U.S. patent application number 13/889235 was filed with the patent office on 2013-11-07 for no-touch fluid dispenser and method of operating the same.
This patent application is currently assigned to BOBRICK WASHROOM EQUIPMENT, INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is BOBRICK WASHROOM EQUIPMENT, INC.. Invention is credited to BRANKO BEM.
Application Number | 20130292411 13/889235 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48446685 |
Filed Date | 2013-11-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130292411 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BEM; BRANKO |
November 7, 2013 |
NO-TOUCH FLUID DISPENSER AND METHOD OF OPERATING THE SAME
Abstract
A fluid dispenser includes a container configured to store a
fluid, a pump for placement in an interior of the container and for
pumping contents of the container to an exterior of the container,
a motor system for driving the pump and including a rotor for
placement in the interior of the container, and a stator for
placement on the exterior of the container, wherein an electric
current is passed through the stator for causing rotation of the
rotor.
Inventors: |
BEM; BRANKO; (PLANO,
TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
BOBRICK WASHROOM EQUIPMENT, INC. |
NORTH HOLLYWOOD |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
BOBRICK WASHROOM EQUIPMENT,
INC.
NORTH HOLLYWOOD
CA
|
Family ID: |
48446685 |
Appl. No.: |
13/889235 |
Filed: |
May 7, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61643666 |
May 7, 2012 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
222/52 ; 222/333;
222/63; 417/410.1; 417/44.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47K 5/1217
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
222/52 ; 222/333;
222/63; 417/410.1; 417/44.1 |
International
Class: |
A47K 5/12 20060101
A47K005/12 |
Claims
1. A fluid dispenser comprising: a container configured to store a
fluid; a pump in an interior of the container for pumping contents
of the container to an exterior of the container; a motor system
for driving the pump and comprising: a rotor in an interior of the
container; and a stator exterior of the container, wherein an
electric current is passed through the stator for causing rotation
of the rotor.
2. The fluid dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a cap
configured to be coupled to the container, wherein the pump is
configured to be seated on the cap.
3. The fluid dispenser of claim 2, wherein the cap is threadably
coupled to the container.
4. The fluid dispenser of claim 1, wherein the stator comprises at
least three coils electrically coupled in a delta pattern or a star
pattern.
5. The fluid dispenser of claim 4, wherein the three coils are
shaped to form a ring and are configured to be driven by three half
bridges in an open loop.
6. The fluid dispenser of claim 1, further comprising: a processor
for regulating the electric current through the stator; and a
sensor for sensing an object proximate the sensor and for sending a
sensor signal to the processor.
7. The fluid dispenser of claim 6, wherein the pump pumps the
contents in response to the sensor signal generated by the
sensor.
8. The fluid dispenser of claim 6, wherein the electric current
through the stator is regulated using at least one of a pulse-width
modulated (PWM) signal or variable frequency.
9. The fluid dispenser of claim 6, wherein the sensor signal is
generated upon detection of a user.
10. The fluid dispenser of claim 9, wherein the processor is
configured to have the electric current passed through the stator
upon receiving the sensor signal.
11. The fluid dispenser of claim 6, further comprising a circuit
for carrying at least one of the sensor signal and the electric
current through the stator.
12. The fluid dispenser of claim 1, wherein the rotor comprises a
ring magnet.
13. The fluid dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a battery
for delivering the electric current to the stator.
14. The fluid dispenser of claim 13, further comprising a processor
configured to regulate electric current through the stator
corresponding to a voltage level of the battery.
15. The fluid dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a dispensing
end fluidly coupled to the pump for dispensing the fluid pumped by
the pump.
16. The fluid dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a drive
shaft for coupling the pump to the rotor.
17. The fluid dispenser of claim 1, wherein the electric current
causes the stator to produce a magnetic field surrounding the rotor
for causing rotation of the rotor.
18. The fluid dispenser of claim 1, wherein the rotor comprises a
plurality of magnets.
