FR2515628A1 - Automatic comestible liq. dispenser e.g. for supermarket - has metering unit dispensing set volume and printer providing print-out of price - Google Patents

Abstract

The automatic drinks distributor includes a reservoir holding the liquid in bulk. The machine includes a dispensing nozzle (3) which is connected to the reservoir by a valve (5b), and via a metering unit (4) which dispenses an accurately measured quantity of liquid. At the front of the machine there is an inset shelf, below which there is a small sink (12) with a waste pipe leading to a tank. Above the sink, the shelf (11) on which a bottle (6) is placed is provided with a switch sensitive to the presence of the bottle. A switch is provided for operation by the customer and the machine provides a printed ticket indicating the quantity and/or price of the liquid supplied. The metering may be provided by a volume sensor emitting a proportional number of pulses.

Description

 Method and apparatus for automatically dispensing a food liquid

 The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatically dispensing a liquid food in containers that are placed under the spout of the apparatus.

 The technical field of the invention is that of the construction of vending machines for liquid bulk food liquids such as beverages, wine, food oil etc ....

 Bulk liquid dispensing devices, for example wine-making machines, are known which make it possible to fill containers of a certain volume and to stop manually when the container is full.

 Food beverage vending machines are also known which comprise a volumetric doser, ie a means for measuring a determined volume dose, which may be for example a reservoir of determined capacity that is filled and that the the container to be filled is then emptied or a volume sensor which emits pulses each corresponding to one volume unit and which is associated with a predetermined pulse counter which automatically stops dispensing when the set number of pulses has been reached. and that a predetermined volume has been distributed. These known devices allow to deliver only liquid doses fixed in advance, for example liters.

 The object of the present invention is to provide vending machines that allow to deliver in a container of any capacity, a volume of liquid that is equal to or less than the capacity of the container.

 It is specified that the terms volume or flow sensor or volumetric sensor or flowmeter, are used in the following description to denote sensors that measure a continuous volume and that deliver electrical signals or pulses whose number indicates any volume that has crossed the sensor.

 These sensors may consist for example of volume meters comprising a turbine or a finned wheel immersed in the liquid whose number of revolutions is proportional to the volume which passes through the turbine and which emits a number of pulses proportional to the number of turns each pulse thus representing a unit volume. It is known to make such counters for which each pulse represents a centiliter or milliliter and which therefore allow a volume measurement compatible with the accuracy requirements of a measuring device for charging a price.

 The volume sensors can also be made in the form of flow meters that emit an electrical signal proportional to the flow of liquid, which signal is integrated over the duration of the distribution to obtain a volume measurement. Such a flowmeter may be constituted for example by a diaphragm pierced with a calibrated hole through which the liquid flows and a pressure sensor which measures the pressure difference between the two faces of the diaphragm and delivers an electrical signal. proportional to the square of the speed and therefore to the instantaneous flow of the liquid.

 The term volumetric doser is used to refer to measuring devices capable of delivering only a determined volume dose while the volumetric sensors can deliver any continuously varying volume and measure it.

 Gasoline vending machines are known that deliver and charge a volume of gasoline chosen by the customer who has a trigger to stop dispensing when desired. These gas stations have a printer that delivers a ticket when the spout is hung up. But they must also include a security device that prevents resumption of distribution until an operator, placed at the checkout, has authorized the latter to avoid frauds that would be to use two times and to present a single ticket at the cash desk.

 This solution, which requires all distributors to be under the supervision of an operator and to neutralize them for the entire time between a client's use and the time they arrive at the cash register, is not acceptable. vending machines for food drinks.

 It is an object of the present invention to provide vending machines for food beverages, for example wine, to be placed in self-service stores for customers to serve themselves, in their own containers, which may have different shapes and abilities.

 After being served, clients receive a ticket indicating the price to be paid> at the cash desk.

 In this application, the dispensing devices must operate without any supervision while avoiding the possibility of errors and fraud and they must be able to operate continuously without waiting for any authorization signal between two customers, which constitutes an essential difference with the automatic dispensers for gasoline.

 Another object of the present invention is to provide automatic dispensers of liquid food, which best meet the constraints or constraints that are inevitably encountered in this type of devices.

 A first constraint is the obligation of the spout to adapt to the containers of customers whose volume, shape and height are variable. These containers may be for example bottles, containers, jerry cans, bottles etc.

 A dispensing apparatus according to the invention, which must operate without supervision, must have one or more features which prevent the opening of the dispensing if a receptacle has not been placed under the pouring spout, in the desired position, in order to avoid accidental liquid losses or vandalism.

 A dispensing apparatus according to the invention must have an automatic means for stopping dispensing when the recipe is full or almost full and for triggering ticket printing. But it is necessary that this automatic means is doubled by another means to stop dispensing and print the ticket when the spout returns to the rest position. Indeed, it is possible that a stunned or malicious client lifts the pouring spout before the liquid level has reached the level sensor and, in this case, a second means of automatic shutdown must be provided to avoid the spill of the liquid out of the container and it is necessary to order the printing of the ticket and the resetting of the counting unit to avoid that the next customer has to pay the quantity delivered to the previous one which would not have been invoiced .

