable between an opened and closed position.
When ball
valve 1028 is in the opened position, flow control module 170 may be fluidly
coupled to a
high-volume ingredient supply. Similarly, when ball valve 1028 is in the
closed position,
flow control module 170 may be fluidly isolated from the high-volume
ingredient supply.
Ball valve 1028 may be moved between the opened and closed position by
rotatably
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actuating locking tab 1030. In addition to opening and closing ball valve
1028, locking tab
1030 may engage flow control module 170, e.g., thereby retaining flow control
module
relative to connection assembly 1020. For example, shoulder 1032 may engage
tab 1034 of
flow control module 170. Engagement between shoulder 1032 and tab 1034 may
retain
.. inlet 1024 of flow control module 170 in outlet passage 1026 of connection
assembly 1020.
Retaining inlet 1024 of flow control module 170 in outlet passage 1026 of
connection
assembly 1020 may additionally facilitate maintaining a fluid-tight connection
between
flow control module 170 and connection assembly 1020 (e.g., by maintaining
satisfactory
engagement between inlet 1024 and outlet 1026).
Locking tab face 1036 of locking tab 1030 may engage outlet connector 1038
(e.g.,
which may be fluidly coupled to an outlet of flow control module 170). For
example, as
shown, locking tab face 1036 may engage face 1040 of outlet connector 1038,
retaining
outlet connector 1038 in fluid tight engagement with flow control module 170.
Connection assembly 1020 may facilitate the installation/removal of flow
control
module 170 from processing system 10 (e.g., to allow replacement of a
damaged/malfunctioning flow control module). Consistent with the depicted
orientation,
locking tab 1030 may be rotated counterclockwise (e.g., approximately one
quarter of a turn
in the illustrated embodiment). Counterclockwise rotation of locking tab 130
may
disengage outlet connector 1038 and tab 1034 of flow control module 170.
Outlet
connector 1038 may be disengaged from flow control module 170. Similarly,
inlet 1024 of
flow control module 170 may be disengaged from outlet passage 1026 of
connection
assembly 1020. Additionally, counterclockwise rotation of locking tab 1030 may
rotate ball
valve 1028 to the closed position, thereby closing the fluid supply passage
connected to the
high-volume ingredient. As such, once locking tab 1030 is rotated to allow
flow control
module 170 to be removed from connection assembly 1020, the fluid connection
to the
high-volume ingredient is closed, e.g., which may reduce/prevent contamination
of
processing system by the high-volume ingredients. Tab extension 1042 of
locking tab 1030
may inhibit the removal of flow control module 170 from connection assembly
1020 until
ball valve 1028 is in a fully closed position (e.g., by preventing the fluid
disengagement and
removal of flow control module 170 until ball valve 1028 has been rotated 90
degrees to a
fully closed position).
In a related manner, flow control module 170 may be coupled to connection
assembly 1020. For example, with locking tab 1030 rotated counterclockwise,
inlet 1024 of
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flow control module 170 may be inserted into outlet passage 1026 of connection
assembly
1020. Outlet connector 1038 may be engaged with the outlet (not shown) of flow
control
module 170. Locking tab 1030 may be rotated clockwise, thereby engaging flow
control
module 170 and outlet connector 1038. In the clockwise rotated position,
connection
assembly 1020 may retain inlet 1024 of flow control module 170 in fluid tight
connection
with outlet passage 1026 of connection assembly. Similarly, outlet connector
1038 may be
retained in fluid tight connection with the outlet of flow control module 170.
Further,
clockwise rotation of locking tab 1030 may move ball valve 1028 to the opened
position,
thereby fluidly coupling flow control module 170 to the high-volume
ingredient.
With additional reference also to FIG. 38, lower cabinet portion 1006a may
include
one or more features of microingredient subsystem 18, and may house one or
more on-
board consumable ingredient supplies. For example, lower cabinet portion 1006a
may
include one or more microingredient towers (e.g., microingredient towers 1050,
1052, 1054)
and supply 1056 of non-nutritive sweetener (e.g., an artificial sweetener or
combination of a
plurality of artificial sweeteners). As shown, microingredient towers 1050,
1052, 1054 may
include one or more product module assemblies (e.g., product module assembly
250), which
may each be configured to releasably engage one or more product containers
(e.g.. product
containers 252, 254, 256. 258, not shown). For example, microingredient towers
1050 and
1052 may each include three product module assemblies, and microingredient
tower 1054
may include four product module assemblies.
Referring also to FIGS. 39 and 40, one or more of the microingredient towers
(e.g.,
microingredient tower 1052) may be coupled to an agitation mechanism, e.g.,
which may
rock, linearly slide, or otherwise agitate microingredient tower 1052, and/or
a portion
thereof. The agitation mechanism may aid in maintaining a mixture of separable
ingredients stored on microingredient tower 1052. The agitation mechanism may
include,
for example, agitation motor 1100, which may drive agitation arm 1102 via
linkage 1104.
Agitation arm 1102 may be driven in a generally vertical oscillatory motion,
and may be
coupled to one or more product module assemblies (e.g., product module
assemblies 250a,
250b, 250c, 250d), thereby imparting a rocking agitation to product module
assemblies
250a, 250b, 250c, 250d. A safety shut- off may be associated with lower door
854, e.g.,
which may disable the agitation mechanism when lower cabinet door 1154 is
open.
As discussed above, RFID system 700 may detect the presence, location (e.g.,
product module assembly and slot assembly) and contents of various product
containers.
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Accordingly, RFID system 700 may render a warning (e.g., via RFID subsystem
724 and/or
control logic subsystem 14) if a product container including contents that
require agitation
have been installed in a microingredient tower (e.2., microingredient tower
1052) that is not
coupled to the agitation container. Further, control logic subsystem 14 may
prevent the
product container which is not being agitated from being utilized.
As discussed above, the product module assemblies (e.g., product module
assembly
250) may be configured with four slot assemblies, and may, therefore, be
referred to as a
quad product module and/or quad product module assembly. With additional
reference also
to FIG. 41, product module assembly 250 may include a plurality of pump
assemblies (e.g.,
pump assemblies 270, 272, 274, 276). For example, one pump assembly (e.g.,
pump
assemblies 270, 272, 274, 276) may be associated with each of the four slot
assemblies of
product module 250 (e.g., in the case of a quad product module). Pump
assemblies 270,
272, 274, 276 may pump product from product containers (not shown) releasably
engaged
in corresponding slot assemblies of product module assembly 250.
As shown, each product module assembly (e.g., product module assemblies 250a,
250b, 250c, 250d) of the microingredient towers (e.g., microingredient tower
1052) may be
coupled to a common wiring harness, e.g., via connector 1106. As such,
microingredient
tower 1052 may be electrically coupled to, for example, control logic
subsystem 14, a
power supply, etc., via a single connection point.
Referring also to FIG. 42, as discussed above, product module 250 may include
a
plurality of slot assemblies (e.g., slot assemblies 260, 262, 264, 266). Slot
assemblies 260,
262, 264, 266 may be configured to releasably engage a product container
(e.g., product
container 256). Slot assemblies 260, 262, 264, 266 may include respective
doors 1108,
1110, 1112. As shown, two or more of the slot assemblies (e.g., slot
assemblies 260, 262)
may be configured to releasably engage a double wide product container (e.g.,
a product
container configured to be releasably engaged in two slot assemblies), and/or
two separate
product containers including complimentary products (e.g., separate
ingredients for a two
ingredient beverage recipe). Accordingly, slot assemblies 260, 262 may include
a double-
wide door (e.g., door 1108) covering both slot assemblies 260, 262.
Doors 1108, 1110. 1112 may releasably engage a hinge rail to allow pivotal
opening
and closing of doors 1108, 1108, 1112. For example, doors 1108, 1110. 1112 may
include a
snap-fit feature, allowing doors 1108, 1108, 1112 to be snapped onto, and off
of, the hinge
rail. Accordingly, doors 1108, 1110, 1112 may be snapped onto, or off of, the
hinge rail
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allow replacement of broken doors, reconfiguration of the doors (e.g., to
replace a double-
wide door with two single-wide doors, or vice versa).
Each door (e.g., door 1110) may include a tongue feature (e.g., tongue 1114)
which
may engage a cooperating feature of a product container (e.g., notch 1116 of
product
container 256). Tongue 1114 may transfer force to product container 256 (e.g.,
via notch
1116), and may assist insertion and removal of product container 256 into, and
out of, slot
assembly 264. For example, during insertion, product container 256 may be at
least
partially inserted into slot assembly 264. When door 1110 is closed, tongue
1114 may
engage notch 1116, and transfer door closing force to product container 256,
securing
seating product container 256 in slot assembly 264 (e.g., as a result of the
leverage provided
by door 1110). Similarly, tongue 1114 may at least partially engage notch 1116
(e.g., may
be at least partially captured by a lip of notch 1116), and may apply a
removal force (e.g.,
again as a result of the leverage provided by door 1110) to product container
256.
Product module 250 may include one or more indicator lights, e.g., which may
convey information regarding the status of a one or more slot assemblies
(e.g., slot
assemblies 260, 262, 264, 266. For example, each of the doors (e.g., door
1112) may
include a light pipe (e.g., light pipe 1118) optically coupled to a light
source (e.g., light
source 1120). Light pipe 1118 may include, for example, a segment of clear or
transparent
material (e.g., a clear plastic such as acrylic, glass, etc.) that may
transmit light from light
source 1120 to the front of door 1112. Light source 1120 may include, for
example, one or
more LED's (e.g., a red LED and a green LED). In the case of a double-wide
door (e.g.,
door 1108) only a single light pipe and single light source, associated with
the single light
pipe, corresponding to one of the slot assemblies may be utilized. The unused
light source,
con-esponding to the other slot assembly of the double-wide door, may be
blocked off by at
least a portion of the door.
As mentioned, light pipe 1118 and light source 1120 may convey various
information regarding the slot assembly, product container, etc. For example,
light source
1120 may provide a green light (which may be conveyed via light pipe 1118 to
the front of
door 1112) to indicate an operational status of slot assembly 266 and a non-
empty status of
the product container releasably engaged in slot assembly 266. Light source
1120 may
provide a red light (which may be conveyed via light pipe 1118 to the front of
door 1112) to
indicate that the product container releasably engaged in slot assembly 266 is
empty.
Similarly, light source 1120 may provide a flashing red light (which may be
conveyed via
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light pipe 1118 to the front of door 1112) to indicate a malfunction or fault
associated with
slot assembly 266. Various additional/alternative information may be indicated
using light
source 1120 and light pipe 1118. Further, additional related lighting schemes
may also be
utilized (e.g., flashing green light, orange light resulting from the light
source providing
both a green and a red light, and the like).
Referring also to FIGS. 43A, 43B, and 43C, product container 256 may, for
example, include a two piece housing (e.g., include front housing portion 1150
and rear
housing portion 1152). Front housing portion 1150 may include protrusion 1154,
e.g.,
which may provide lip 1156. Lip 1156 may facilitate handling of product
container 256
(e.g., during insertion and/or removal of product container from slot assembly
264).
Rear housing portion 1152 may include fitment feature 1158a, e.g., which may
fluidly couple the product container (e.g., product container 256) to a mating
fitment of a
pump assembly (e.g., pump assembly 272 of product module 250). Fitment feature
1158a
may include a blind mate fluid connector, which may fluidly couple product
container 256
to pump assembly 272 when fitment feature is pressed onto a cooperating
feature (e.g., a
stem) of pump assembly 272. Various alternative fitment features (e.g.,
fitment feature
1158b depicted in FIG. 44) may be provided to provide fluid coupling between
product
container 256 and various pump assemblies.
Front housing portion 1150 and rear housing portion 1152 may include separate
plastic components which may be joined to form product container 256. For
example, front
housing portion 1150 and rear housing portion 1152 may be heat staked
together,
adhesively bonded, ultrasonically welded, or otherwise joined in a suitable
manner. Product
container 256 may further include product pouch 1160, which may be at least
partially
disposed within front housing portion 1150 and rear housing portion 1152. For
example,
product pouch 1160 may be filled with a consumable (e.g., a beverage
flavoring), and
positioned within front housing portion 1150 and rear housing portion 1152,
which may be
subsequently joined to house product pouch 1160. Product pouch 1160 may
include, for
example, a flexible bladder that may collapse as the consumable is pumped from
product
pouch 1160 (e.g., by pump assembly 272).