19. A motor system for driving a pump for pumping contents of a
container and comprising a rotor in an interior of the container,
and a stator on an exterior of the container.
20. A pump assembly comprising: a container; a pump for pumping
contents of the container; and a motor system for driving the pump
and comprising a rotor in an interior of the container for driving
the pump, and a stator on an exterior of the container.
21. A method of dispensing a fluid from a container, the method
comprising: providing a magnetic field using a stator; moving a
magnet in response to the magnetic field; driving a pump in
response to the motion of the moving magnet; and pumping the fluid
from the container with the pump.
22. The assembly of claim 20, wherein the stator produces a
magnetic field for rotating the stator.
23. The assembly of claim 20, wherein the stator produces an
electromagnetic field and wherein the rotor comprises at least a
magnet for causing the rotor to rotate due to the magnetic field
produced by the stator.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of pump operated
dispensers.
[0002] Pump operated dispensers, such as soap dispensers used to
dispense liquid hand soap in public restrooms, deliver contents
from a container of the dispenser to a dispensing portion that may
be located at or near a top of the container.
[0003] "Touchless" soap dispensers typically utilize an electric
motor that drives a pump to which it is coupled, and that is
activated in response to a signal delivered upon the activation of
a switch or sensor of the dispenser system, such as a motion
detector or other optic sensor. Upon receiving the signal, the
rotor rotates to drive a drive shaft of the pump located within the
container to dispense an amount of soap. Such a configuration may
require the motor to be mounted within the container of the soap
dispenser, or may require a physical connection through a portion
of the container for physically coupling the motor to the mechanics
of the pump located within the container to drive the drive shaft.
However, submersible motors require special sealing to protect
components of the motor, while physical connections through the
container may require special sealing of the system to prevent
liquid from leaking from the container. Furthermore, such
configurations may lead to deterioration of the motor and the
moving parts associated with the mechanics of the pump due to
stress and friction. Thus, a fluid dispenser having fewer parts
and/or fewer mechanical couplings is desired.
SUMMARY
[0004] According to embodiments of the present invention, a pump
located within a container is operated by rotation of a rotor
coupled to a drive shaft of the pump to dispense fluid contents of
the container by driving the pump. The rotor includes one or more
magnets, and is driven by a rotating magnetic field created by a
plurality of coils that are located on an exterior of the container
in sufficient proximity to the magnets of the rotor.
[0005] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there
is provided a fluid dispenser including a container configured to
store a fluid, a pump for placement in an interior of the container
and for pumping contents of the container to an exterior of the
container, a motor system for driving the pump and including a
rotor for placement in the interior of the container, and a stator
for placement on the exterior of the container, wherein an electric
current is passed through the stator for causing rotation of the
rotor.
[0006] The fluid dispenser may further include a cap configured to
be coupled to the container, and the pump may be configured to be
coupled to the cap.
[0007] The cap may be configured to be threadably coupled to the
container.
[0008] The stator may include three coils electrically coupled in a
delta pattern or a star pattern.
[0009] The three coils may be shaped to form a ring and may be
configured to be driven by three half bridges in an open loop.
[0010] The fluid dispenser may further include a processor for
regulating the electric current through the stator, and a sensor
for sensing an object proximate the sensor and for sending a sensor
signal to the processor.
[0011] The pump may be for pumping the contents in response to the
sensor signal generated by the sensor.
[0012] The electric current through the stator is regulated using
at least one of a pulse-width modulated (PWM) signal or variable
frequency.
[0013] The sensor signal may be generated upon detection of motion
of a user.
[0014] The processor may be configured to have the electric current
passed through the stator upon receiving the sensor signal.
[0015] The fluid dispenser may further include a flexible circuit
for carrying at least one of the sensor signal and the electric
current through the stator.
[0016] The rotor may include a ring magnet.
[0017] The fluid dispenser may further include a battery for
delivering the electric current through the stator.