The objectives of the invention are achieved by means of a method for automatically dispensing a measured volume of a liquid food into a container which is placed under a spout which is provided with a solenoid valve and a volume sensor, which is movable in height and is automatically recalled to a rest position at the end of a distribution, which method comprises the following steps
said container is placed under the spout and said spout is engaged in the neck of the container;
the opening of the solenoid valve which opens only if the presence of a container under the pouring spout is detected by one or more presence detectors of a container;
a level sensor placed at the end of the pourer automatically controls closing of the solenoid valve when it detects the presence of the liquid in the neck of the container;
- And a contact, which detects the return of the spout in the rest position, controls the printing of a ticket indicating the price to pay and the closing of said solenoid valve if it has not been closed by said sensor. level.

 The apparatus according to the invention for automatically dispensing variable volumes of a liquid food into containers which are placed under a spout and to edit a ticket indicating the price to be paid are of known type, comprising a bulk storage tank of said liquid which is equipped with one or more spouts, variable height, which are connected to said tank through a solenoid valve and through a means of measuring the volume of liquid flow and which are placed each above a sink comprising a turntable on which the containers to be filled are placed and further comprising a printer which is automatically controlled by a logic unit which determines the price to be paid and switches which control the opening and closing of said solenoid valve .

 The objectives of the invention are achieved by means of dispensing devices, in which each spout comprises a volume sensor which is placed upstream of said solenoid valve and a liquid level sensor which is placed in the vicinity of the end said pouring spout and which automatically controls the closing of said solenoid valve when it detects the presence of the liquid.

 According to a preferred embodiment, the spout is returned to a rest position by a spring and is equipped with a rest position contact which prevents the opening of said solenoid valve and automatically controls the closing of said solenoid valve and the printing a ticket if these operations were not controlled by the level sensor during a filling cycle.

 According to a preferred embodiment, the spout of an apparatus according to the invention carries a small tube in which the level sensor is placed and the lower end of this small tube is open and is close to the lower end of the tube. spout.

 An apparatus according to the invention comprises a volume sensor which emits pulses each corresponding to a very small unit volume having passed through the sensor, a binary counter which counts these pulses, a memory in which messages indicating the volume and the price are recorded. to pay corresponding to all possible multiples of said unit volume, said bit counter acting as an address counter of said memory, a buffer in which is transferred the message contained at the address indicated by said counter at the end of distribution and a printer that prints and delivers a ticket containing the message contained in said buffer.

 The invention results in new automatic dispensers of liquids stored in bulk.

 The apparatus according to the invention allows to distribute in containers of any shape and volume, any volume of liquid that is measured continuously by a volume sensor or a flow meter.

 Compared to known devices that have a volumetric doser and can only dispense specific doses, the devices according to the invention are much more flexible and automatically adapt to the quantities desired by customers.

 The apparatuses according to the invention comprise pouring spouts of variable height, which adapt to the shapes of all the usual containers in the usual range of volumes, for example between 0 and 5 liters or 10 liters, while allowing to position the sensor level sufficiently precise with respect to the container so that the volume flowing from the spout after closing the solenoid valve is not likely to fall outside the container.

 Apparatuses according to the invention comprise detectors for positioning the container under the pouring spout which prevent dispensing if the container is not placed correctly, which avoids the loss of liquid.

 The dispensing devices according to the invention are designed to operate continuously, without any direct supervision, especially in self-service stores.

 They include security to prevent false maneuvers, fraud and vandalism.

 The following description refers to the accompanying drawings which show, without any limiting character, examples of embodiments of vending machines according to the invention.

 Figure 1 is a partial vertical section of a dispensing apparatus according to the invention equipped with a swivel spout.

 Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the lower end of the spout of Figure 1.

 Figure 3 is a section on III-III of Figure 2.

 Figure 4 is a partial vertical section of an apparatus according to the invention equipped with a sliding spout.

 FIG. 5 is a section on a larger scale of the lower end of the spout of FIG. 4.

 Figure 6 is a section along VI-VI of Figure 5.

 FIG. 7 is a plan view of a dispenser according to FIG.

 Figure 8 is a diagram of an embodiment of the electronic circuits of an apparatus according to the invention.

 Figure 1 shows a partial vertical section of the front face of a dispensing apparatus according to the invention. This appliance comprises a piece of furniture 1 carrying one or more pouring spouts 2 which are each placed above a sink 3 having a flow 4 which is connected to the sewer or on a tank. Each spout has a bent end 2a which is substantially vertical when the spout is engaged in a container 6 of normal height.

 A reservoir not shown contains a bulk food liquid, for example wine. The same tank can feed several spouts or each device can have its own tank.

 In the embodiment according to Figure 1, the spout 2 is articulated around a horizontal axis 7 which is placed at a height above the plate 5 which is of the order of the height of the largest containers usable, for example the height of a cylinder of 10 liters.

 In the absence of a receptacle 6 on the plate, the pouring spout 2 is brought by a return spring 8 to a low position shown in dotted lines where the end of the spout is at a height above the plate 5 which is less than the height of the smallest current container.

 The spout 2 is connected to the liquid storage tank by a flexible pipe 9 and through a solenoid valve 10 and a volume sensor 11 located upstream of the solenoid valve.

 The spout comprises an air intake 12, for example a small open tube placed in shunt, which can be provided with a ball valve or which is oriented so that the liquid can not get out of this tube whatever the inclination of the spout.

