Beverage dispenser valve with fill detection

1. A method for dispensing a beverage from a beverage dispensing system, the method comprising:

detecting a presence of a cup underneath a nozzle;

in response to detecting the presence of the cup, calculating a target fill height;

operating a valve to an open condition to dispense a beverage through the nozzle into the cup;

determining a current fill height of the beverage in the cup;

accessing a value representative of a beverage flow rate when the valve is in the open condition;

evaluating the current fill height using the beverage flow rate;

operating the valve to the closed condition when the current fill height and a dispense time exceed the beverage flow rate;

then evaluating the current fill height until the current fill height reaches an equilibrium;

then operating the valve to the open condition;

comparing the current fill height to the target fill height; and

in response to determining that current fill height reaches or exceeds the target fill height, operating the valve to a closed condition to stop dispense of the beverage through the nozzle into the cup.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

operating an optical sensor to produce optical sensor output signals representative of a distance from which light frequency waves of the optical sensor is reflected back to the optical sensor; and

determining a cup height (H) of the cup below the nozzle from the output signals.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising calculating the target fill height based at least upon the cup height (H) and a safety margin (M).

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

operating a radar sensor to produce a radar sensor output signal representative of a distance from which radio frequency waves from the radar sensor are reflected back to the radar sensor; and

continuously determining the current fill height of beverage from the radar sensor output signal.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

comparing the current fill height to the target fill height; and

operating the valve to the closed condition, when the current fill height reaches or exceeds the target fill height.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein evaluating the current fill height using the flow rate further comprises:

calculating an estimated fill height based upon at least value representative of the beverage flow rate and a dispense time; and

comparing the current fill height to the estimated fill height.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the optical sensor is an infrared (IR) sensor.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the presence of the cup is detected using an RGB-D camera.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the beverage dispensing system comprises a first sensor and a second sensor, wherein the first sensor is used in detecting the presence of the cup underneath the nozzle and calculating the target fill height and the second sensor is used in determining the current fill height of the beverage in the cup, and further comprising:

obtaining a first output from the first sensor that is representative of a distance between the first sensor and the cup;

determining a cup height (H) of the cup below the nozzle from the first output; and

calculating the target fill height based at least upon the cup height (H) and a safety margin (M).

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

obtaining a second output from the second sensor;

continuously determining the current fill height of beverage from the second output;

comparing the current fill height to the target fill height; and

operating the valve to the closed condition, when the current fill height reaches or exceeds the target fill height.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

after operating the valve to the closed condition, monitoring the determined current fill height to reach an equilibrium; and

comparing the current fill height at the equilibrium to the target fill height.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising ending the beverage dispense if the current fill height at the equilibrium is equal to or exceeds the target fill height.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

operating the valve to the open condition if the current fill height at the equilibrium is below the target fill height;

comparing the current fill height to the target fill height; and

operating the valve to the closed condition, when the current fill height reaches or exceeds the target fill height.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the beverage dispensing system comprises a radar sensor and further comprising:

prior to operating the valve to the open condition, determining an estimate ice volume in the cup based upon a signal from the radar sensor.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the beverage dispensing system comprises:

the nozzle;

the valve coupled upstream of the nozzle, the valve configured to control a flow of beverage through the valve to the nozzle;

an optical sensor;

a radar sensor; and

a controller configured to receive output signals from the optical sensor and the radar sensor, to detect the presence of the cup underneath the nozzle from the output signals of the optical sensor, to determine the current fill height of the beverage in the cup from the output signals of the radar sensor, and to control the valve between the open condition and the closed condition.

16. A method of foaming detection while dispensing a beverage from a beverage dispensing system, the method comprising:

detecting a presence of a cup underneath a nozzle;

in response to detecting the presence of the cup, calculating a target fill height;

operating a valve to an open condition to dispense a beverage through the nozzle into the cup;

continuously determining a current fill height of beverage in the cup;

accessing a value representative of a beverage flow rate when the valve is in the open condition;

while the valve is in the open condition, calculating an estimated fill height based upon at least the beverage flow rate and a dispense time;

comparing the current fill height to the estimated fill height; and

operating the valve to the closed position, when the current fill height exceeds the estimated fill height by a predetermined amount.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

monitoring the determined current fill height to reach an equilibrium below the target fill height;

storing the current fill height at the equilibrium as a current estimated fill height; and

then operating the valve to the open condition.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

determining an estimate ice volume in the cup prior to dispense of the beverage; and

adding the estimate ice volume into the estimated fill height calculated from the beverage flow rate and the dispense time.

19. A method of foaming detection while dispensing a beverage from a beverage dispensing system, the method comprising:

detecting a presence of a cup underneath a nozzle;

in response to detecting the presence of the cup, calculating a target fill height;

operating a valve to an open condition to dispense a beverage through the nozzle into the cup;

determining a current fill height of the beverage in the cup;

comparing the current fill height to the target fill height, wherein comparing the current fill height to the target fill height comprises applying the current fill height to a model of expected fill height;

in response to determining that the current fill height reaches or exceeds the target fill height, operating the valve to a closed condition to stop dispense of the beverage through the nozzle into the cup;

then evaluating the current fill height until the current fill height reaches an equilibrium, and then operating the valve to the open condition; and

operating the valve to the closed condition when the current fill height reaches or exceeds the target fill height.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the model associates a dispense time to the expected fill height.