[0018] The fluid dispenser may further include a processor
configured to regulate electric current through the stator
corresponding to a voltage level of the battery.
[0019] The fluid dispenser may further include a dispensing end
fluidly coupled to the pump for dispensing the fluid pumped by the
pump.
[0020] The fluid dispenser may further include a drive shaft for
coupling the pump to the rotor.
[0021] The electric current may cause the stator to produce a
magnetic field substantially surrounding the rotor for causing
rotation of the rotor.
[0022] The rotor may include a plurality of magnets.
[0023] According to another embodiment of the present invention,
there is provided a motor system for driving a pump for pumping
contents of a container includes a rotor for placement in an
interior of the container, and a stator for placement on an
exterior of the container.
[0024] According to yet another embodiment of the present
invention, there is provided a pump assembly including a container,
a pump for pumping contents of the container, and a motor system
for driving the pump and including a rotor for placement in an
interior of the container, and a stator for placement on an
exterior of the container.
[0025] According to another embodiment of the present invention,
there is provided a method of dispensing a fluid from a container,
the method including providing a magnetic field using a stator,
moving a magnet in response to the magnetic field, driving a pump
in response to the motion of the moving magnet, and pumping the
fluid from the container with the pump.
[0026] Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention provide a
submersible pump located inside a container and magnetically driven
by a magnetic field generated on an exterior of the container.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a bottom cap for a
container with a pump and rotor coupled thereto, and a set of coils
for causing rotation of the pump rotor according to an embodiment
of the present invention;
[0028] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the container of an embodiment
of the present invention that is configured to be coupled to the
bottom cap of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.
1;
[0029] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the container of the
embodiment shown in FIG. 2 assembled with a dispensing end and the
bottom cap of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0030] FIG. 4 is a partial cross sectional view of a container with
a bottom cap coupled thereto and a housing containing a set of
coils for causing rotation of a pump rotor according to another
embodiment of the present invention;
[0031] FIG. 5A is a schematic view showing magnetic coils of a
stator in a delta pattern that are powered by a battery pack and
coupled to a sensor and to a processor, according to an embodiment
of the present invention;
[0032] FIG. 5B is a schematic view showing magnetic coils of a
stator in a star pattern, according to an embodiment of the present
invention; and
[0033] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of coils of a stator
circumscribing/surrounding a rotor coupled to a pump, according to
an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0034] Embodiments of the present invention may include an assembly
including a container, a container end cap, and a pumping mechanism
including a pump rotor. These features may be similar to those that
are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2010/0213208
A1, which is fully incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore,
other features disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication
2010/0213208 A1 may be incorporated with embodiments of the present
invention. Accordingly, some components of embodiments of the
present invention that are included in the incorporated reference
are not discussed at length herein.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 1, a bottom cap, a pump, a rotor, and a
set of magnetic coils for causing rotation of the rotor of a fluid
dispensing system according to a first embodiment of the present
invention is shown.
[0036] According to the present embodiment, a bottom cap 22 has
threads 19 to enable the bottom cap 22 to be coupled to a threaded
base section 14 of a container 12, which is configured to contain a
material (e.g., a fluid such as a liquid) to be dispensed, to seal
a bottom opening 18 of the container 12 (see FIG. 2). Coupled to
the bottom cap 22 is a pump 58. A pump 58 is mounted in a pump
mount 54 at the bottom cap 22, which is removably coupled to the
bottle 12.
[0037] Although the pump 58 of the present embodiment is coupled
near a bottom of the container 12, different applications of
embodiments of the present invention may be configured to have the
pump 58 differently located. Furthermore, although embodiments of
the present invention are described with reference to a pump for
pumping a fluid or liquid, other embodiments of the present
invention may be used to pump other materials, such as gasses,
foams, or slurries or other types of fluids.