 The solenoid valve is placed as close as possible to the end of the spout to reduce the volume of the pipe located downstream of the solenoid valve.

 The volumetric sensor 11 may be integral with the solenoid valve or placed upstream of it. The shape and length of the spout are determined so that the free end can engage in the neck of all usable containers.

The free end of the spout is tapered and ends with a small diameter orifice, of the order of 10 mm, in order to engage inside the necks.

 Figure 2 shows, on a larger scale, the bent end 2a of a spout.

 FIG. 3 is a cross-section along III-III of FIG.

 It can be seen in these two figures that the tube 2a contains a small tube 13 in which is placed a level sensor 14, which is constituted for example by two electrodes 14a connected by wires 15 to electronic circuits and held by insulating supports 16 .

 Alternatively, the small tube 13 containing the level sensor may be placed outside the tube 2a.

 The lower end of the tube 16 is open and located in the vicinity of the open end of the spout and the ends of the two electrodes 14a are located near the lower end of the tube 13. As soon as the level of the liquid arrives in the container neck 6 and reaches the electrodes 14a, a current passes through them and it is detected and used by the electronic circuits.

 A preamplifier may be placed on the wires 15 to enhance the electrical signal.

 In this embodiment of the level sensor, the upper end of the tube 13 is opened so that the liquid rises to the same level in the tube 2a and in the tube 13.

 Alternatively, the level sensor may comprise a single electrode 14a, the second electrode being replaced by the conductive tube 13 which is isolated from the tube 2, 2a.

 The electrode level sensor 14 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is a preferred embodiment of a space-saving sensor which can be placed very close to the end of the spout.

 Of course, this level sensor could be replaced by other equivalent embodiments. For example, it is possible to use an inner tube 13 which is open at the lower end and closed at the upper end, so that when the liquid rises in the tube 2a, it compresses the gas trapped in the tube 13. In this case , the tube 13 comprises a pressure sensor which detects the pressure increase in the tube 13, for example a deformable membrane which is placed across the tube and closes a contact.

 The apparatus according to Figure 1 further comprises a microswitch 17 which is actuated by the spout 2 when it is in the rest position.

 An apparatus according to FIG. 1 comprises, in addition, one or more presence detectors of a receptacle 6 under the pouring spout, for example a light presence indicator constituted by a light source 18, which emits a light ray 19 ~ located in the vertical plane, perpendicular to the axis 7, in which the spout 2 moves and a photoelectric receiver 20 located opposite the light source.

 Several embodiments of light or other presence detectors will be described below. For the moment, it is specified only that these presence detectors are connected in series or connected to an AND gate in a circuit which prevents the opening of the solenoid valve 10 until all the detectors emit the authorization signal. .

 A dispensing apparatus according to the invention further comprises a switch which controls the opening of the solenoid valve 10 and which can be a manual push-button or a self-closing contact by one of the presence detectors of the container.

 The operation of a dispensing apparatus according to Figure 1 is as follows.

 Initially, the spout 2 is in the rest position which is the low position. The contact of the switch 17 is closed (or open according to the logic used). This contact is placed in series with the other detectors presence of the container in the control of the solenoid valve 10 and it prohibits the opening thereof as no container 6 is placed under the spout. If someone then pushes or pushes at the push button that controls the distribution, nothing happens. But, someone could manually lift the spout 2 and press the push button and if there was only the security conferred by the switch 17, the solenoid valve would then open and the liquid would flow into the 'sink.

 It is therefore necessary to provide other securities. A second security may be constituted by a movable plate 5 which maintains an open contact (or closed) as long as no container is placed on the plate. A third detection of the presence of a receptacle 6 under the pouring spout is constituted by a sliding ring which is mounted around the free end of the spout and which projects laterally or carries radial arms which rest on the upper edge. the neck of the container 6 when the end of the spout is in position in the neck. In this case, the sliding ring moves upwards and actuates a contact that is inserted into the safety chain.

 An embodiment of this type of detector will be described in detail later, in an application on a vertical displacement spout.

 It is specified that this type of presence detector can also be used on a swivel spout apparatus such as that of FIG. 1. However, when certain containers 6, of low height or of high height are used, the free end of the spout may engage obliquely in the neck of the container and in this case the sliding ring may become blocked. Therefore, the swivel spouts are preferably equipped with a photoelectric sensor device such as the detector 18, 19, 20 which can be used alone or in combination with a sliding ring device.

 When the container 6 has been placed correctly under the spout 2, the tapered end of the spout enters the neck and the level sensor 14 is located inside the container 6 as shown in Figure 1. The position The level sensor in the container is determined by the length of the bent end 2a because the action of the spring 8 forces the spout to descend until the upper edge of the neck presses against the elbow of the spout. The length of the bent end 2a is sufficiently large so that the volume of the neck situated above the position occupied by the level sensor is slightly greater than the volume of the section of tube 2 between the solenoid valve 10 and the end of the spout so that the liquid contained in this section can take place in the neck and is not likely to spill out of the container and this regardless of the diameter and height of the neck.