Product pouch 1160 may include gussets 1162, which may improve the volumetric
efficiency of product container 256, e.g., by allowing product pouch 1160 to
occupy a
relatively larger portion of the interior volume defined by front housing
portion 1150 and
rear housing portion 1152. Additionally, gussets 1162 may facilitate the
collapse of product
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pouch 1162 as the consumable is pumped out of product pouch 1160.
Additionally, fitment
feature 1158a may be physically joined to product pouch 1160, e.g., via
ultrasonic welding.
As mentioned above, in addition to the microingredient towers, lower cabinet
portion 1006a may include supply 1056 of a large volume microingredient. For
example, in
some embodiments, the large volume microingredient may be a non-nutritive
sweetener
(e.g., an artificial sweetener or combination of a plurality of artificial
sweeteners). Some
embodiments may include microingredients in which larger volumes are required.
In these
embodiments, one or more large volume microingredient supplies may be
included. In the
embodiment as shown, supply 1056 may be a non-nutritive sweetener which may
include,
for example, a bag-in-box container, e.g., which is known to include a
flexible bladder
containing the non-nutritive sweetener product disposed within a generally
rigid box, e.g.,
which may protect the flexible bladder against rupture, etc. For purposes of
illustration
only, the non-nutritive sweetener example will be used. However, in other
embodiments,
any microingredient may be stored in the large volume microingredient supply.
In some
alternate embodiments, other types of ingredients may be stored in a supply
similar to
supply 1056 as described herein. The term "large volume microingredient"
refers to a
microingredient identified as a frequent use microingredient in which, for the
products
being dispensed, is used frequently enough that a greater than one
microingredient pump
assembly is used.
Supply 1056 of non-nutritive sweetener may be coupled to a product module
assembly, e.g., which may include one or more pump assemblies (e.g., as
previously
described above). For example, supply 1056 of non-nutritive sweetener may be
coupled to
a product module including four pump assemblies as described above. Each of
the four
pump assemblies may include a tube or line directing non-nutritive sweetener
from the
respective pump assembly to nozzle 24, for dispensing the non-nutritive
sweetener (e.g., in
combination with one or more additional ingredients).
Referring to FIGS. 45A and 45B, lower cabinet portion 1006b may include one or
more features of microingredient subsystem 18. For example, lower cabinet
portion 106b
may house one or more microingredient supplies. The one or more
microingredient
supplies may be configured as one or more microingredient shelves (e.g.,
microingredient
shelves 1200, 1202, 1204) and a supply 1206 of non-nutritive sweetener. As
shown, each
microingredient shelf (e.g., microingredient shelf 1200) may include one or
more product
module assemblies (e.g., product module assemblies 250d, 250e, 250f)
configured in a
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generally horizontal arrangement. One or more of the microingredient shelves
may be
configured to agitate (e.g., in a generally similar manner to microingredient
tower 1052
described above).
Continuing with the above-described embodiment, in which the one or more
microingredient supplies may be configured as one or more microingredient
shelves, and as
discussed above, shelf 1200 may include a plurality of product module
assemblies (namely,
product module assemblies 250d, 250e, 250f). Each product module assembly
(e.g.,
product module assembly 250t) may be configured to releasably engage one or
more
product containers (e.g., product container 256) in a respective slot assembly
(e.g.. slot
assemblies 260, 262, 264, 266).
Additionally, each of product module assemblies 250d, 250e, 250f may include a
respective plurality of pump assemblies. For example, and referring also to
FIGS. 47A,
47B, 47D, 47E, and 47F, product module assembly 250d may generally include
pump
assemblies 270a, 270b, 270d, and 270e. A respective one of pump assemblies
270a, 270b,
270c, 270d may be associated with one of slot assemblies 260, 262, 264, 266,
e.g., for
pumping ingredients contained within a respective product container (e.g.,
product container
256). For example, each of pump assemblies 270a, 270b, 270c, 270d may include
a
respective fluid coupling stem (e.g., fluid coupling stems 1250, 1252, 1254.
1256), e.g.,
which may fluidly couple to a product container (e.g., product container 256)
via a
cooperating fitment (e.g., fitment feature 1158a, 1158b shown in FIGS. 43B and
44).
Referring to FIG. 47E, a cross sectional view of the pump module assembly 250d
is
shown. The assembly 250d includes a fluid inlet 1360 which is shown in the
cross sectional
view of the fitment. The fitment mates with the female part (shown in FIG. 43B
as 1158a)
of the product containers (not shown, shown as 256 in FIG. 43B, amongst other
figures).
The fluid from the product container enters the pump assembly 250d at the
fluid inlet 1360.
The fluid flows into the capacitive flow sensor 1362 and then through the pump
1364, past
the backpres sure regulator 1366 and to the fluid outlet 1368. As shown
herein, the fluid
flow path through the pump module assembly 250d allows the air to flow through
the
assembly 250d without being trapped within the assembly. The fluid inlet 1360
is on a
lower plane than the fluid exit 1368. Additionally, the fluid travels
vertically towards the
flow sensor and then when traveling in the pump, is again at a higher plane
than the inlet
1360. Thus, the arrangement allows the fluid to continually flow upwards
allowing air to
flow through the system without getting trapped. Thus, the pump module
assembly 250d
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design is a self-priming and purging positive displacement fluid delivery
system.
Referring to FIGS. 47E and 47F, the backpressure regulator 1366 may be any
backpressure regulator, however, the exemplary embodiment of the backpressure
regulator
1366 for pumping small volumes is shown. The backpressure regulator 1366
includes a
diaphragm 1367 including "volcano" features and a molded o-ring about the
outer diameter.
The 0-rin2 creates a seal. A piston is connected to the diaphragm 1367. A
spring, about the
piston, biases the piston and the diaphragm in a closed position. In this
embodiment, the
spring is seated on an outer sleeve. When the fluid pressure meets or exceeds
the cracking
pressure of the piston/spring assembly, the fluid flows past the backpressure
regulator 1366
and towards the fluid exit 1368. In the exemplary embodiment, the cracking
pressure is
approximately 7-9 psi. The cracking pressure is tuned to the pump 1364. Thus,
in various
embodiments, the pump may be different from the one described, and in some of
those
embodiment, another embodiment of the backpressure regulator may be used.
With additional reference to FIG. 48, outlet plumbing assembly 1300 may be
configured to releasably engage pump assemblies 270a, 270b, 270c, 270d, e.g.,
for
supplying ingredients from a respective product module assembly (e.g., product
module
assembly 250d) to plumbing/control subsystem 20. Outlet plumbing assembly 1300
may
include a plurality of plumbing fitments (e.g., fitments 1302, 1304, 1306,
1308) configured
to fluidly couple to respective pump assemblies 270a, 270b, 270c, 270d, e.g.,
for fluidly
coupling pumping assemblies 270a, 270b, 270c, 270d to plumbing/control
subsystem 20 via
fluid lines 1310, 1312, 1314, 1316.
Releasable engagement between outlet plumbing assembly 1300 and product
module assembly 250d may be effectuated, e.g., via a camming assembly
providing facile
engagement and release of outlet plumbing assembly 1300 and product module
assembly
250d. For example, the camming assembly may include handle 1318 rotatably
coupled to
fitment support 1320, and cam features 1322, 1324. Cam features 1322, 1324 may
be
engageable with cooperating features (not shown) of product module assembly
250d. With
reference to FIG. 47C, rotational movement of handle 1318 in the direction of
the arrow
may release outlet plumbing assembly 1300 from product module assembly 250d,
e.g.,
allowing outlet plumbing assembly 1300 to be lifted away, and removed, from
product
module assembly 250d.
With particular reference to FIGS. 47D and 47E, product module assembly 250d
may similarly be releasably engageable to microingredient shelf 1200, e.2.,
allowing facile
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removal/installation of product module assembly 250 to microingredient shelf
1200. For
example, as shown, product module assembly 250d may include release handle
1350, e.g.,
which may be pivotally connected to product module assembly 250d. Release
handle 1350
may include, e.g., locking ears 1352, 1354 (e.g., most clearly depicted in
FIGS. 47A and
47D). Locking ears 1352, 1354 may engage cooperating features of
microingredient shelf
1200, e.g., thereby retaining product module assembly 250d in engagement with
microingredient shelf 1200. As shown in FIG. 47E, release handle 1350 may be
pivotally
lifted in the direction of the arrow to disengage locking ears 1352, 1354 from
the
cooperating features of microingredient shelf 1200. Once disengaged, product
module
assembly 250d may be lifted from microingredient shelf 1200.
One or more sensors may be associated with one or more of handle 1318 and/or
release handle 1350. The one or more sensors may provide an output indicative
of a locking
position of handle 1318 and/or release handle 1350. For example, the output of
the one or
more sensors may indicate whether handle 1318 and/or release handle 1350 is in
an engaged
or a disengaged position. Based upon, at least in part the output of the one
or more sensor,
product module assembly 250d may be electrically and/or fluidly isolated from
plumbing/control subsystem 20. Exemplary sensors may include, for example.
cooperating
RFID tags and readers, contact switches, magnetic position sensors, or the
like.
As discussed above and referring again to FIG. 47E, flow sensor 308 may be
utilized
to sense flow of the above-described micro-ingredients through (in this
example) pump
assembly 272 (See FIG. 5A-5H). As discussed above, flow sensor 308 may be
configured
as a capacitance-based flow sensor (See FIGS. 5A-5F); as illustrated as flow
sensor 1356
within FIG. 47E. Additionally and as discussed above, flow sensor 308 may be
configured
as a transducer-based, pistonless flow sensor (See FIG. 5G); as illustrated as
flow sensor
1358 within FIG. 47E. Further and as discussed above, flow sensor 308 may be
configured
as a transducer-based, piston-enhanced flow sensor (See FIG. 5H); as
illustrated as flow
sensor 1359 within FIG. 47E.
As discussed above, transducer assembly 328 (See FIGS. 5G-5H) may include: a
linear variable differential transformer (LVDT); a needle/magnetic cartridge
assembly; a
magnetic coil assembly; a Hall Effect sensor assembly; a piezoelectric buzzer
element; a
piezoelectric sheet element; an audio speaker assembly; an accelerometer
assembly; a
microphone assembly; and an optical displacement assembly.
Further, while the above-described examples of flow sensor 308 are meant to be
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illustrative, they are not intended to be exhaustive, as other configurations
are possible and
are considered to be within the scope of this disclosure. For example, while
transducer
assembly 328 is shown to be positioned outside of diaphragm assembly 314 (See
FIG. 5G-
5H), transducer assembly 328 may be positioned within chamber 318 (See FIG. 5G-
5H).
Referring also to FIGS. 49A, 49B, 49C, an exemplary configuration of supply
1206
of non-nutritive sweetener. Supply 1206 of non-nutritive sweetener may
generally include
housing 1400 configured to receive non-nutritive sweetener container 1402. Non-
nutritive
sweetener container 1402 may include, for example, a bag-in-box configuration
(e.g., a
flexible bag containing the non-nutritive sweetener disposed within a
generally rigid.
protective housing). Supply 1206 may include coupling 1404 (e.g., which may be
associated with pivotal wall 1406), which may fluidly couple to a fitment
associated with
non-nutritive container 1402. The configuration and nature of coupling 1404
may vary
according to the cooperating fitment associated with non-nutritive container
1402.
Referring also to FIG. 49C, supply 1206 may include one or more pump
assemblies
(e.g., pump assemblies 270e, 270f, 270g, 270h). The one or more pump
assemblies 270e,
270f, 270g, 270g may be configured similar to the above-discussed product
module
assemblies (e.g., product module assemble 250). Coupling 1404 may be fluidly
coupled to
coupling 1404 via plumbing assembly 1408. Plumbing assembly 1408 may generally
include inlet 1410, which may be configured to be fluidly connected to
coupling 1404.
Manifold 1412 may distribute non-nutritive sweetener received at inlet 1410 to
one or more
distribution tubes (e.g., distribution tubes 1414, 1416, 1418, 1420).
Distribution tubes 1414,
1416, 1418, 1420 may include respective connectors 1422, 1424, 1426. 1428
configured to
be fluidly coupled to respective pump assemblies 270e, 270f, 270g, 270g.
Referring now to FIG. 50, plumbing assembly 1408, in the exemplary
embodiments,
includes an air sensor 1450. The plumbing assembly 1408 thus includes a
mechanism for
sensing whether air is present. In some embodiments, if the fluid entering
through the fluid
inlet 1410 includes air, the air sensor 1450 will detect the air and, in some
embodiments,
may send a signal to stop pumping from the large volume microingredient. This
function is
desired in many dispensing systems, and particularly in ones where if the
volume of the
large volume microingredient is incorrect, the dispensed product may be
compromised
and/or dangerous. Thus, the plumbing assembly 1408 including an air sensor
assures air is
not pumped and in embodiments where medicinal products are dispensed, for
example, is a
safety feature. In other products, this embodiment of the plumbing assembly
1408 is part of
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a quality assurance feature.