[0038] One or more magnets 68, such as an electromagnet, a
permanent magnet, a ring magnet, or one or more magnet segments,
are part of, or may be mounted on or coupled to, an impeller of the
rotor 69 that is coupled to a drive shaft 62 of the pump 58 for
driving the pump. The magnet or magnet segment(s) 68 act(s) as a
rotor 69 of the pump 58 to be driven by a stator 91 and to be used
as an integrated part of an open frame DC servo motor 20, such as
an open frame brushless DC servo motor. Driving the drive shaft 62
of the pump 58 causes the fluid contained in the container 12 to
pass through an inlet 70 of the pump 58 and be pumped by the pump
to an outlet 72 of the pump 58, wherein the outlet 72 may be
coupled to a tube 76 (see FIG. 2) used to dispense the fluid from
near the bottom of the container 12.
[0039] According to the present embodiment, the magnet or magnet
segment(s) 68 may be driven by manipulating a magnetic field
produced by the stator 91, which substantially circumscribes the
magnet or magnet segment(s) 68, although different embodiments of
the present invention may use various configurations of the servo
motor 20, wherein the stator 91 is able to drive the rotor 69 via
the magnetic field. This magnetic field may be produced by an
electromagnet, such as electromagnetic coils 24 which form the
stator 91, or may be produced by some other device that is placed
in proximity to the bottle 12 so as to cause motion of the magnet
or magnet segment(s) 68 attached to the drive shaft 62 of the pump
58, causing the drive shaft 62 to rotate. Accordingly, the
electromagnetic coils 24 are operated as the stator 91 of the open
frame servo motor 20 of the present embodiment. Furthermore, as
shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 6, the electromagnetic coils 24 may
consist of three coils 24a, 24b, and 24c.
[0040] By using the above described open frame servo motor 20, the
fluid dispensing system 10 of the present embodiment eliminates the
need for moving parts that are external to the container 12.
Furthermore, the need to align the stator 91 with the rotor 69
becomes less critical, making effective driving of the pump 58 with
the stator 91 more easily accomplished.
[0041] According to the present embodiment, the stator 91 includes
three or more coils 24 formed in the shape of a ring to be located
outside of the bottom cap 22, allowing the stator 91 to be an open
frame stator 91 without commutator, as shown in FIG. 1. Upon
assembly, the open frame stator 91 is placed in proximity to an
exterior of the bottom cap 22 housing the rotor 69, thereby
removing the need for moving parts outside of the bottle 12 that
are physically coupled to parts within the bottle 12 (i.e.,
coupling of the motor external to the bottle to the pump within the
bottle). Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention obviate
the need for having an opening in the bottle 12 at the motor-pump
connection, and also enable the operation of the pump 58 without a
constant force directly applied to the rotor 69 and drive shaft 62,
thereby decreasing wear of the components of the dispensing system
10.
[0042] Although the present embodiment shows a bottom cap 22 that
is engageable with the bottle 12, and that may be removed from the
bottle 12, other embodiments of the present invention may include
one-piece, or integrally formed, bottle/cap structure.
[0043] Referring to FIG. 2, a container section, which is
configured to be coupled to the bottom cap 22 of the embodiment
shown in FIG. 1, of a fluid dispensing system of an embodiment of
the present invention is shown.
[0044] The fluid dispensing system 10 according to the present
embodiment includes a substantially cylindrically-shaped bottle 12
for holding the fluid to be dispensed, although differently shaped
containers may be used to contain the fluid without departing from
the spirit or scope of the present invention. At the top 4 of the
bottle 12 is a neck section 16, which may be threaded 108 to
threadably couple the bottle 12 to a spout dispensing end 28 (see
FIG. 3). Furthermore, the tube 76 coupled to the outlet 72 of the
pump 58 may be coupled to the outlet 112 to deliver the fluid to
the spout dispensing end 28.