 After a customer has correctly placed a container 6 under the spout, so that all the presence detector contacts have been actuated, and after the customer has pressed the dispense button, the solenoid valve 10 is opens and the liquid flows into the container 6. The volume sensor 11 measures the volume that flows. The volume sensor 11 is, for example, a turbine counter driven by the liquid stream which emits at least 300 pulses per liter, that is to say one pulse every 3.33 ml which is in accordance with the precison of 0. , 3% required by the measuring instrument service for price indicating devices.

 When the liquid level reaches the level sensor 14 it controls the closing of the solenoid valve 10.

 Thanks to the air intake 12, the liquid contained in the pipe section located downstream of the solenoid valve 10, which has been accounted for by the sensor 11, flows into the container.

 The sensor It indicates to a pulse counting unit the quantity of liquid dispensed and a logic unit sets the price.

 A printer, which is normally controlled by the level sensor 14, prints a ticket and delivers it to the customer who removes the container 6, the mouth and who arrives at a box with his ticket.

 The spout returns to the home position and, after the pulse counting unit has been reset, the unit is ready for a new cycle.

 The reset of the counting unit can be controlled by the pushbutton at the moment when the next customer presses on it, or by the contact of the switch 17 when the spout returns to rest, or by the logical unit when the printing of a ticket is completed.

 The cycle just described is a cycle in which the customer is acting normally and leaves the container and spout in normal positions until the level sensor 14 detects the end of filling.

 But a dispensing device according to the invention must be designed to operate without any surveillance and must therefore include security to prevent false maneuvers, fraud or acts of vandalism.

 A wrong maneuver is to manually raise the spout and the sensor 14 above the container before it is filled and keep it raised. In this case, the liquid continues to flow and overflows the container since the level sensor is no longer reached. The liquid flowing from the containers of the container alerts the customer and the latter is thus brought to remedy itself by letting down the spout.

 Another misconception that could be fraudulent could be to lift the spout before the end of filling, remove the container and go away by leaving the spout return to the rest position. In this case, to prevent the spout from continuing to flow, it is expected that the contact of the switch 17 controls the closing of the solenoid valve in the case where the level sensor has not done so. The switch 17 thus plays a double function of prohibiting the opening of the solenoid valve at the beginning of a cycle as long as the pouring spout is in the low position and closing the solenoid valve when the spout returns to its position. rest without the level sensor having commanded this closure.

 But you also need to avoid the next customer having to pay the cash taken by the previous customer or having to pay the cash. For this, it is expected that the contact of the switch 17 controls the printing of the ticket and the reset of the counting unit if these operations were not controlled by the level sensor. Alternatively, it can be provided that in all cases it is the contact of the switch 17 which controls the printing of the ticket and the reset of the pulse counter.

 Fig. 4 shows a partial vertical section of a second embodiment of a bulk liquid dispensing apparatus.

 Figure 5 is an axial section on a larger scale of the lower end of the spout.

 Figure 6 is a cross-section along VI-VI of Figure 5.

 The parts homologous to those of FIG. 1 are represented by the same references.

 This embodiment differs from the previous one by the design of the spout of variable height. In this example, the spout can move vertically to fit the height of the container. This spout comprises an inner tube 21 which is connected by a hose 22 to a liquid storage tank through a solenoid valve 10 and a volume sensor 11.

 The spout 21 carries, at its lower end, a level sensor 14 which is placed inside a small tube 13 located inside the tube 21. The level sensor is identical to that of Figure 1 and it fulfills the same function.

 The tube 21 slides vertically in a guiding means for example in a tube 23 of larger diameter. The tube 21 comprises fins 24 which are engaged in vertical slots 25 cut in the tube 23. The fins 24 prevent the tube 21 from rotating on its axis and the ends of the slots 25 serve as high and low stops which limit the travel of the tube. inner tube. The height of the slots 25 is slightly greater than the difference in height between the highest and the smallest of the containers 6 that can be used.

 Of course, the tube 23 could be replaced by any other guide means, for example by vertical rods.

 A spring 26 is placed in the space between the inner tube and the outer tube.

 A handle 27, attached to the outer tube allows to maintain it manually in the low position where the end of the tube is engaged in the neck of a container 6, as shown in Figure 1.

 When releasing the handle, the spring 26 recalls the inner tube to its rest position which is the high position.

Of course, the spring 26 can be replaced by equivalent means. For example the tube 21 may be suspended from a spring which is stretched when the tube 21 is lowered or suspended between a counterweight.

 Alternatively, the hose 22 may be wound on a spring winder which tends to rewind when reeling and reminding the tube 21 to the high rest position.

 A limit switch 28 detects the high rest position of the inner tube 21. This switch performs certain functions of the switch 17 of Figure 1. It prohibits the opening of the solenoid valve 10 at the beginning of a cycle. It also controls the printer and resetting of the counting unit when printing is complete, if it is operated during a cycle before the level sensor 14.

 The lower end of the tube 21 comprises a presence detector of the container 6, which is shown on a larger scale in FIG. 5. This detector comprises a ring 29 which slides outside the tube 21 between two rims or stop rings 30 and 31. The upper rim 30 carries a microswitch 32 whose contact is closed by the sliding ring when the latter is in the up position.

 The ring 29 comprises a rim 33 or radial arms whose outer diameter corresponds to that of the widest necks, which bears on the upper edge of the neck of the container 6 when the spout is lowered inside thereof which has the effect of pushing the ring upwards and closing a contact of the switch 32. This contact is incorporated in the chain of the presence detection contacts of the container 6 which are mounted in series and which prohibit the opening of the solenoid valve 10 as long as one of them is open.