While the various electrical components, mechanical components, electro-
mechanical components, and software processes are described above as being
utilized
within a processing system that dispenses beverages, this is for illustrative
purposes only
and is not intended to be a limitation of this disclosure, as other
configurations are possible.
For example, the above-described processing system may be utilized for
processing/dispensing other consumable products (e.g., ice cream and alcoholic
drinks).
Additionally, the above-described system may be utilized in areas outside of
the food
industry. For example, the above-described system may be utilized for
processing/dispensing: vitamins; pharmaceuticals; medical products, cleaning
products;
lubricants; painting/staining products; and other non-consumable liquids/semi-
liquids/granular solids or any fluids.
As discussed above, the various electrical components, mechanical components,
electro-mechanical components, and software processes of processing system 10
generally
(and FSM process 122, virtual machine process 124, and virtual manifold
process 126
specifically) may be used in any machine in which on-demand creation of a
product from
one or more substrates (also referred to as "ingredients") is desired.
In the various embodiments, the product is created following a recipe that is
programmed into the processor. As discussed above, the recipe may be updated,
imported
or changed by permission. A recipe may be requested by a user, or may be
preprogrammed
to be prepared on a schedule. The recipes may include any number of substrates
or
ingredients and the product generated may include any number of substrates or
ingredients
in any concentration desired.
The substrates used may be any fluid, at any concentration, or, any powder or
other
solid that may be reconstituted either while the machine is creating the
product or before the
machine creates the product (i.e., a "batch" of the reconstituted powder or
solid may be
prepared at a specified time in preparation for metering to create additional
products or
dispensing the "batch" solution as a product). In various embodiments, two or
more
substrates may themselves be mixed in one manifold, and then metered to
another manifold
to mix with additional substrates.
Thus, in various embodiments, on demand, or prior to actual demand but at a
desired
time, a first manifold of a solution may be created by metering into the
manifold, according
to the recipe, a first substrate and at least one additional substrate. In
some embodiments,
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one of the substrates may be reconstituted, i.e., the substrate may be a
powder/solid, a
particular amount of which is added to a mixing manifold. A liquid substrate
may also be
added to the same mixing manifold and the powder substrate may be
reconstituted in the
liquid to a desired concentration. The contents of this manifold may then be
provided to
e.g., another manifold or dispensed.
In some embodiments, the methods described herein may be used in conjunction
with mixing on-demand dialysate, for use with peritoneal dialysis or
hemodialysis,
according to a recipe/prescription. As is known in the art, the composition of
dialysate may
include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: bicarbonate,
sodium, calcium,
potassium, chloride, dextrose, lactate, acetic acid, acetate, magnesium,
glucose and
hydrochloric acid.
The dialysate may be used to draw waste molecules (e.g., urea, creatinine,
ions such
as potassium, phosphate, etc.) and water from the blood into the dialysate
through osmosis,
and dialysate solutions are well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
For example, a dialysate typically contains various ions such as potassium and
calcium that are similar to their natural concentration in healthy blood. In
some cases, the
dialysate may contain sodium bicarbonate, which is usually at a concentration
somewhat
higher than found in normal blood. Typically, the dialysate is prepared by
mixing water
from a source of water (e.g., reverse osmosis or "RO" water) with one or more
ingredients:
e.g., an "acid" (which may contain various species such as acetic acid,
dextrose, NaCl,
CaC1, KC1, MgCl, etc.), sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), and/or sodium chloride
(NaCl).
The preparation of dialysate, including using the appropriate concentrations
of salts,
osmolarity, pH, and the like, is also well-known to those of ordinary skill in
the art. As
discussed in detail below, the dialysate need not be prepared in real-time, on-
demand. For
instance, the dialysate can be made concurrently or prior to dialysis, and
stored within a
dialysate storage vessel or the like.
In some embodiments, one or more substrates, for example, the bicarbonate, may
be
stored in powder form. Although for illustrative and exemplary purposes only,
a powder
substrate may be referred to in this example as "bicarbonate", in other
embodiments, any
substrate/ingredient, in addition to, or instead of, bicarbonate, may be
stored in a machine in
powder form or as another solid and the process described herein for
reconstitution of the
substrate may be used. The bicarbonate may be stored in a "single use"
container that, for
example, may empty into a manifold. In some embodiments, a volume of
bicarbonate may
84
be stored in a container and a particular volume of bicarbonate from the
container may be
metered into a manifold. In some embodiments, the entire volume of bicarbonate
may be
completely emptied into a manifold, i.e., to mix a large volume of dialysate.
The solution in the first manifold may be mixed in a second manifold with one
or
more additional substrates/ingredients. In addition, in some embodiments, one
or more
sensors (e.g., one or more conductivity sensors) may be located such that the
solution mixed
in the first manifold may be tested to ensure the intended concentration has
been reached.
In some embodiments, the data from the one or more sensors may be used in a
feedback
control loop to correct for errors in the solution. For example, if the sensor
data indicates
.. the bicarbonate solution has a concentration that is greater or less than
the desired
concentration, additional bicarbonate or RU may be added to the manifold.
In some recipes in some embodiments, one or more ingredients may be
reconstituted
in a manifold prior to being mixed in another manifold with one or more
ingredients,
whether those ingredients are also reconstituted powders/solids or liquids.
Thus, the system and methods described herein may provide a means for
accurate,
on-demand production or compounding of dialysate, or other solutions,
including other
solutions used for medical treatments. In some embodiments, this system may be
incorporated into a dialysis machine, such as those described in U.S. Patent
Application
Serial No. 12/072,908, filed February 27, 2008, which is now U.S. Patent No.
8,246,826
issued August 21, 2012 (Attorney Docket No. F65) .
In other embodiments, this system may be inco orated into any
machine where mixing a product, on-demand, may be desired.
Water may account for the greatest volume in dialysate, thus leading to high
costs,
space and time in transporting bags of dialysate. The above-described
processing system 10
may prepare the dialysate in a dialysis machine, or, in a stand-alone
dispensing machine
(e.g., on-site at a patient's home), thus eliminating the need for shipping
and storing large
numbers of bags of dialysate. This above-described processing system 10 may
provide a
user or provider with the ability to enter the prescription desired and the
above-described
system may, using the systems and methods described herein, produce the
desired
prescription on-demand and on-site (e.g., including but not limited to: a
medical treatment
center, pharmacy or a patient's home). Accordingly, the systems and methods
described
herein may reduce transportation costs as the substrates/ingredients are the
only ingredient
requiring shipping/delivery.
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-07-22
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In addition to the various embodiments of the flow control modules discussed
and
described above, referring to FIGS. 56-64, various additional embodiments of a
variable
line impedance, a flow measurement device (or sometimes referred to as "flow
meter") and
a binary valve for a flow control module are shown.
Referring to FIGS. 56-59 collectively, the exemplary embodiment of this
embodiment of the flow control module 3000 may include a fluid inlet 3001, a
piston
housing 3012, a primary orifice 3002, a piston 3004 a piston spring 3006, a
cylinder 3005
about the piston and a secondary orifice(s) 3022. The piston spring 3006
biases the piston
3004 in a closed position, seen in FIG. 56. The flow control module 3000 also
includes a
solenoid 3008 which includes a solenoid housing 3010 and an armature 3014. A
downstream binary valve 3016 is actuated by a plunger 3018 which is biased in
an open
position by a plunger spring 3020.
The piston 3004. cylinder 3005, piston spring 3006 and piston housing 3012 may
be
made from any material which, in some embodiments, may be selected based on
the fluid
intended to flow through the flow control module. In the exemplary embodiment,
the piston
3004 and the cylinder 3005 are made from an alumina ceramic, however, in other
embodiments, these components may be made form another ceramic or stainless
steel. In
various embodiments, these components may be made from any material desired
and may
be selected depending on the fluid. In the exemplary embodiment, the piston
spring 3006 is
made from stainless steel, however, in various embodiments; the piston spring
3006 may be
made from a ceramic or another material. In the exemplary embodiment, the
piston housing
3012 is made from plastic. However, in other embodiments, the various parts
may be made
from stainless steel or any other dimensionally stable, corrosion resistant
material.
Although as shown in FIGS. 56-59, the exemplary embodiment includes a binary
valve, in
some embodiments, the flow control module 3000 may not include a binary valve.
In these
embodiments, the cylinder 3005 and the piston 3004, where in the exemplary
embodiment,
as discussed above, are made from alumina ceramic, may be match ground to a
free running
fit, or may be manufactured to impart a very tight clearance between the two
components to
provide a close, free running fit.
The solenoid 3008 in the exemplary embodiment is a constant force solenoid
3008.
In the exemplary embodiments, the constant force solenoid 3008 shown in FIGS.
56-59
may be used. The solenoid 3008 includes a solenoid housing 3010 which, in the
exemplary
embodiment, is made from 416 stainless steel. In the exemplary embodiment, the
constant
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force solenoid 3008 includes a spike. In this embodiment, as the armature 3014
approaches
the spikes, the force roughly constant and minimally variant with respect to
position. The
constant force solenoid 3008 exerts magnetic force onto the armature 3014,
which, in the
exemplary embodiment, is made from 416 stainless steel. In some embodiments
the
armature 3014 and/or the solenoid housing 3012 may be made from a ferritic
stainless steel
or any other magnetic stainless steel or other material having desirable
magnetic properties.
The armature 3014 is connected to the piston 3004. Thus, the constant force
solenoid 3008
provides force to linearly move the piston 3004 from a closed position (shown
in FIGS. 56
and 57) to an open position (shown in FIGS. 58 and 59) with respect to the
secondary
orifice(s) 3022. Thus, the solenoid 3008 actuates the piston 3004 and the
current applied to
control the constant force solenoid 3008 is proportional to the force exerted
on the armature
3014.
The size of the primary orifice 3002 may be selected so that the maximum
pressure
drop for the system is not exceeded and such that the pressure across the
primary orifice
3002 is significant enough to move the piston 3004. In the exemplary
embodiment, the
primary orifice 3002 is about .180 inch. However, in various embodiments, the
diameter
may be larger or smaller depending on the desired flow rate and pressure drop.
Additionally, obtaining the maximum pressure drop at a particular flow rate
minimizes the
total amount of travel by the piston 3004 to maintain a desired flow rate.
The constant force solenoid 3008 and the piston spring 3006 exert roughly a
constant force over piston 3004 travel. The piston spring 3006 acts on the
piston 3004 in
the same direction as the fluid flow. A pressure drop occurs upon the entrance
of fluid
through the primary orifice 3002. The constant force solenoid 3008 (also
referred to as a
"solenoid") counters the fluid pressure by exerting force on the armature
3014.
Referring now to FIG. 56, the flow control module 3000 is shown in a closed
position, with no fluid flow. In the closed position, the solenoid 3008 is de-
energized. The
piston spring 3006 biases the piston 3004 to the closed position, i.e., the
secondary orifice(s)
(shown in FIGS. 58-59 as 3022) are fully closed. This is beneficial for many
reasons,
including, but not limited to, a fail safe flow switch in the event the flow
control module
3000 experiences a loss of power. Thus, when power is not available to
energize the
solenoid 3008, the piston 3004 will move to "normally closed" state.
Referring also to FIGS. 57-59, the energy or current applied to the solenoid
3008
controls the movement of the armature 3014 and the piston 3004. As the piston
3004
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moves further towards the fluid inlet 3001, this opens the secondary
orifice(s) 3022. Thus,
the current applied to the solenoid 3008 may be proportional to the force
exerted on the
armature 3014 and the current applied to the solenoid 3008 may be varied to
obtain a
desired flow rate. In the exemplary embodiment of this embodiment of the flow
control
module the flow rate corresponds to the current applied to the solenoid 3008;
as current is
applied the force on the piston 3004 increases.
To maintain a constant force profile on the solenoid 3008, it may be desirable
to
maintain the travel of the armature 3014 roughly within a predefined area. As
discussed
above, the spike in the solenoid 3008 contribute to the maintenance of near
constant force as
the armature 3014 travels. This is desirable in some embodiments for when the
secondary
orifice(s) 3022 are open, maintaining near constant force will maintain a near
constant flow
rate.