[0045] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an assembled fluid dispenser
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0046] Referring to FIG. 3, according to the present embodiment,
the servo motor 20 may be activated in response to a signal from a
motion detecting sensor 38, an optic sensor, an infrared sensor, or
some other type of switch or no-touch sensor. The sensor 38 may
send an activation signal to the processor 99 (shown schematically
in FIGS. 5A and 5B), which in turn uses, for example, software to
direct the operation of the stator 91 to drive the servo motor 20.
It should be noted, however, that the servo motor 20 of other
embodiments of the present invention may be driven using hardware.
Furthermore, pulse-width modulated (PWM) signals may be sent to the
stator, and the fluid dispensing system 10 may transmit various
signals via wiring or a circuit, such as a flexible circuit 41.
[0047] The processor 99 and software may also be used to monitor a
voltage drop of a battery pack 97 (shown schematically in FIGS. 5A
and 5B) including one or more battery cells used to power the servo
motor 20. Commonly, a voltage drop of a power source used to power
a DC motor would result in change in performance, or speed, of the
DC motor. Therefore, if such a DC motor were coupled to the pump 58
of the present embodiment, variations in voltage applied to the DC
motor could potentially lead to variations in amounts of fluid or
liquid dispensed. Accordingly, if a voltage drop is sensed, the
software of embodiments of the present invention is capable of
adjusting the PWM signals, or otherwise controlling power to the
coils 24 of the stator 91, to ensure that a more closely uniform
amount of fluid is dispensed.
[0048] Although a battery pack 97 is described, other embodiments
of the present invention may use a power supply other than the
battery pack 97. Furthermore, according to the present embodiment,
the speed of the servo motor 20 may be controlled by controlling a
frequency of a signal delivered thereto. By controlling the
frequency of the signal, the rate of rotation of the magnetic field
provided by the stator 91 may be more uniform, which in turn causes
the speed of the rotor 69 to be more uniform. Variations in the
rate of rotation of the rotor 69 may otherwise cause variations in
the performance of the pump 58 (e.g., amounts of fluid pumped by
the pump 58 may vary). By controlling the servo motor 20 using, for
example, frequency-based signals, and PWM signals, variations in
voltage delivered to the servo motor 20 will have less of an effect
on performance of the servo motor 20, and amounts of fluid or
liquid output in response to activation of the sensor 38 will be
more consistent.
[0049] Furthermore, the software may also be used to control the
speed, direction, and torque of the magnet or magnet segment(s) 68
coupled to the drive shaft 62 by adjusting and controlling the PWM
signals. In the present embodiment, the open frame servo motor 20
is a brushless direct current (DC) motor 20. Accordingly, the
magnet or magnet segment(s) 68 may be driven by the set of
electromagnetic coils 24 of the stator 91, which may be driven
according to the PWM signals from the processor 99 to create a
rotating magnetic field in proximity to the bottle 12.
[0050] FIG. 4 shows components of a fluid dispenser according to
another embodiment of the present invention.
[0051] Referring to FIG. 4, the open frame servo motor 20 of the
fluid dispenser 10 of the present embodiment includes three coils
24 electrically coupled in a delta pattern (see FIG. 5A) or coupled
in a star pattern (also referred to as a "Y" pattern, see FIG. 5B)
as the stator 91. The open frame servo motor 20 may be driven by
three half bridges 98a, 98b, 98c (see FIGS. 5A and 5B) on a PC
Board in an open loop, without feedback. The three half bridges
98a, 98b, 98c may be controlled by the processor 99, such as a
microprocessor or microcontroller. An output signal of the
processor 99 of the present embodiment is a pulse-width modulated
(PWM) signal used to control current through the delta-connected
coils 24 and to control an output sequence and frequency for
controlling speed and direction of the servo motor 20, and in turn
controlling the dispensing of fluid via the spout dispensing end
28.
[0052] While the present invention has been particularly shown and
described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will
be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that features
of different embodiments may be combined to form further
embodiments, and that various changes in form and details may be
made therein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the
present invention as defined by the following claims and their
equivalents.
* * * * *