 The contact of the switch 32 forces the customer to maintain the spout 21 engaged in the neck of the container during the entire filling and therefore accurately determines the position of the level sensor 14 relative to the upper edge of the neck of the container.

 If the customer releases traction on the handle 27, the contact 32 opens and it controls the closure of the solenoid valve and the stop of the distribution.

 The switch 32 associated with the sliding ring 29 is a very sure way to detect the presence of the container 6 and the actual introduction of the spout into the neck. As a result, in this embodiment, it may be possible to use the contact of the switch 32 to replace the manual control button of a beginning cycle.

 The same sliding ring detection device can be used on the pouring spout 2 hinged about a horizontal axis shown in FIG. 1. However, in the case where the elbow end 2a of the spout engages obliquely. in a neck the sliding ring may not function reliably. Therefore, in the case of an articulated spout 2, it is expected to use, preferably, an optical detector of presence of the container 6 under the spout.

 There is shown in Figure 1 an embodiment of such a detector which comprises a light source 18 located in the vertical plane perpendicular to the axis 7 which is swept by the spout.

 The light source 18 is located for example slightly below the front edge of the sink 3 and it emits an oblique light beam 19 which passes slightly below the free end of the beak towardsenr in the rest position and which is received by a photoelectric detector 20 located on the vertical wall of the cabinet 1 or behind a hole of this wall. The detector 20 receives the light beam 19 if it is not intercepted by a container 6. It is obviously possible to invert the light source and the photoelectric detector or put them side by side and place a mirror at the other end This position in the vertical plane swept by the pouring spout makes it possible to use only one light beam which is interrupted by a container 6 which necessarily intersects this vertical plane if it is placed under the spout, but which can also cut it even if it is not exactly under the spout.

 In this embodiment, the clear channel plate 5 comprises a slot or a vacuum located at the intersection of the plate and the vertical plane swept by the spout. This vacuum allows the drops of liquid to fall to the bottom of the sink without leaving a trace on the plate where cleanliness. It also allows the free passage of the light beam and thus allows to place the light source or the photoelectric receiver under the plane of the plate where they are better protected.

 Fig. 7 is a top view of another embodiment of a container light detector.

 We see in this figure a sink 3 supporting a slatted deck 5 which has a slot 34 located in the median vertical plane passing through the spout 2. It also shows the air intake 12, the solenoid valve 10 and the vertical wall 1 of the cabinet carrying the horizontal axis of articulation 7 of the spout. Dotted is the projection of a container for example a bottle. The spout 2 is shown in its rest position. The detection of the container 6 is carried out by means of two or three light rays 35, 36, 37 which go from a transmitter to a receiver and which are situated in a horizontal or slightly inclined plane placed above the plate 5 and which intersect the location of the smaller containers 6 under the spout, so that regardless of the shape and height of the container, the three spokes are interetected. The contacts of the three receivers are for example closed contacts in case of interception of the light beam which are placed in series, so that it is necessary that the three spokes are intercepted simultaneously to allow the opening of the solenoid valve 10, this avoids opening in the case where the container is not placed exactly in the desired position.

 In the case where the level sensor 14 is constituted by two electrodes placed in a tube 13 which is open at the upper end, it is advantageous to connect the tube 13 to the discharge of a small fan which automatically blows from the air in the tube 13 when the spout is in the rest position in order to dry the electrodes and to avoid the risk of parasitic conduction by drops of liquid making electrical contact between the two electrodes 14a or between one of them and the mass of the tube 13.

 FIG. 8 is an overall diagram of one embodiment of the electronic circuits constituting the logical unit of a dispensing apparatus according to the invention.

 The marks 51 to 58 represent AND logic gates.

The mark 59 represents an OR logic gate. The marks 60, 61, 62, 63 are JK type flip-flops.

JK flip-flops have two logic inputs
J and K and two logic outputs Q and Q, a clock input CK and a reset terminal reset.

The operation of these flip-flops is summarized in the truth table below.
JK CK QQ 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1

Qn = Qn - 1 Qn = Qn - 1
Qn = O Qn =
Qn = 1 Qn = O
Qn = On - 1 Qn = Qn - I
The outputs of the flip-flop change polarity after the falling edge of a clock pulse.

 The truth table shows that if J = K = 1, the flip-flop acts as a divider by two clock pulses.

 Figure 8 shows two flip-flops 60, 61 associated with two AND gates 52 and 55 with two inputs. The two inputs of the gate 52 are respectively connected to the Q output of the flip-flop 60 and to the Q output of the flip-flop 61. The two inputs of the flip-flop 55 are respectively connected to the Q output of the flip-flop 60 and the Q output of flip-flop 61.

It is known that such an arrangement makes it possible to obtain slots of a definite duration equal to the period of the clock, whatever the duration of the pulses received on the inputs J and K of the first flip-flop. This assembly replaces the monostables to emit a certain duration of time.

 If, for example, the inputs J and K of the two flip-flops are at zero and the input J of the flip-flop 60 is taken to the polarity 1 for any duration, at the first falling edge of the clock Q60 and J61 go to value 1 while Q60 and K61 take the value 0.