As the force from the solenoid 3008 increases, in the exemplary embodiment,
the
force from the solenoid 3008 moves the piston 3004 linearly towards the fluid
inlet 3001 to
initiate flow through the secondary orifice(s) 3022. This causes the fluid
pressure within the
flow control module to decrease. Thus, the primary orifice 3002 (linked to the
piston 3004),
together with the secondary orifice(s) 3022, act as a flow meter and variable
line
impedance; the pressure drop across the primary orifice 3002 (which is in
indicator of flow
rate) remains constant through varying the cross sectional areas of the
secondary orifice(s)
3022. The flow rate, i.e., the pressure differential across the primary
orifice 3002, dictates
the amount of movement of the piston 3004, i.e., the variable line impedance
of the fluid
path.
Referring now to FIGS. 58-59, in the exemplary embodiment, the variable line
impedance includes at least one secondary orifice 3022. In some embodiments,
for
example, the embodiments shown in FIGS. 58-59, the secondary orifice 3022
includes
multiple apertures. Embodiments including multiple apertures may be desirable
as they
allow for structural integrity maintenance and minimize piston travel while
providing a total
secondary orifice size sufficient for a desired flow rate at a maximum
pressure drop.
Referring to FIGS. 56-59, to equalize pressure that may be introduced by blow-
by
during operation, in the exemplary embodiment, the piston 3004 includes at
least one radial
groove 3024. In the exemplary embodiment, the piston 3004 includes two radial
grooves
3024. In other embodiments, the piston 3004 may include three or more radial
grooves.
The at least one radial groove 3024 provides both a means for equalizing the
pressure from
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the blow-by, thus, centering the piston 3004 in the cylinder 3005 which may
reduce blow-
by. Centering of the piston 3004 may also provide a hydrodynamic bearing
effect between
the cylinder 3005 and the piston 3004, thus reducing friction. In some
embodiments, any
other means for reducing friction may be used, which include, but are not
limited to, coating
the piston 3004 to reduce friction and/or incorporating the use of ball
bearings. Coatings
which may be used include, but are not limited to diamond-like-coating (-DLC")
and
titanium nitride. Reducing friction is beneficial for reduction of hysteresis
in the system
thus reducing flow control errors in the system.
In the exemplary embodiment, for a given variable line impedance device, the
current as well as the method of applying the current to yield a given flow
rate may be
determined. The various modes of applying the current include, but are not
limited to,
dithering the current, sinusoidal dither, dither scheduling the current or
using various Pulse
Width Modulation ("PWM") techniques. Current control may be used to produce
various
flow rates and various flow types, for example, but not limited to, choppy or
pulsatile flow
rates or smooth flow rates. For example, sinusoidal dithering may be used to
reduce
hysteresis and friction between the cylinder 3005 and the piston 3004. Thus,
predetermined
schedules may be determined and used for a given desired flow rate.
Referring now to FIG. 64, an example of a solenoid control method which may be
applied to the variable line impedance device shown in FIGS. 56-63 is shown.
In this
control method, a dither function is shown that applies lower amplitude dither
at low flow
rates and higher amplitude dither at as the flow rates increase. The dither
may be specified
either as a step function, where dither may increase at a specified threshold,
or as a ramp
function, which may become constant above a specified threshold. FIG. 64 shows
an
example of a dither ramp function. Both dither frequency and dither amplitude
may be
varied with the current command. In some embodiments, the dither function may
be
replaced by a lookup table that specifies optimal dither characteristics or
other dither
scheduling for any desired flow rate.
Upstream fluid pressure may increase or decrease. However, the variable line
impedance compensates for pressure changes and maintains the constant desired
flow rate
through use of the constant force solenoid, together with the spring and the
plunger. Thus,
the variable line impedance maintains a constant flow rate even under variable
pressure.
For example, when the inlet pressure increases, because the system includes a
fixed sized
primary orifice 3002, the pressure drop across the primary orifice 3002 will
cause the piston
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3004 to move toward the fluid outlet 3036 and "turn down" the opening of the
secondary
orifice(2) 3022. This is accomplished through linear movement of the piston
3004 towards
the fluid outlet 3036.
Conversely, when the inlet pressure decreases, because the system has a fixed
sized
primary orifice 3002, the pressure drop across the primary orifice 3002 will
cause the piston
3004 to -turn up" the opening of the secondary orifice(s) 3022 thus keeping
flowrate
constant. This is accomplished through linear movement of the piston 3004
towards the
fluid inlet 3001.
The exemplary embodiment also includes a binary valve. Although shown in the
exemplary embodiment, in some embodiments, a binary valve may not be used, for
example, where the tolerances between the piston and the secondary orifice are
such that the
piston may act as a binary valve to the secondary orifice. Referring now to
FIGS. 56-59,
the binary valve in the exemplary embodiment is downstream from the secondary
orifice
3022. In the exemplary embodiment, the binary valve is a piloted diaphragm
3016 actuated
by a plunger 3018. In the exemplary embodiment, the diaphragm 3016 is an over
molded
metal disc, however, in other embodiments, the diaphragm 3016 may be made from
any
material suitable for the fluid flowing through the valve, which may include,
but is not
limited to, metals, elastomers and/or urethanes or any type of plastic or
other material
suitable for the desired function. It should be noted that although the FIGS.
illustrate the
membrane seated in the open position, in practice, the membrane would be
unseated. The
plunger 3018 is directly actuated by the piston 3004 and in its resting
position; the plunger
spring 3020 biases the plunger 3018 in the open position. As the piston 3004
returns to a
closed position, the force generated by the piston spring 3006 is great enough
to overcome
to plunger spring 3020 bias and actuate the plunger 3018 to the closed
position of the binary
valve. Thus, in the exemplary embodiment, the solenoid provides the energy for
both the
piston 3004 and the plunger 3018, thus, controls both the flow of fluid
through the
secondary orifice 3022 and through the binary valve.
Referring to FIGS. 56-59, the progressive movement of the piston 3004 may be
seen
with respect to increased force from the solenoid 3008. Referring to FIG. 56,
both the
binary valve and the secondary orifice (not shown) are closed. Referring to
FIG. 57, current
has been applied to the solenoid and the piston 3004 has moved slightly, while
the binary
valve is open due to the plunger spring 3020 bias. In FIG. 58. the solenoid
3008 having
applied additional current, the piston 3004 has moved further to primary
orifice 3002 and
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has opened the secondary orifice 3022 slightly. Referring now to FIG. 59,
increased current
from the solenoid 3008 has moved the piston 3004 further towards the fluid
inlet 3001 (or
further into the solenoid 3008 in this embodiment), and the secondary orifice
3022 is fully
open.
The embodiments described above with respect to FIGS. 56 - 59 may additionally
include one or more sensors, which may include one or more, but not limited
to, the
following: a piston position sensor and/or a flow sensor. One or more sensors
may be used
to verify that fluid flow is established when the solenoid 3008 is energized.
A piston
position sensor, for example, may detect whether or not the piston is moving.
A flow
sensor may detect whether the piston is moving or not moving.
Referring now to FIGS. 60-61, in various embodiments, the flow control module
3000 may include one or more sensors. Referring to FIG. 60, the flow control
module 3000
is shown with an anemometer 3026. In one embodiment, one or more thermistor(s)
are
located in close proximity to a thin wall contacting the fluid path. The
thermistor(s) may
dissipate a known power amount, e.g., 1 Watt, and thus, a predictable
temperature increase
may be expected for either stagnant fluid or flowing fluid. As the temperature
will increase
less where fluid is flowing, the anemometer may be used as a fluid flow
sensor. In some
embodiments, the anemometer may also be used to determine the temperature of
the fluid,
whether or not the sensor is additionally detecting the presence of fluid
flow.
Referring now to FIG. 61, the flow control module 3000 is shown with a paddle
wheel 3028. A cut-away view of the paddle wheel sensor 3030 is shown in FIG.
62. The
paddle wheel sensor 3030 includes a paddle wheel 3028 within the fluid path,
an Infrared
("ITC) emitter 3032 and an IR receiver 3034. The paddle wheel sensor 3030 is a
metering
device and may be used to calculate and/or confirm flow rate. The paddle wheel
sensor
3030 may, in some embodiments, be used to simply sense whether fluid is
flowing or not.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 62, the IR diode 3032 shines and as fluid
flows, the
paddle wheel 3028 turns, interrupting the beam from IR diode 3032, which is
detected by
the IR receiver 3034. The rate of interruption of the IR beam may be used to
calculate flow
rate.
As shown in FIGS. 56-59, in some embodiments, more than one sensor may be used
in the flow control module 3000. In these embodiments, both an anemometer
sensor and a
paddle wheel sensor are shown. While, in other embodiments, either the paddle
wheel
(FIG. 61) or the anemometer (FIG. 60) sensor is used. However, in various
other
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embodiments, one or more different sensors may be used to detect, calculate or
sense
various conditions of the flow control module 3000. For example, but not
limited to, in
some embodiments, a Hall Effect sensor may be added to the magnetic circuit of
the
solenoid 3010 to sense flux.
In some embodiments, the inductance in the coil of the solenoid 3008 may be
calculated to determine the position of the piston 3004. In the solenoid 3008
in the
exemplary embodiment, reluctance varies with armature 3014 travel. The
inductance may
be determined or calculated from the reluctance and thus, the position of the
piston 3004
may be calculated based on the calculated inductance. In some embodiments, the
inductance may be used to control the movement of the piston 3004 via the
armature 3014.
Referring now to FIG. 63, one embodiment of the flow control module 3000 is
shown. This embodiment of the flow control module 3000 may be used in any of
the
various embodiments of the dispensing system described herein. Further, the
variable flow
impedance mechanism may be used in place of the various variable flow
impedance
embodiments described above. Further, in various embodiments, the flow control
module
3000 may be used in conjunction with a downstream or upstream flow meter.
Referring to FIG. 65, the fluid path is indicated through one embodiment of
the flow
control module 3000. In this embodiment, the flow control module 3000 includes
both a
paddle wheel 3028 sensor and an anemometer 3026. However, as discussed above,
some
embodiments of the flow control module 3000 may include additional sensors or
less
sensors than shown in FIG. 65.
In some embodiments, one or more of pump assemblies 270, 272, 274, 276 shown
in
FIG. 4 may be a solenoid piston pump assembly that is driven by an electrical
circuit and
logic that allows the flow to be monitored. An example of an embodiment of a
solenoid
.. pump 270 and drive circuitry are shown in FIG. 66, where the pump 270 is
energized by
passing current through the coil 3214. The resulting magnetic flux may drive
the solenoid
slug or piston 3216 to the left and may compress the return spring 3210. The
pumped fluid
may flow through the piston 3216 and check valve 3218 as the piston 3218 moves
to the
left. The spring 3210 may return the piston 3216 to the right when coils 3214
are no longer
applying enough magnetic flux to hold the spring compressed. As the piston
3216 moves to
the right, the check valve 3218 may close and force the fluid out of the pump.
In some
embodiments, pumps available from ULKA Costruzioni Elettromeccaniche S.p.A. of
Pavia,
Italy may be used.
92
The solenoid piston pump may move a given volume of fluid from left to right
each
time the piston compresses the spring to the left hand side of FIG. 66 and
returns to the
original position on the right. The solenoid piston pump may be energized by a
number of
driving circuits that are well known in the art. The various modes of applying
the current
__ include, but are not limited to, dithering the current, sinusoidal dither,
dither scheduling the
current and/or using various Pulse Width Modulation ("PWM") techniques.
Some embodiments include where the driving circuit is connected to a power
supply
by a circuit capable of creating a variable current through the coils 3214 and
measuring the
current flow through the solenoid. The circuit may measure the current flow
indirectly by
measuring other parameters which may include, but are not limited to, one or
more of the
following: the voltage across the solenoid coil and/or the duty cycle of the
periodic current
flow. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 66, multiple solenoid pump may be
connected to a power supply via a PWM controller 3203 and a current sensor
3207.
However, in some embodiments, one solenoid pump may be connected to a power
supply
via a PWM controller 3203 and a current sensor 3207. The PWM controller 3203
may
operate at a high frequency to control the voltage supplied to the coil
superimposed on a
slower frequency to control the cycling of the pump. In some embodiments, the
PWM
controller 3203 may energize the pump at a frequency optimized for pump
operation,
referred to herein as "optimized pump frequency". The optimized pump frequency
may, in
some embodiments, be determined by one or more variables including, but not
limited to,
the stiffness of the spring 3210, the mass of the piston 3216, and/or the
viscosity of the
fluid. In some embodiments, the pump frequency may be approximately 20 Hz.
