Granted Patent B2

US 9,488,510 · App. 14/942,294 · Granted Nov 8, 2016

Inventors: Russell H. Beavis (Merrimack, NH); Benjamin W. Jones, Jr. (Salisbury, NH); John M. Kerwin (Manchester, NH); Larry B. Gray (Merrimack, NH); Casey P. Manning (Manchester, NH); Felix Winkler (Oakland, CA); Robert A. Charles (New Boston, NH)

Assignee: DEKA Products Limited Partnership

G01F1/56B67D1/0036G01F1/34G01F1/662G01F3/10G01F3/20G01F23/0076G05D7/0617B67D2210/0006B67D2210/00034Y10T137/7722Y10T137/7759Y10T137/85978

Abstract

Claims (30)

1. A flow sensor comprising:

a fluid chamber configured to receive a fluid micro-ingredient from a product container;

a diaphragm assembly configured to be displaced whenever the fluid micro-ingredient within the fluid chamber is displaced;

a transducer assembly configured to monitor the displacement of the diaphragm assembly and generate a signal based, at least in part, upon the quantity of fluid micro-ingredient displaced within the fluid chamber; and

a control logic subsystem in communication with a the transducer assembly configured to received the signal from the transducer,

wherein the control logic subsystem determines, based on the signal, whether the product container contains a volume of fluid micro-ingredient or whether the product container is empty.

2. The flow sensor of claim 1 , wherein the transducer assembly comprising a linear variable differential transformer coupled to the diaphragm assembly by a linkage assembly.

3. The flow sensor of claim 1 , wherein the transducer assembly comprising a needle/magnet cartridge assembly.

4. The flow sensor of claim 1 , wherein the transducer assembly comprising a magnetic coil assembly.

5. The flow sensor of claim 1 , wherein the transducer assembly comprising a Hall Effect sensor assembly.

6. The flow sensor of claim 1 , wherein the transducer assembly comprising a piezoelectric buzzer element.

7. The flow sensor of claim 1 , wherein the transducer assembly comprising a piezoelectric sheet element.

8. The flow sensor of claim 1 , wherein the transducer assembly comprising an audio speaker assembly.

9. The flow sensor of claim 1 , wherein the transducer assembly comprising an accelerometer assembly.

10. The flow sensor of claim 1 , wherein the transducer assembly comprising a microphone assembly.

11. The flow sensor of claim 1 , wherein the transducer assembly comprising an optical displacement assembly.

12. The flow sensor of claim 1 , wherein the control logic subsystem configured to ascertain the quantity of fluid micro-ingredient passing through the chamber.

13. A method for determining a product container is empty comprising:

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.

14. A method for determining a product container is empty comprising:

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.

Assignments (4)

Continuity (19)