On the second falling edge of the clock, the exits
Q60 and Q60 do not change. Output Q61 is 1 and output Q61 is 0.

 Thus, at the output of gate 55, a slot is obtained which begins with a first falling edge of the clock signal and ends with the next falling edge, ie a signal whose duration is equal to the clock period.

 In Figure 8 is found the electromagnet 10a which controls the solenoid valve 10 and which is excited through an amplifier 10b for amplifying the logic signals that control the electromagnet.

There is also the volume sensor or flowmeter 11 which emits pulses each of which represents a unit of volume
The flow meter It emits for example 300 pulses per liter, so that each pulse represents a unit volume equal to 3.33 ml. It is assumed that the dispenser is intended to supply containers with a maximum capacity of 5 liters, which corresponds to 1500 pulses.

 The marker 64 is a pulse counter with 12 binary outputs.

 The marker 65 is a memory having a capacity of 24 K bytes which contains 1500 messages of 16 bytes each. Each message indicates a volume charged and the price of it.

 The messages are stored in the memories 65, so that the address of the first byte of each message corresponding to a determined volume is expressed by the binary number transmitted on the outputs of the counter 64 when the counter has recorded this volume.

 In other words, the bit outputs of the counter 64 serve as the address for the first byte of each message stored in the memory 65.

 Each byte of the memory 65 is identified by 16 address wires whose 12 of the highest weight correspond to the 12 outputs of the counter 64 and whose 4 of the lowest weight correspond to the 4 outputs of a second bit counter 66. Counters 64 and 66 constitute the address counter of memory 65.

 The reference 67 represents a buffer memory having a capacity of 1 byte in which the 16 bytes of the message whose address has been selected at the end of the distribution are successively transferred. The mark 68 represents a printer which prints the message contained in the buffer memory.

 In the example shown, the prices to be paid corresponding to all the possible multiples of the unit volume, that is to say, to all the multiples of 3.33 ml, are thus calculated in advance and recorded in the memory 65 , which makes it possible to construct dispensing devices comprising only simple logical components without any calculation unit. When the unit prices are changed, the memory 65 is changed or the contents thereof are erased and new messages are entered corresponding to the new unit prices.

 Alternatively, one could use a calculation unit that would each time the product of the number of volume units counted by the counter 64 by the price of the volume unit contained in a memory.

 The mark 69 represents the synchronization clock which is for example an oscillator having a frequency of 1 MHz.

The reference 70 represents a frequency divider which for example divides by 50,000 the frequency of the clock and which therefore emits at 20 Hz. The reference 71 represents the small fan which is connected to the upper end of the tube 13 containing the electrodes of the level sensor 14 to dry these. The mark 71a is an amplifier that amplifies the control signal of the fan.

 The signal inputs, apart from the pulses coming from the flowmeter 11, arrive at the two terminals J and K of the flip-flop 60.

 The marker 72 represents the push-button which serves to manually control the start of a dispensing operation.

Alternatively, the manually operated pushbutton 72 may be replaced by a contact, for example by a contact of the switch 32 in the case of the spout of FIGS. 4 and 5.

 The output of the pushbutton 72 is connected to an input of the gate 51 and sends a logic signal 1 on this input when forming the contact.

 In the case of the figure, the push button 72 cancels the voltage 5 V at the input of an inverter 72a so that the output of the inverter goes to level 1.

 The other inputs of the gate 51 are connected to safety contacts 731--73n which are the contacts of the presence detectors of the container.

 In the case of the pivoting spout according to FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, the contacts 731 73n are in particular the contacts of the receivers corresponding to the rays. 35, 36, 37 of Figure 7.

 If the light beam is not interrupted, the photoelectric receivers emit a signal 0.

 Another detector is a contact of the switch 17 which emits a signal 0 if the spout is in the rest position. Another safety contact may be a switch actuated by the plate 5 which emits a signal 0 as no container is passed on the plate.

 In the case of the sliding spout according to Figures 4 and 5, one of the contacts 731 is a contact of the switch 32 which emits a signal 0 as the ring 29 is not in abutment against the switch. In this case, the signal emitted by the sliding ring 29 indicates, very reliably, the presence of a container and can be satisfied with a single safety contact.

An input of the gate 51 is connected through an inverter 74 to the Q output of the flip-flop 62 to prohibit
a new distribution during ticket printing.

 The door 51 is an authorization door which passes the control signal emitted by the push button 72 only if all the security conditions are fulfilled.

 The input K of the flip-flop 60 receives the end of filling signals which control the closing of the solenoid valve 10 and the printing of a tag. The input K is connected to the output of the OR gate 59. A first input of the gate 59 is connected to the output of the level sensor 14 which emits a signal 1 (M 5V) at the end of filling of the container. A second input of the gate 54 is connected through the gate 54 to a contact 75 which Hz outputs a logic signal 1 when the spout returns to the idle position. In the case of the swivel spout, the contact 75 is a contact of the switch 17. In the case of the sliding spout, the contact 75 is a contact of the switch 28. The second input of the door 54 is connected to an auxiliary contact of the solenoid valve 10 which emits a logic signal 1 when the solenoid valve is open.