However
in other embodiments, the pump frequency may be greater than or less than 20
Hz. The
PWM controller 3203 may control the voltage while energizing the pump by
cycling at a
__ high frequency at a range of duty cycles. In some embodiments the PWM
controller 3203
cycles at 10 kHz while energizing the pump coil. In some embodiments, the
methodology
for generating the above-described drive signal is one disclosed in U.S.
Patent Application
No. 11/851,344, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING A DRIVE
SIGNAL, which was filed on 06 September 2007, now U.S. Patent 7,905,373
(Attorney
Docket F45), issued March 15, 2011 .
In some embodiments, the PWM controller 3203 may vary the voltage during the
time the pump is energized. In some embodiments, the PWM controller 3203 may
hold the
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voltage constant while the pump is energized. In some embodiments. the PWM
controller
3203 may initially raise the voltage to the desired level and hold the voltage
constant during
the pump energization, then ramp the voltage down to zero at a desired rate.
In some
embodiments, the voltage may be ramped down to zero to minimized noise in the
drive
circuits of the other pumps sharing a common power supply.
In some embodiments, the duty cycle may be fixed to provide a constant voltage
or,
in some embodiments, the duty cycle may be varied to provide a time varying
voltage while
energizing the pump. In some embodiments, the PWM controller 3203 and current
sensor
3207 may be linked to the control logic subsystem 14. In some embodiments, the
control
logic subsystem 14 may control the flow of fluids through the pump by
commanding the
pump duty cycle. The control logic subsystem 14 may vary the voltage applied
to the pump
by varying the high frequency duty cycle. The control logic subsystem 14 may
monitor and
record the current through the pump. The control logic subsystem 14 may vary
the high
frequency duty cycle of the PWM controller 3203 to control the current
measured by the
current sensor 3207. In some embodiments, the control logic subsystem 14 may
monitor
the current sensor signal to identify abnormal flow conditions.
One embodiment of the PWM controller and current sensor is shown schematically
in FIG. 67. This embodiment is one embodiment and in various other embodiments
the
arrangement of the PWM controller and current sensor may vary. Q5 is the
transistor for
PWMing the current to the solenoid. The R54 is a high-side current-sense
resistor used by
Ull current-sense/difference amplifier with output signal CURRENT1. The
connectors J12
and J13 are the electrical interface to the solenoid. F3 is a fuse for
catastrophic fault
isolation. DID is for snubbing energy stored in solenoid inductance. The power
supply
provides 28.5V DC power. However, in some embodiments, the schematic may vary.
In some embodiments, the flow through the solenoid pump 270 may be monitored
by measuring the current flow through the solenoid coil 3214. The coil is an
inductor-
resistor element which allows a rising current flow after the voltage is
applied. The position
of the piston 3216 relative to the coil 3214 affects the inductance of the
coil and thus affects
the shape of the current rise.
A "functional pump stroke" is defined herein as a pump stroke that moves a
volume
of fluid out the pump that is a significant fraction of the rated volume per
stroke for the
given pump. A functional pump stroke may be further defined as not exceeding
the design
temperature or current limits for the coil 3214. One example of a functional
pump stroke is
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shown in FIG. 68A. The current through the solenoid coil is plotted as line
3310 that starts
at zero and rises toward a steady state value. Line 3325 plots the 2nd time
derivative of the
current through the solenoid. The timing and size of the 2' derivative peak
3325 may be
indicative of the timing and speed of the piston. The current measurements may
indicate a
number of abnormal conditions including, but not limited to, one or more of
the following:
air or vacuum in the pump, blocked or occluded line, excessive coil
temperature, and/or
abnormal coil current.
In some embodiments, the control logic subsystem 14 may determine if one or
more
micro-ingredient product containers, for example, product containers 254, 256,
258 shown
in FIG. 4, are empty or unable to supply additional ingredient, by monitoring
the signal
from the current sensor 3207. Product containers 254, 256. 258 are herein used
as an
example of one embodiment, however, in various other embodiments, the number
of
product containers may vary. The condition of an empty product container 254,
256, 258 or
a blocked line upstream of the valve 270 is herein referred to as a "Sold-Out
Condition".
The micro-ingredient product container 254, 256, 258 may contain RFID tags
that
store a value that represents the amount of liquid left in the product
container 254, 256, 258.
This value is herein referred to as the "Fuel Gauge" and has units of
milliliters (mL). The
Fuel Gauge is set to a full value when the product container 254, 256, 258 is
filled. In use
the Fuel Gauge value may be periodically updated by the control logic
subsystem 14.
In some embodiments, the control logic subsystem 14 may determine the Sold-Out
Condition (of a product container) exists based in part on the output of the
current sensor
3207. In some embodiments, the control logic subsystem 14 may determine the
Sold-Out
Condition exists in a micro-ingredient product container 254, 256, 258 based
in part on the
Fuel Gauge value of the container. In some embodiments, the control logic
subsystem 14
may determine the Sold-Out Condition based on one or more inputs including but
not
limited to one or more of the following: the current sensor output, the Fuel
Gauge value
and/or the status of the pour. The output of the current sensor 3207 during
each pump
stroke may be processed by the control logic subsystem 14 to determine if the
stroke was a
functional stroke. a Sold-Out Stroke or a non-functional stroke. The
functional stroke was
defined above and the Sold-Out Stroke and non-functional strokes will be more
fully
described below.
In some embodiments, the control logic subsystem 14 determines a Sold-Out
condition exists if a given number/threshold of consecutive Sold-Out Strokes
occurs. The
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threshold number of consecutive Sold-Out Strokes varies with the Fuel Gauge
value and
with the status of the pour. For example, in some embodiments, the control
logic subsystem
14 may declare a Sold-Out Condition when the Fuel Gauge is above a threshold
volume, for
example, 60 mLs, and the pump experiences a threshold number of Sold-Out
Strokes in a
row, for example, 60 Sold-Out Strokes in a row, however these values are given
merely by
example and in various other embodiments, these values may differ. The
sensitivity of the
Sold-Out Algorithm is reduced in some embodiments, because the Fuel Gauge
indicates a
substantial amount of fluid left in the container. When the Fuel Gauge is
below the
threshold volume, which, in some embodimenst, may be 60 mLs for example, the
control
logic subsystem 14 may declare a Sold-Out Condition if there are a threshold
number of
Sold-Out Strokes in a row, e.g. three (3) consecutive Sold-Out Strokes, or if
the system
determines that the threshold number of consecutive Sold-Out Strokes is
reached, and there
have been e.g. twelve (12) strokes to container 30 during the current pour. In
some
embodiments, if the Fuel Gauge is below the threshold volume, e.g. 60 mLs, and
there have
been less than e.g. 12 strokes during the current pour, the control logic
subsystem 14 may
declare a Sold-Out Condition after e.g. 20 consecutive Sold-Out Strokes. In
some
embodiments, the number of Sold-Out Strokes may be stored from pour to pour.
The Sold-
Out Stroke counter may be reset to zero anytime a functional stroke is
recorded. The
criteria for non-functional stroke are described below and include criteria
for an occluded
stroke, a temperature error and a current error.
In various embodiments, multiple pumps may pump fluid out of a common source
to
achieve a desired flow rate. The common source may include any fluid
including, but not
limited to non-nutritive sweetener (NNS). The control logic subsystem 14 may
declare a
Sold-Out Condition for example when any one pump produces a given number of
consecutive Sold-Out Strokes. In some embodiments, the control logic subsystem
14
declares a Sold-Out Condition when any one of the pumps has 20 consecutive
Sold-Out
Strokes. However, in various other embodiments, the number of consecutive Sold-
Out
Strokes that indicate a Sold-Out Condition may vary.
In some embodiments, a Sold-Out Stroke may be detected by the control logic
subsystem 14 by an algorithm that measures the peak amplitude of the 2nd order
time
derivative of the current and the timing of the peak amplitude. Referring to
FIG. 68B, an
exemplary plot of the current 3350 and its 2nd derivative 3360 for a Sold-Out
stroke is
shown. The peak in the 2' derivative 3360 of the current with respect to time
at 3365 is
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higher and earlier than the peak 3325 for a normal pumping trace shown in FIG.
68A.
A Sold-Out Stroke may be defined as a value of SO greater than a threshold
value
where SO is defined as:
d2,
SO = dt2max [EQN
1]
(tmax¨ft)2
d2I / dt2,,,,õ is the maximum value of the 2nd time derivative of the current,
tinax is the time
from the start of current flow to d2I / dt2õ-,,,õ and ft is a constant. The SO
threshold value for
a Sold-Out Stroke may be determined experimentally. The constant ft may be
calibrated for
each solenoid pump. The constant ft may be equal to 9.5 milliseconds.
In some embodiments, the SO value may be calculated from raw A-D measurement
and the number of time steps.
i.inctx*216
SO = [EQN 2]
(tmax¨ft)2
Where imaxis the peak value for the 2n1 derivative of the current and tmax is
the number of
time steps after voltage is applied to the solenoid pump. The value of ft may
be calibrated
for each solenoid pump or may be set to 95. The SO threshold value is 327680
for this
calculation.
In some embodiments, the 2' time derivative of the current may be calculated
by
first filtering the current signal with an alpha beta filter:
= al + fiCi
[EQN 3]
f3 = 0.1
where Li is the current calculated in the previous step, and C, is the current
read from the
A-D (in A-D counts), where one count equals 1.22 mA. The first and second
derivatives
of the current with respect to time may be calculated as
k= 0 k=-12
= ik ¨ 4 lk
¨15 ¨15
[EQN 4]
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k=0 k=-12
= ik - 4 ik
¨15 ¨15
[EQN 5]
The 2nd derivative may be filtered with an alpha beta filter where a = 0.85
and 13 = 0.15.
= xIj + pi, [EQN
6]
The determination of the 2nd time derivative of the current is described as an
example and
may be calculated by a number of alternate methods well known in the art.
In some embodiments, the control logic subsystem 14 may determine if the line
supplying fluid to the container 30 in FIG. 1 is blocked or occluded based on
the signal
from the current sensor 3207. Referring to FIG. 68C, an exemplary plot of the
current 3370
and its 2n1 derivative 3380 for a occluded stroke is shown. The value of the
2nd time
derivative 3382 at 5 ms or 50 time steps may be significantly higher than the
2' time
derivative of the current in a functional pumping stroke 3322 in FIG. 68A.
Referring to
FIG. 68D, an exemplary plot of the 2nd time derivative of the current for
pumping strokes
3320 and for an occluded stroke 3380 is shown. In some embodiments, the
control logic
subsystem 14 may determine that an occluded condition exists if the 2nd time
derivative of
the current flow is above an occluded threshold value at a specified time. The
specified
time and threshold values may be determined experimentally. The specified time
and
threshold values may be determined for each pump.
In some embodiments the occlusion value OCC may be determined by the following
equation:
OCC = +(A' R ¨ B) [EQN
7]
Where ./50 is the 2nd time derivative of the current at 5ms after voltage is
applied to the
solenoid pump, R is the resistance of the coil and A and B are empirical
constants. In some
embodiments, the resistance R may be measured during the maximum current flow
at the
end of the piston stroke which may occur e.g.14.0 ms after voltage is first
applied to the
pump. The resistance may be calculated from the applied voltage and measured
current.
The applied voltage may be calculated from the voltage of the power supply
3209 times the
PWM duty cycle. The power supply voltage may be an assumed value or it may be
measured. The current may be measured by the current sensor 3207.
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In some embodiments the OCC value may be calculated from raw A-D
measurement and the number of time steps as:
OCC = 50+ (3.84 * Resistance ¨ 9216) [EQN
8]
The occluded threshold for this equation may be -2304.
Alternatively the occluded
threshold may be set to a value 2048 above the OCC value for a functional pump
stroke.
The OCC value for a normal pump stroke may be determined on a manufacturing
test and
the value recorded for each pump. Therefore the OCC value may vary in various
embodiments.
The resistance is calculated as
1195*(5000¨PWMValue)
Resistance = [EQN 9]
[Max
where the PWM_Value may vary between 200 and 2000 (27.36 volts to 17.1 volts).
The
Imax is the highest current during the time that the valve is energized.
The coil temperature may be determined from the output of the current sensor.
The
coil temperature may be calculated from the known temperature coefficient of
the coil wire
material and the resistance at a known temperature.