 The stop signal is normally sent to the input K of the flip-flop 60 by the level sensor 14. However, if it has not been sent by this sensor when the beak returns to the rest position, and if the the solenoid valve is still open at this time, it is the contact 75 which then controls the end of a filling cycle, that is to say the closing of the solenoid valve and the printing of a ticket.

 The two inputs J and K of the flip-flop 63 are constantly at level 1 (+ 5V), so that the flip-flop 63 serves to halve the frequency coming out of the divider 70 in order to synchronize the print enable signal that is emitted by the gate 56 with the incrementation signal of the counter 66.

 The Q output of the flip-flop 61 is at level 1 continuously throughout the filling. The Q output of the flip-flop 62 is at level 1 continuously throughout the printing operation and this signal, inverted by the inverter 74, inhibits the gate 51 for the duration of printing and editing. 'a ticket.

 The resets of the flip-flops 60, 61, 62 and 63 are connected in parallel, which makes it possible to reset all the flip-flops at the same time.

 The gate 58 has four inputs which are respectively connected to each of the four outputs of the counter 66.

 When the output of the counter 66 indicates the binary number 15 all the outputs are at level 1 and the output of the gate 58 goes to level 1. This output, which is connected to the input K of the flip-flop 62, switches the output ci and the output Q of the flip-flop 62 passing at level 1 opens the door 53 which controls the printing.

 The operation is as follows.

Initially, the J and K inputs of all flip-flops are at the zero level, the Q outputs at the O level, and the outputs
Q at level 1. Door 57 is blocked and no counting can occur. The solenoid valve is closed.

 The doors 52 and 53 are blocked. When a customer presses the filling button 72, if all the safety contacts 731 ... 73n are at level 1, the door 51 passes the logic signal 1. The flip-flops 60 and 61 switch and a pulse, whose duration is equal to the clock period, is issued by gate 55 as already explained. The output of the gate 55 is connected to the reset counters 64 and 66 and they are reset automatically by the action on the push button 72. in this example.

 Alternatively, one could achieve a scheme in which the resetting of the counters would be controlled by the end of printing.

 At the same time, the passage at level 1 of the output Q of the flip-flop 61 controls the opening of the solenoid valve 10. The liquid distribution begins. The flowmeter 11 emits pulses which pass through the gate 57 which opened at the same time as the solenoid valve. The counter 64 counts the pulses emitted by the flowmeter.

 When one of the two inputs of the OR gate 59 receives a signal at level 1 indicating either the end of filling or the return of the spout in the rest position before the solenoid valve is closed, the input K of the flip-flop 60 goes to level 1, the input J then being at zero level, the flip-flops 60 and then 61 switch, the Q outputs go to the zero level and the gate 52 emits a pulse in square whose duration is equal to a clock period .

The zero level crossing of the Q output of the flip-flop 61 controls the closing of the solenoid valve 10 and blocks the door 57. The counter 64 no longer receives pulses. The slot emitted by the gate 52 passes the J input of the flip-flop 62 to 1 and the Q output passes to level 1 on the falling edge of the next clock pulse. This passage at level 1 of the exit
Q of the flip-flop 62 closes the door 51 prohibiting the beginning of a new cycle. It unlocks the gate 53 which allows the pulses emitted by the Q output of the flip-flop 63 to pass at the frequency of 10 Hz. At the same time, the passage at level 1 of the Q output of the flip-flop 62 controls the start-up of the small fan 71.

The output of the gate 53 is connected to the validation input of the buffer memory 67
The sixteen pulses emitted by the gate 53 advance the outputs of the counter 66 by 15 steps corresponding to the 16 bytes of the message.

 Each pulse validates the buffer memory 67 and transfers thereto, one after the other, the 16 bytes composing the message whose address has been selected by the counter 64.

 The output of the gate 56 delivers a signal synchronous with that delivered by the gate 53, but of twice the duration, and this signal serves as a validation signal for the printer 68, that is to say that it commands the printing of the byte that has just been transferred into the buffer (signal called "strobe").

 When all the outputs of the counter 66 are at level 1, that is 16 bytes have been transferred to the buffer and printed, the output of the gate 58 goes to level 1, which switches the memory 62.

 The impression is finished. The door 51 is open, and the apparatus is ready to execute a new filling order under the control of the push button 72.

 The diagram of FIG. 8 corresponds to an embodiment in which the closure of the solenoid valve 10 and the printing of a message are simultaneously controlled by a signal emitted by the OR gate 59 which comes either from the level sensor 14, either contact 75 of rest position of the spout.

 Alternatively, one can separate the closure of the solenoid valve of the printer control. For example, the closure of the solenoid valve may be controlled by the level sensor or by a safety contact, for example by a contact of the switch 17 in the case of a swivel spout or by the contact 32. in the case of the sliding spout, and printing is controlled in all cases by the return to the rest position of the spout, that is to say by a contact of the switch 17 or by the switch 28 .