Resistance
Temperature = + TO [EQN
10]
Tcoe f *RTO
In some embodiments, copper wire may be used for the coil with a temperature
coefficient
of 0.4%/T and the resistance of the coil is 7 ohms at 20 c.
Resistance
Temperature = + 20 [EQN
11]
0.004*7
.. where Temperature is the coil temperature in degrees C, Resistance is
calculated as
described above and has units of ohms. The control logic subsystem 14 may
declare a
temperature error when the measured temperature, calculated from the coil
resistance as
described above, exceeds a maximum allowed value. In some embodiments, the
maximum
allowed temperature for the coil temperature may be 120 degrees C. However, in
various
.. other embodiments the maximum allowed temperature for the coil temperature
may be less
than or greater than 120 degrees C.
In some embodiments, the control logic subsystem 14 may control current by
adjusting the PWM command sent to the PWM controller 3203 based on the output
of the
current sensor 3207. In some embodiments, the PWM command value is limited to
values
between 200 and 2000 (27.36 and 17.1 volts respectively). However, in various
other
embodiments the PWM command value may not be limited and in some embodiments
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where the PWM command value is limited, the values may be greater than or less
than the
range listed herein by example. The current may be controlled to a maximum
value I.
through the following equation:
= 'Max ¨ 'Target
"A."
[EQN 12]
PWM = PWM p e, +
.. In some embodiments, the control logic subsystem 14 may compare the
measured
maximum current Imea to the target current ITõget for each stroke. In some
embodiments,
the control logic subsystem 14 may declare a current error if the absolute
current difference
[absolute value of (Imax-ITarge01 exceeds a given current error threshold. In
some
embodiments, the current error threshold may be 1.22A, however in various
other
.. embodiments the maximum current error threshold may be less than or greater
than 1.22 A.
In some embodiments, the control logic subsystem 14 may determine that the
pump
270 is unable to deliver fluid. In some embodiments, the control logic
subsystem 14 may
monitor the number of consecutive Occluded Strokes based on the occluded
threshold
described above. In some embodiments, the control logic subsystem 14 may
monitor the
.. number of times coil-temperature errors occur. In some embodiments, the
control logic
subsystem 14 may monitor the number of times a current error occurs. The logic
controller
subsystem 14 may determine that the pump 270 is unable to deliver fluid if a
sufficient
number of consecutive non-functional strokes occur. A non-functional stroke
may include,
but is not limited to, one or more of the following: an occluded stroke,
excessive
temperature and/or current error. In some embodiments, the control logic
subsystem 14
may declare that the pump is unable to deliver fluid if e.g. 3 non-functional
strokes occur
consecutively. The non-functional stroke count may in some embodiments return
to zero as
soon as a functional stroke occurs. However in various other embodiments the
number of
non-functional strokes required to declare the pump is unable to deliver fluid
may be less
than or greater than 3.
Noise Detect
In addition to the Sold-Out calculations and methods described above, in some
embodiments, Sold-Out may also be determined by analyzing the standard
deviation of the
Sold-out values to detect noise. This may be desirable for many reasons,
including, but not
.. limited to, the ability to determine a Sold-Out condition sooner. In this
method, the Sold-
Out condition may be determined by measuring the variability of the current
signal / S old-
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Out values. In some embodiments, by detecting noise a Sold-Out condition may
be
determined.
Referring to FIG. 74, this data represents results showing the Sold-Out value.
In
this example, the product was not found to be Sold-Out until the end of the
data set.
However, during this time, and before the product was found to be Sold-Out,
the product
was under-delivered where the Sold-Out value was noisy.
In some embodiments, a method to determine a Sold-Out condition may include
analyzing the noise of the Sold-Out value. In some embodiments, the standard
deviation
may be used to detect the noise. The standard deviation is shown below:
1
0- = i-NDX
=1
[EQN 13]
The standard deviation equation may be simplified to make the equation more
efficient for use by removing constants and eliminating square roots and
multiplications. In
some embodiments, the simplified equation may be used. The resulting equation
is an
approximation of standard deviation, at least in terms of the signal to noise
ratio for the
Sold-Out data, while relying only on add, subtract, and shift operations.
= [E3 >> 3
8
=
t=1
[EQN 14]
Referring now to FIG. 75, the standard deviation estimate is shown compared
with
the Sold-Out Value. As shown, the calculations above measure the difference
between
normal pumping and the noise condition. In various embodiments, a
predetermined, pre-
programmed threshold may be set to indicate a noise condition. In various
embodiments, a
standard deviation/ estimated standard deviation threshold may be preset/pre-
programmed
at 10. However, in other embodiments, the threshold amount may be greater than
or less
than 10.
In some embodiments, the standard deviation method to determine Sold-Out may
be
pre-programmed to be inactive when the Fuel Gauge is above a threshold amount,
which, in
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some embodiments, may be 60 mL, but in other embodiments, the threshold amount
may be
greater than or less than 60 mL.
In some embodiments, the equation 15, shown below, may be used, where x is the
calculated Sold Out value described above.
= L x, >> 3
t=i
[EQN 15]
In some embodiments, the system may determine the product is Sold-Out (and, in
some embodiments, when the system determines that the product is Sold-Out for
a given
pulse, the system increments a counter, as described above) if, for a given
pulse, the S old-
Out value is greater than a predetermined/pre-set threshold or if the standard
deviation or
estimated standard deviation is greater than a predetermined/pre-set
threshold. For each of
these conditions, in some embodiments, a counter is incremented. In some
embodiments,
once the counter reaches a predetermined/pre-set threshold, the product
container is Sold-
Out.
In some embodiments, a Fuel Gauge method is used. In some embodiments, the
RFID tag assembly indicates the volume of product in the product container. In
some
embodiments, each time product is pumped out of the product container, the
RFID tag
assembly is updated with the updated volume by subtracting the volume pumped
from the
volume Fuel Gauge. In some embodiments, when the Fuel Gauge reaches a
preset/predetermined threshold threshold, for example, in some embodiments,
the
preset/predetermined threshold may be -15 ml, the system may determine that
the product
container is Sold-Out even if the above-discussed Sold-Out methods do not
determine that
the product container is Sold-Out. In some embodiments, if the Fuel Gauge
reaches a
preset/predetermined threshold, the system may desensitize the Sold-Out and/or
standard
deviation equation. In some embodiments. this threshold may be 60.
In some embodiments, each of product module assemblies 250d, 250e. 250f may
include a respective plurality of pump assemblies. For example, and referring
also to FIGS.
69A, 69B, 69D, 69E, and 69F, product module assemblies 250d, 250e, 250f in
FIG. 4 may
generally include pump assemblies 4270a, 4270b, 4270d, and 4270e. A respective
one of
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pump assemblies 4270a, 4270b, 4270c, 4270d may be associated with one of slot
assemblies 260. 262, 264, 266, e.g., for pumping ingredients contained within
a respective
product container (e.g., product container 256). For example, each of pump
assemblies
4270a, 4270b, 4270c, 4270d may include a respective fluid coupling stem (e.g.,
fluid
coupling stems 1250, 1252, 1254, 1256), e.g., which may fluidly couple to a
product
container (e.g., product container 256) via a cooperating fitment (e.g.,
fitment feature 1158a,
1158b shown in FIGS. 43B and 44).
Referring to FIG. 69E, a cross sectional view of the pump module assembly 250d
is
shown. The assembly 250d includes a fluid inlet 4360 which is shown in the
cross sectional
view of the fitment. The fitment mates with the female part (shown in FIG. 43B
as 1158a)
of the product containers (not shown, shown as 256 in FIG. 43B, amongst other
figures).
The fluid from the product container enters the pump assembly 250d at the
fluid inlet 4360.
The fluid flows through the pump 4364, past the backpressure regulator 4366
and up to the
fluid outlet 4368. As shown herein, the fluid flow path through the pump
module assembly
250d allows the air to flow through the assembly 250d without being trapped
within the
assembly. The fluid inlet 4360 is on a lower plane than the fluid exit 4368.
Additionally,
the fluid travels vertically from the plane of the inlet and pump 4368 through
the back
pressure regulator 4366 to the plane of the exit 4368. Thus, the arrangement
allows the
fluid to continually flow upwards allowing air to flow through the system
without getting
trapped. Thus, the pump module assembly 250d design is a self-priming and
purging
positive displacement fluid delivery system.
Referring to FIGS. 69E and 69F, the backpressure regulator 4366 may be any
backpressure regulator; however, an embodiment of the backpressure regulator
4366 for
pumping small volumes is shown. The backpressure regulator 4366 includes a
diaphragm
4367 including "volcano" features and a molded o-ring about the outer
diameter. The o-ring
creates a seal. A piston 4365 is connected to the diaphragm 4367. A spring
4366, about the
piston 4365, biases the piston and the diaphragm in a closed position. In this
embodiment,
the spring is seated on an outer sleeve 4369. When the fluid pressure meets or
exceeds the
cracking pressure of the piston/spring assembly, the fluid flows past the
backpressure
regulator 4366 and towards the fluid exit 4368. In some embodiments, the
cracking
pressure is approximately 7-9 psi. The cracking pressure may be tuned to the
pump 4364.
In some embodiments, the cracking pressure may be adjusted by changing the
position of
the outer sleeve 4369. The outer sleeve 4369 may be threaded into an outer
wall 4370.
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Turning the outer sleeve 4329 relative to the outer wall 4370 may change the
preload on the
spring 4368 and thus the cracking pressure. An adjustable regulator may be
produced more
cheaply than a regulator with a precisely fixed back-pressure. An adjustable
regulator may
then be adjusted and tuned to the individual pump during manufacturing and
check-out
testing. In various embodiments, the pump may be different from the one
described, and in
some of those embodiment, another embodiment of the backpressure regulator may
be used.
Releasable engagement between outlet plumbing assembly 4300 and product
module assembly 250d may be effectuated, e.g., via a camming assembly
providing facile
engagement and release of outlet plumbing assembly 4300 and product module
assembly
250d. For example, the camming assembly may include handle 4318 rotatably
coupled to
fitment support 4320, and cam features 4322, 4324. Cam features 4322, 4324 may
be
engageable with cooperating features (not shown) of product module assembly
250d. With
reference to FIG. 69C, rotational movement of handle 4318 in the direction of
the arrow
may release outlet plumbing assembly 4300 from product module assembly 250d,
e.g.,
allowing outlet plumbing assembly 4300 to be lifted away, and removed, from
product
module assembly 250d.
With particular reference to FIGS. 69D and 69E, product module assembly 250d
may similarly be releasably engaged to microingredient shelf 1200, e.g.,
allowing facile
removal/installation of product module assembly 250d to microingredient shelf
1200. For
example, as shown, product module assembly 250d may include release handle
4350, e.g.,
which may be pivotally connected to product module assembly 250d. Release
handle 4350
may include, e.g., locking ears 4352, 4354 (e.g., most clearly depicted in
FIGS. 69A and
69D). Locking ears 4352, 4354 may engage cooperating features of
microingredient shelf
1200, e.g., thereby retaining product module assembly 250d in engagement with
microingredient shelf 1200. As shown in FIG. 69E, release handle 4350 may be
pivotally
lifted in the direction of the arrow to disengage locking ears 4352, 4354 from
the
cooperating features of microingredient shelf 1200. Once disengaged, product
module
assembly 250d may be lifted from microingredient shelf 1200.
One or more sensors may be associated with one or more of handle 4318 and/or
release handle 4350. The one or more sensors may provide an output indicative
of a locking
position of handle 4318 and/or release handle 4350. For example, the output of
the one or
more sensors may indicate whether handle 4318 and/or release handle 4350 is in
an engaged
or a disengaged position. Based upon, at least in part the output of the one
or more sensor,
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product module assembly 250d may be electrically and/or fluidly isolated from
plumbing/control subsystem 20. Exemplary sensors may include, for example.
cooperating
RFID tags and readers, contact switches, magnetic position sensors, or the
like.
The flow may be monitored by measuring the current flow through the solenoid
piston pump 4364 as described above. One or more constants used to interpret
the current
flow measurements may be calibrated to individual pumps in the product module
assembly
250d. These calibration constants may be determined during check-out testing
as part of the
manufacturing process. The calibration constants may be stored in an e-prom
that is
connected to the electronics board via a removal plug. Referring to FIGS. 69C,
69D and
69E, the e-prom may be mounted in a plug 4380 that is connected to the pump
electronic
board 4386 after assembly. The e-prom plug 4380 may connect to a USB mount
4387 on
the electronic board 4386 to assure good mechanical attachment. The e-prom
plug 4380
may seal liquid from the electronics by sealing on the inside of the port 4282
of the
electronic case. The e-prom 4380 may be attached via a lanyard to a mount 4384
on the
.. case of the product module assemblies 250d. The e-prom plug 4380 may be
kept with the
pump assembly 4390 when the electronics board 4386 is replaced. A separate e-
prom
advantageously separates the electronics into a plug 4380 that is matched to a
specific pump
assembly 4390 and an electronic board that can be used with any pump assembly.