Claims (15)

 A method for automatically dispensing a measured volume of a liquid food into a container (6), which is placed under a spout (2, 2a, 21), which is provided with a solenoid valve (10) and a volume sensor (11) which is movable in height and which is automatically recalled to a rest position at the end of a distribution, characterized in that  said container (6) is placed under the pouring spout (2, 21) and said spout is engaged in the neck of the container;  the opening of the solenoid valve (10) which opens only if the presence of a container under the spout is detected by one or more presence detectors of a container (17, 20, 32) ;;  - A level sensor (14) placed at the end of the spout automatically controls the closure of the solenoid valve when it detects the presence of liquid in the neck of the container;  - And a contact (17, 28), which detects the return of the spout in the rest position, controls the printing of a ticket indicating the price to be paid and the closing of said solenoid valve (10) if it does not was not closed by said level sensor (14).  2. Apparatus for automatically dispensing variable volumes of a liquid food into containers (6) which are placed under a spout (2, 2a, 21) and to publish a ticket indicating the price to be paid, of the type comprising a reservoir bulk storage of said liquid, which is equipped with one or more pouring spouts (2, 2a, 21) of variable height, which are connected to said tank through a solenoid valve (10) and through a volume measurement means of liquid flow, which are each placed above a sink (3) having a slatted plate (5), on which the containers to be filled are placed and further comprising a printer (68) which is automatically controlled by a logical unit that determines the price to be paid and means that control the opening and closing of said solenoid valve, characterized in that each spout (2, 2a, 21) comprises a volume sensor (14). which is placed upstream of said electrovalve ne (10) and a liquid level sensor (14) which is placed in the vicinity of the end of said spout (2a, 21) and which automatically controls the closing of said solenoid valve (10) when it detects the presence of the liquid.  3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the spout (2, 21) is automatically biased by a spring (8, 16) to a rest position and comprises a switch (17, 28) which prohibits the opening of said solenoid valve (10) when said spout is at rest, characterized in that said switch (17, 28) automatically controls the closing of said solenoid valve (10) and the printing of a ticket if these operations have not been controlled by said level sensor (14) during a filling cycle.  4. Apparatus according to any one of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that said spout carries a small tube (13), wherein is placed said level sensor (14), whose lower end is open and is adjacent to the lower end of said spout.  5. Apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that said level sensor is constituted by two electrodes (14a) which are located in said small tube (13) near the lower end thereof and the upper end said small tube (13) is open.  6. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the upper end of said small tube (13) is connected to the discharge of a small fan (71) which is started automatically at the end of each dispensing cycle.  7. Apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that it comprises a volume sensor (11) which emits pulses each corresponding to a very small unit volume having passed through said sensor, a binary counter (64). ) which counts said pulses, a memory (65), in which messages are recorded indicating the volume and the price to be paid corresponding to all possible integer multiple numbers of said unit volume, said binary counter (64) acting as a counter of addresses of said memory; a buffer (67) in which the message contained in the address indicated by said counter is transferred at the end of distribution and a printer (68) which prints and delivers a ticket containing the message contained in said buffer memory.  8. Apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that said spout comprises an air intake (12) which is placed immediately downstream of said solenoid valve (10).  9. Apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that said spout comprises means (8, 29) which requires to maintain the pouring spout against the upper edge of the neck during filling, which determines precisely the position of said level sensor (14) relative to the upper edge of the neck and the volume of the neck between this position and the upper edge is greater than the volume of the spout located downstream of said solenoid valve.  10. Apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that the lower end of said spout (2a, 21) carries a ring (29) which slides outside said spout and which carries a collar or radial arms (33) bearing against the upper edge of the neck of said container (6), which ring is interposed between two stops (30, 31) and the upper stop carries a switch (32) which is actuated by the ring when said spout is engaged in the neck of a container, which switch has a contact that prevents the opening of the solenoid valve and automatically controls the closing thereof.  11. Apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 10, wherein the spout (2) is articulated about a horizontal axis (7) and is biased by a spring (8) to a low rest position in which it actuates a switch (17), characterized in that said switch (17) comprises a contact which prevents the opening of said solenoid valve (10) as long as said spout is in the rest position and a second contact which automatically controls the printing a ticket and closing said solenoid valve (10) if these operations were not controlled by said level sensor.  12. Apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that it comprises a presence detector of a container under the spout which is composed of a light emitter and a photoelectric receiver located in the vertical plane which is perpendicular to said horizontal axis (7) and which is swept by said spout and the straight line connecting the transmitter to the receiver passes below the position of the lower end (2a) of said pourer in the rest position.  13. Apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of photoelectric detectors for the presence of a container (6) under said spout which are each composed of a light emitter and a photoelectric receiver. which are located at a level between the top of said plate (5) and the level of the lower end of said pouring spout (2a) in the rest position and the light rays (35, 36, 37) running from the transmitter to the pedestal are parallel to each other, substantially horizontal and intersect the location of the smaller containers placed under the spout and the contacts of all the receivers are connected in series in an opening permit circuit of said solenoid valve.  14. Apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that said spout is constituted by a vertical tube (21) which slides in a vertical guide means (23) which is biased by a spring (26) to a high rest position and which comprises a handle (27) for engaging in a container and to maintain it there.  15. Apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that it comprises a first switch (28) which is actuated by said spout when it is in the high rest position and which controls the printing of a ticket if the latter it has not been controlled by said level sensor (14) and a second switch (32) which is actuated by a sliding ring (29) when said spout is engaged in the neck of a container, which second switch ( 32) prohibits the opening of the solenoid valve (10) and automatically controls the closing thereof when said ring is not pressed against said switch.