The
electronics board 4386 and the pump assembly 4390 may include features
including but not
.. limited to clips for electrical contacts 4392, slots 4393 and threaded
holds 4394 to facilitate
quick disassembly and reassembly.
In some embodiments, the processing system 10 may include an external
communication module 4500, one embodiment of which is shown in FIG. 70A, that
may
allow service personnel and or consumers to communicate with the processing
system 10
.. using, for example, but not limited to, one or more of the following: RFID
tags and / or bar
codes and/ or other formats. In some embodiments, the external communication
module
4500 may incorporate the previously described RFID access antenna assembly
900. The
external communication module 4500 may include a number of devices that may
receive or
send communications including, but not limited to, one or more of the
following: a radio
frequency antenna 4530, an optical bar code reader 4510, blue tooth antenna,
camera and!
or other short range communication hardware. The processing system 10 may use
information obtained by the external communication module 4500 to, for
example, facilitate
service and maintenance by a number of actions including, but not limited to.
one or more
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of the following: unlocking service doors, informing the service provider of
errors, required
maintenance, failed equipment, required parts, and / or identifying those
containers which
may need to be replaced. The external communication module 4500 may provide
consumers / users with one or more options for interacting with the processing
system 10
including, but not limited to, one or more of the following: redeeming coupons
and / or
providing individual services including, but not limited to, one or more of
the following:
personalized beverages and / or accepting payment and / or tracking use and /
or awarding
prizes. In some embodiments, the external communication module 4500 may
communicate
with the control logic subsystem 14 and receive electrical power via a wired
connection at
connector 4552. The external communication module 4500 may communicate with
the
control logic subsystem 14 via wireless communication.
In some embodiments, the external communication module 4500 may be mounted
near the front surface of the housing assembly 850. In some embodiments, the
external
communication module 4500 may be mounted in the structure of the processing
system 10
such that the bar code reader or other optical device has an unobstructed view
to the outside.
In some embodiments. the RFID antenna may also be mounted within an inch of
the front
surface of the processing system 10
In some embodiments, the external communication module 4500 may include a bar
code reader / decoder 4510. The barcode reader/decoder 4510 may read any
optical code
presented within its line of sight. In some embodiments, the optical code may
be presented
in a number of formats including, but not limited to, one or more of the
following: as a
printed item and /or as an image on an electronic device and/or on a smart
phone and / or
on a personal digital assistant and / or on the screen of a computer or any
other device
capable of displaying an optical code.
In some embodiments, the RFID antenna reader may receive a signal from a
variety
of devices presented to the processing system 10 by, for example, service
personnel and / or
users / consumers. The list of possible RFID devices includes, but is not
limited to, one or
more of the following: key fobs and / or plastic cards and / or paper cards.
One embodiment of the external communication module 4500 is shown in FIGS.
70A and 70B. In some embodiments, the module may be housed in a case 4502. In
some
embodiments, the case 4502 may be plastic, however, if various other
embodiments, the
case may be made from a different material. In some embodiments, the case 4502
may be
open on one side to receive the RFID sensor close to the outside of the
housing assembly
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850. In some embodiments, the case 4502 may include one or more, or a
plurality, of
flanges 4504. The flanges 4504 may be used to secure the module to the
structure of the
processing system 10 or to the skin of the housing assembly 850.
Many of the individual components of one embodiment may be seen in the
exploded
drawing of the external communication module 4500 shown in FIG. 70B. In this
embodiment, the MD antenna assembly 4530 (PIG. 70) may include an antenna
4548, a
resonator 4540, resonator spacers 4546, 4544, and an outlet junction 4552. The
barcode
reader/decoder 4510 may be held by a foam mount 4520. The foam mount 4520 may
retain
the barcode reader/decoder 4510 within the case 4502 during installation of
the external
communication module 4500 in the processing system 10. The foam mount 4520 may
be
secured within the external communication module 4500 by the spacer 4522 that
passes
through a matching hole in the foam mount 4520. The RFID antenna assembly 4530
and
the foam mount 4520 may be secured to the case 4502 by one or more screws (and
/ or bolts
and / or other attachment mechanisms) that pass through the PCB of the RFID
antenna
assembly 4530 and are thread into molded bosses in the case 4502.
In some embodiments, the external communication module 4500 may be mounted in
the structure of the upper door 4600 as shown in FIG. 71A. In some
embodiments, the
external communication module 4500 may be secured to the upper door 4600 with
mechanical fasteners including, but not limited to, one or more of the
following: screws and
/ or rivets and / or snaps through the flanges 4504, or other mechanical
fasteners or the like.
In some embodiments, the upper door 4600 may be part of the internal structure
of the
housing assembly 850. In some embodiments, an upper door skin 4610 may be
attached to
the upper door 4600.
In some embodiments, an alignment bracket 4630 may be attached to the upper
door
skin 4610. In some embodiments, the alignment bracket 4630 may align the
barcode
reader/decoder 4510 to the windows 4620 in the upper door skin 4610 as shown
in FIGS.
71B and 71C. In some embodiments, the alignment bracket may be aligned with
the
windows 4620 and attached with, for example, including, but not limited to,
one or more of
the following: glue and / or double sided tape and / or other non-mechanical
attachment
methods compatible with a plastic skin on the inside of the upper door skin
4610. However,
in some embodiments, mechanical fasteners may be used. In some embodiments,
the
alignment bracket may be attached with mechanical fasteners to the upper door
skin 4610
which may include, but not limited to, one or more of screws and / or rivets
and / or snaps.
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In some embodiments, the alignment bracket 4630 may be aligned to the windows
4620
with a sticker (not shown) or other indicator that may be attached or may be
indicated on the
upper door skin 4610 and provides visual marks to aid in the proper alignment
of the
alignment bracket 4630 to the windows 4620. In some embodiments, the visual
marks may
include, but are not limited to, embossing and / or marked on and / or stuck
on letters and /
or symbols and /or colors and / or any other indicator that may assist with
proper
alignment.
In some embodiments, the alignment bracket 4630 may align the barcode
reader/decoder 4510 independently of the alignment of the external
communication module
4500. In some embodiments, the bracket, one embodiment of which is shown in
detail in
FIG. 72, provides two side tabs 4632, a top tab 4636 and a bottom tab 4634 to
constrain the
barcode reader/decoder 4510 in two dimensions (X & Y) to align with the
windows 4620.
However, in various other embodiments, the number and location of the tabs may
vary. The
flexible foam mount 4520 assists the barcode reader/decoder 4510 to translate
in two
dimensions (X & Y) and to rotate about the Z axis as the alignment bracket
4630 guides the
barcode reader/decoder 4510 during the insertion of the external communication
module
4500 into the upper door 4600. In some embodiments, the foam mount 4520 may
constrain
the barcode reader/decoder so that the external communication module 4500 can
be
installed in the upper door. In some embodiments, the foam mount 4520 may
further
constrain barcode reader/decoder 4510 so that the leading corners of the
barcode
reader/decoder contact the tapered sections of the tabs 4631,4634 and 4636. In
some
embodiments, the barcode reader/decoder 4510 may be constrained in the Z axis
by the
alignment bracket 4630 and the PCB 4550 of the RFID antenna. In some
embodiments, the
upper door skin 4610 and the PCB 4550 may provide a limited amount of
compliance to
allow for tolerance stackup in the Z direction between the upper door skin
4610, external
communication module 4500 and the barcode reader/decoder 4510.
In some embodiments the barcode reader/decoder 4510 may be retained in the
external communication module 4500 by flexible brackets. The flexible brackets
may
provide enough flexibility to allow the barcode reader/decoder 4510 to
translate and rotate
.. as needed to align with the alignment bracket. The flexible brackets may
constrain the
barcode reader/decoder within a limited range to allow insertion of the module
into the
upper door 4600. The flexible brackets 4520 may further constrain the barcode
reader/decoder 4510 so that the leading corners of the barcode reader/decoder
contact the
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tapered sections of the tabs 4631,4634 and 4636 during the insertion process.
In some embodiments, the tabs 4632, 4634, 4636 on the alignment bracket 4630
may include an angled section 4633 that guides the barcode reader/decoder 4510
into
alignment with the windows 46220. In some embodiments, each tab includes a
straight
section near the base 4631 that is perpendicular to the base and constrains
the movement of
the barcode reader/decoder 4510 in the X & Y directions. In some embodiments,
the
distance between the straight sections of opposing tabs may be slightly larger
than the
barcode reader/decoder which may be beneficial for many reasons, including,
but not
limited to, ease of assembly and alignment accuracy. In some embodiments, the
tab may
have larger or smaller tapered sections to allow installation through openings
in the upper
door 4600.
In some embodiments, the external communication module 4500 may allow
consumers / users to interact with the processing system 10 by a variety of
methods
including, but not limited to, a communication interface tethered to the
external
communication module 4500, a communication interface retractably tethered to
the external
communication module 4500, and/or a wireless communication interface (e.g.,
Bluetooth
technology and/or a wireless network or in various embodiments, any wireless
communication interface). In some embodiments, the communication interface may
be
implemented by an application on one or more of consumers' / users' devices.
In some
embodiments, the wireless communication interface may be implemented by one or
more
applications on one or more consumers' / users' devices. In some embodiments,
one or
more consumers' / users' devices may be wireless capable devices including,
but not limited
to, smartphones, computers, desktop computers, laptop computers, MP3 players,
and/or
tablet computers. In some embodiments, the external communication module 4500
may be
part of or communicate with an automation network.
As stated above, in some embodiments, the product dispensing system may have a
processing system 10. Referring now also to FIG. 79, in some embodiments,
processing
system 10 may contain a power module 7900. In some embodiments, the power
module
7900 may include a control and power distribution component 7902, an AC power
switch
7904, a power supply 7906, and an AC motor control 7908. In some embodiments,
the
power module 7900 may include a communication interface (e.g. a controller
area network
(CAN) bus, Ethernet, etc.) to allow communication between subsystems within
the
processing system 10. In some embodiments, the communication interface may
extend from
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the control and power distribution component 7902. In some embodiments, the
communication interface may allow communication between the control and power
distribution component 7902 and user interface subsystem 22.
Referring now also to FIGS. 80-81, in some embodiments, processing system 10
may include a power module 8000. The power module 8000 may include a power
distribution control 8002 and a power supply unit 8008. In some embodiments,
the power
module 8000 may include a connection 8014 to connect the power supply unit
8008 to an
AC power switch 8010. In some embodiments, AC power may be routed through the
AC
power switch 8010 before AC power is sent to the power supply unit 8008 via
connection
8014. In some embodiments, the power supply unit 8008 may contain an AC motor
control.
In some embodiments, the power distribution control 8002 may contain a machine
control
processor 8004. In some embodiments, the power distribution control 8002 may
contain a
power distribution module 8006. In some embodiments, a connection 8012 may
connect the
power supply unit 8008 and the power distribution control 8002. In some
embodiments, the
connection 8012 may be used for a variety of purposes including, but not
limited to, one or
more of the following: transmitting DC power from the power supply unit 8008
to the
power distribution control 8002 and/or transmitting control data between the
machine
control processor 8004 and the power supply unit 8008. In some embodiments,
the power
supply unit 8008 may supply power to the power distribution control 8002 via a
connection
to the power distribution module 8006. In some embodiments, the power
distribution
module 8006 may send power to the machine control processor 8004. In some
embodiments, the machine control processor 8004 may control the processing
system 10 via
a microprocessor and a communication interface (e.g. a CAN bus, Ethernet,
etc.) routed
through the power distribution module 8006. In some embodiments, the
communication
interface may allow communication between the machine control processor 8004
and a user
interface module 8032 via connection 8048. In some embodiments, the machine
control
processor 8004 may communicate with the user interface module 8032 remotely
(i.e. the
user interface module 8032 may be physically decoupled from the power module
8000, and
connection 8048 may be a wireless connection). For example, in some
embodiments, the
machine control processor 8004 may communicate with the user interface module
8032
using Bluetooth technology or a wireless network. In various embodiments, the
user
interface module 8032 may be attached to the housing assembly 850 in one or
more
mechanisms for attachment which may include, but are not limited to, one or
more of the
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following: a tether, a retractable tether. VELCRO, one or more clips, and/or
one or more
brackets. In some embodiments, the user interface module 8032 may be
physically
decoupled from the housing assembly 850 and interact with the product
dispensing system
remotely. In some embodiments, a consumer / user may use the user interface
module 8032
to interact with the product dispensing system in a variety of ways which may
include, but
is not limited to, one or more of the following: redeeming coupons and / or
providing
individual services including, but not limited to, one or more of the
following: personalized
beverages and / or accepting payment and / or tracking use and / or awarding
prizes.
In some embodiments, power module 8000 may have some advantages over power
module 7900. In some embodiments, power module 8000 may have three components
(the
power supply unit 8008, power distribution control 8002, and AC power switch
8010)
instead of the one-component configuration of power module 7900. This may be
referred to
herein as the "three-component configuration". In some embodiments, the three-
component configuration may be smaller in size and therefore may more easily
be
accommodated into the housing assembly 850 than the one-component
configuration. In
various embodiments, the three-component configuration may be
beneficial/desirable for
many reasons, including, but not limited to, enabling easy field replacement
as one
component that may be in need of replacement may be replaced without also
replacing the
other two components. For example, in some embodiments, processing system 10
may be
updated and/or replaced with a processing system having more or less power. In
the
preceding example, the power supply unit 8008 may be replaced without
replacing the
power distribution control 8002 or the AC power switch 8010. Also, in some
embodiments,
the machine control processor 8004 and power distribution module 8006 may be
separate
components of the power distribution control 8002. In some embodiments, the
machine
control processor 8004 and power distribution module 8006 being separate
components may
be beneficial/desirable for many reasons, including, but not limited to, to
the ability to
update the processing system 10 by replacing one without necessarily replacing
one or more
of the other components. For example, in some embodiments, it may be desirable
to add
additional processing power to the processing system 10. Thus, in some
embodiments, the
machine control processor 8004 may be replaced without replacing the power
distribution
module 8006.
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In some embodiments, for example, the product dispensing system may be updated
to include additional nozzles. Thus, in these embodiments, the power
distribution module
8006 may be replaced without also replacing the machine control processor
8004.
In some embodiments, the three-component configuration may contribute to
reducing the overall cost of the processing system 10 based on increased
design flexibility.
For example, in some embodiments, separating the power supply unit 8008 from
the
product distribution control 8002 may allow for an "off the shelf' power
supply (i.e. a
commercial power supply sold in substantial quantities) to be used within the
three-
component configuration. In some embodiments, a power supply unit optimal for
a power
grid in a specific country may be used within the three-component
configuration, therefore,
contributing to modularity which may be benenficial for many reasons,
including, but not
limted to, changing out only the power supply unit to configure the processing
system 10
for use with various power grids.
In some embodiments, the three-component configuration may allow the power
supply unit 8008 to be placed in a location within the housing assembly 850 so
as to expel
an optimal amount of generated heat. Thus, in some embodiments, power supply
unit 8008
may be placed in the rear of the housing assembly 850.
In some embodiments, the three-component configuration may allow for the use
of a
first communication interface within the processing system 10 and a second
communication
interface between the power distribution control 8002 and the user interface
module 8032.
For example, in some embodiments, the processing system 10 may run on a CAN
bus
interface, but the connection between the power distribution control 8002 and
the user
interface module 8032 may be an Ethernet communication interface.
In some embodiments, the connection between the power distribution control
8002
and the user interface module 8032 may be wireless. For example, in some
embodiments,
the connection between the power distribution control 8002 and the user
interface module
8032 may be a wireless network or a BLUETOOTH connection (in various
embodiments,
other connection types may be used). In some embodiments, the different
communication
interfaces may allow for the user interface module 8032 to be fully
customizable.
In some embodiments, the three-component configuration may allow for
separation
of the beverage selection function of the processing system 10 from the
beverage
delivery/distribution control function of the processing system 10. For
example, in some
embodiments, the beverage selection function of the processing system 10 may
reside in the
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user interface module 8032, and the beverage delivery/distribution control
function of the
processing system 10 could reside in the machine control processor 8004.
Referring now also to FIG. 82, a schematic of one embodiment of the power
module
8000 connections to a variety of subsystems and devices within the processing
system is
shown. This is one embodiment and should not be construed as a limitation on
the
disclosure, as other configurations may be utilized. In some embodiments, one
or more of
the connections shown may be used, however, in other embodiments, all of the
connections
shown may be used. In some embodiments, the connections may vary and may not
include
the connections shown.
In some embodiments, the power module 8000 may be connected to a variety of
subsystems and devices within the processing system via connections 8012,
8014, 8044,
8046, 8048, 8050, 8052, 8054, 8056, 8058, 8060, 8062, 8064. In some
embodiments, the
power distribution control 8002 ("PDC") may communicate with the flow control
modules
8020, the RFID devices 8022, and the quad product modules 8024 via connections
8056,
8054, and 8052 respectively. In some embodiments, the power distribution
control 8002
may send power to the flow control modules 8020, the RFID devices 8022, and
the quad
product modules 8024 and may send commands to and receive information from the
flow
control modules 8020, the RFID devices 8022, and the quad product modules 8024
via a
communication interface.
In some embodiments, the power distribution control 8002 may communicate with
a
carbonation tank 8030 via connection 8050. In some embodiments, the
carbonation tank
8030 may communicate information to the power distribution control 8002
concerning the
level of carbonated water in the carbonation tank 8030. In some embodiments,
the power
distribution control 8002 may communicate with the user interface module 8032
via
connection 8048. In some embodiments, the power distribution control 8002 may
send
power to the user interface module 8032 and may receive commands from and send
information to the user interface module 8032 via a communication interface.
In some
embodiments, the power distribution control 8002 may communicate with a lower
door
sensor 8038 via connection 8044. In some embodiments, the lower door sensor
8038 may
communicate information to the power distribution control 8002 concerning
whether the
lower door 854 of the housing assembly 850 is open or closed. In some
embodiments, the
power distribution control 8002 may communicate with a nozzle light 8040 via
connection
8046. In some embodiments, the power distribution control 8002 may send power
to the
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nozzle light 8040 when the upper door 852 of the housing assembly 850 is open.
In some
embodiments. the power distribution control 8002 may send power to the nozzle
light 8040
when the product dispensing system is dispensing a beverage.
In some embodiments, the power distribution control 8002 may communicate with
a
product agitation motor 8026 via connection 8058. In some embodiments, the
product
agitation motor 8026 may be a DC motor. In some embodiments, the product
agitation
motor 8026 may be an AC motor. In some embodiments, the power distribution
control
8002 may send power to the product agitation motor 8026 when an agitation
mechanism
needs to be activated. In some embodiments, the product agitation motor 8026
may
communicate to the power distribution control 8002 information concerning the
location of
one or more product module assemblies (e.g., product module assemblies 250a,
250b, 250c.
250d) of one or more microingredient towers (e.g., microingredient towers
1050, 1052,
1054) that are being agitated by the agitation mechanism. In some embodiments,
the power
distribution control 8002 may communicate to the product agitation motor 8026
information
concerning when to stop agitating one or more product module assemblies (e.g.,
product
module assemblies 250a, 250b, 250c, 250d) being agitated and the position to
place the one
or more product module assemblies (e.g., product module assemblies 250a, 250b,
250c,
250d) at rest. In some embodiments, the product agitation motor 8026 may
communicate to
the power distribution control 8002 information concerning the location of one
or more
product module assemblies (e.g., product module assemblies 250d, 250e, 2500 of
one or
more microingredient shelves (e.g., microingredient shelves 1200, 1202, 1204)
that are
being agitated by the agitation mechanism. In some embodiments, the power
distribution
control 8002 may communicate to the product agitation motor 8026 information
concerning
when to stop agitating one or more product module assemblies (e.g., product
module
assemblies 250d, 250e, 250f) being agitated and what position to place the one
or more
product module assemblies (e.g., product module assemblies 250d, 250e, 2500 at
rest.
In some embodiments, the power distribution control 8002 may communicate with
an ice chute actuator 8028 via connection 8060. In some embodiments, the power
distribution control 8002 may send power to the ice chute actuator 8028 when
the ice
dispensing chute 1010 should open. In some embodiments, the power supply unit
8008
("PSU") may communicate with a carbonation pump motor 8034 via a connection
8062. In
some embodiments, the carbonation pump motor 8034 may be an AC motor. In some
embodiments, the carbonation pump motor 8034 may be a DC motor. In some
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embodiments, the power distribution control 8002 may signal the power supply
unit 8008 to
send power to the carbonation pump motor 8034 when the carbonation pump motor
8034
needs to pump CO) and water into the carbonation tank 8030. In some
embodiments. the
power supply unit 8008 may communicate with an ice agitation motor 8036 via
connection
8064. In some embodiments, the ice agitation motor 8036 may be an AC motor. In
some
embodiments, the ice agitation motor 8036 may be a DC motor.
In some embodiments, the power distribution control 8002 may signal the power
supply unit 8008 to send power to the ice agitation motor 8036 to churn ice in
the ice
hopper 1008. In some embodiments, the ice hopper 1008 may churn ice to
dispense ice
through the ice dispensing chute 1010. In some embodiments, the ice hopper
1008 may
churn ice to prevent the formation of an ice bridge on top of the cold plate
163. For
example, in some embodiments, the ice hopper 1008 may churn ice when a preset
volume
of fluid has travelled through the cold plate 163. In some embodiments, the
volume of fluid
may be measured by the flow control modules 8020. As another example, in some
embodiments, the ice hopper 1008 may churn ice when a preset amount of time
has passed
since the ice hopper 1008 last churned ice.
Referring now also to FIGS. 82-83, an embodiment of a schematic of a
configuration of connections 8012, 8014, 8044, 8046, 8048, 8050, 8052, 8054,
8056, 8058,
8060, 8062, 8064 of the power module 8000 is shown. This is one embodiment and
should
not be construed as a limitation on the disclosure, as other configurations
may be utilized.
In some embodiments, one or more of the connections shown may be used,
however, in
other embodiments, all of the connections shown may be used. In some
embodiments, the
connections may vary and may not include the connections shown.
In some embodiments, connection 8012 may be DC power line 8012a and CAN bus
line 8012b. In some embodiments, connection 8014 may be an AC power line. In
some
embodiments. connection 8044 may be an input line to the power distribution
control 8002.
In some embodiments, connection 8046 may be a power drive line (a line that
only sends
power when necessary). In some embodiments, connection 8048 may be DC power
line
8048a and Ethernet line 8048b. In some embodiments, connection 8050 may be an
input
line to the power distribution control 8002. In some embodiments, connections
8052, 8054,
and 8056 may be DC power lines 8052a, 8054a, 8056a and CAN bus lines 8052b,
8054b,
8056b respectively. In some embodiments, connection 8058 may be an input to
the power
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WO 2014/159624 PCT/US2014/024481
distribution control line 8058a and a power drive line 8058b. In some
embodiments,
connections 8060, 8062, 8064 may be power drive lines.
As discussed above, other examples of such products producible by processing
system 10 may include but are not limited to: dairy-based products (e.g.,
milkshakes, floats,
malts, frappes); coffee-based products (e.g., coffee, cappuccino, espresso);
soda-based
products (e.g., floats, soda w/ fruit juice); tea-based products (e.g., iced
tea, sweet tea, hot
tea); water-based products (e.g., spring water, flavored spring water, spring
water w/
vitamins, high-electrolyte drinks, high-carbohydrate drinks); solid-based
products (e.g., trail
mix, granola-based products, mixed nuts, cereal products, mixed grain
products); medicinal
products (e.g., infusible medicants, injectable medicants, ingestible
medicants); alcohol-
based products (e.g., mixed drinks, wine spritzers, soda-based alcoholic
drinks, water-based
alcoholic drinks); industrial products (e.g., solvents, paints, lubricants,
stains); and
health/beauty aid products (e.g., shampoos, cosmetics, soaps, hair
conditioners, skin
treatments, topical ointments).
A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be
understood that various modifications may be made. Accordingly, other
implementations
are within the scope of the following claims.
While the principles of the invention have been described herein, it is to be
understood
by those skilled in the art that this description is made only by way of
example and not as a
limitation as to the scope of the invention. Other embodiments are
contemplated within the
scope of the present invention in addition to the exemplary embodiments shown
and described
herein. Modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art
are considered to be
within the scope of the present invention.
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