AU628296B2

AU628296B2 - Beverage dispensing valve

Info

Publication number: AU628296B2
Application number: AU23468/88A
Authority: AU
Inventors: George J. Jarocki
Original assignee: Coca Cola Co
Current assignee: Coca Cola Co
Priority date: 1987-10-23
Filing date: 1988-10-05
Publication date: 1992-09-17
Anticipated expiration: 2008-10-05
Also published as: BR8805453A; EP0313384A1; KR890006512A; CN1035476A; ZA887608B; AU2346888A; JPH01240494A

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

Int. Class Class Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification Lodged: A dep ted: Published: .tiority -:Related Art: APLCN'SRFRNC:R S66(45 N ame(s) of Applicant(s): 00 The Coca Cola Company Address(es) of Applicant(s):

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310 North Ryde Avenue *Z'I, Atana Georgia, B031-3 UNITED STATES OF AM4ERICA.

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1e .0 .4Address for Service is: PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 367 Collins Street Melbourne 3000,AUSTRALIA Complete Specification for the invention entitled: BEVERGE DISPENISING VALVE Our Ref 108752 POP Code: 78750/78750 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to applicant(s): 6003q/1 -1 rNO- BEVERAGE DISPENSING VALVE Background of the Invention The present invention relates to postmix beverage dispenser valves such as for soft drinks and juices, and in particular to the use of a fluidic oscillator as a volumetric flowmeter in such a valve.

Traditional postmix beverage dispensing valves include separate water (carbonated or still) and syrup (or concentrate) conduits and separate flow regulators located therein upstream of electrically or mechanically actuated on/off control valves. Each flow regulator utilizes a spring-loaded cylindrical piston as a combination of force and valving element; the piston is able to reciprocate freely within the cylinder and respond to the pressure difference at the two ends of the cylinder, as shown, for example, in U.S. Patent 4,230,147; 3,422,842; and 2,984,261.

The function of the piston and cylinder assembly is to maintain a constant pressure differential across the metering orifice machined directly in the face of the cylindrical piston, and to thus provide a constant flow regardless of the fluid pressure changes at the dispensing valve inlets. The flow regulator components operate at low force levels and operation at low force levels has a drawback of fostering hysteresis because of contaminants interposed between moving parts, and close fit between the parts themselves. Furthermore, it has been experienced that free pistons sometimes tend to stick in the regulator cylinder without regard to fit and finishing of the piston and the cylinder.

TRB0103J-6 More recently, improvements in such valves to control the ratio of water to syrup have included the use of flow meters and control elements, as shown, for example, in U.S.

Patent 4,487,333. The known flow meters are relatively expensive and include moving parts.

Summary of the Present Invention It is an object of the present invention to overcome some of the problems in postmix beverage dispensing valves using either the above-mentioned flow regulators or the known flow meters.

According to the present invention there is provided a postmix beverage dispenser valve comprising: a body having a syrup conduit and a water conduit therethrough for carrying syrup and water, "respectively, from respective inlet ports to a mixing nozzle; a fluidic oscillator flowmeter in at least one of said conduits for measuring the flow therethrough and including a sensor for generating electrical signals corresponding to the said flow; a controller connected to said sensor for receiving signals therefrom and for generating control signals; and flow control means in said at least one conduit downstream from said flowmeter and connected to said controller for receiving said control signals and for controlling the flow through said flow control means.

The present invention als providesam d measuring the volumetric flow rate of any one of rup or water in a postmix beverage dispenser valve rising: feeding any one of syrup water flowing through said valve from an in port to a mixing nozzle, through a fluidi- scillator flowmeter located in said valve; generating in said valve an electrical signal G corr sponding to th flow throigh said lmet The present invention also provides a method for measuring the volumetric flow rate of any one of syrup or water in a postmix beverage dispenser valve comprising: feeding any one of syrup or water flowing through said valve from an inlet port to a mixing nozzle, through a fluidic oscillator flowmeter located in a conduit of said valve; sensing the frequency of the syrup or water oscillations in said fluidic oscillator flowmeter; generating in said valve an electrical signal corresponding to the flow through said flowmeter; feeding, electrical signal representing such frequency to a master controller; and S. controlling, in said valve, the syrup or water 15 flow downstream from said fluidic oscillator flowmeter in response to the flow through said flowmeter.

Brief Description of the Drawings S The present invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description below when read in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements and wherein: RA 2a

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-3- Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the operation of the postmix beverage dispenser valve of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the closed loop feedback control of the present invention; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a postmix beverage dispenser valve according to the present invention; Fig. 4 is a partly cross-sectional front elevational view of the valve of Fig. 3 taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3; :and; Figs. 5 is a partly cross-sectional front elevational view similar to that shown in Fig. 4 but of an alternative embodiment.

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Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments With reference now to the drawings, Figs. 3 and 4 show a postmix beverage dispenser valve 10 according to the present invention.

The valve 10 includes a body 3,2 having a syrup conduit 14 and a separate water conduit 16 extending therethrough from syrup and water inlet ports 18 and Srespectively, to a mixing nozzle 22. Each conduit includes a fluidic oscillator flowm6ter therein upstream from a flow controller. Because these features are identical in the two conduits, a description of only one will be sufficient.

Pressurized syrup is delivered to the syrup inlet port 18 located in a detachable dispensing valve mounting block 24, flows through the syrup conduit 14, through the syrup fluidic oscillator 28, and then enters a syrup control valve 26. Fluid oscillations are sensed by a sensor located in a sensor plate 32, which is attached to the valve body 12 by screws. The sensor 30 is able to detect the TRB0103J-6 1 7; 00 0 S so 5 0 5055 0 00 @S a S@ S 0@

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changes in one of the feedback branches 34 and 36 in the fluidic oscillator 28. The frequency of the syrup oscillations is linearly related to the syrup velocity and hence to the volume flow rate. Because of the fact that the syrup velocity and pressure in the flowmeter 28 feedback branches 34 and 36 cycle between their minimum and maximum values, a variety of different types of sensors can be used to determine oscillation frequency. Pressure, thermistor, resistance temperature sensors, or other suitable means of detecting fluid oscillations can be employed, provided that the sensor output is an electrical quantity which can be accepted by a master controller 38 mounted directly above the dispensing valve body 12. The preferred sensor 30 is a resistance temperature detector (RTD), such as temperature sensitive g'rids (ETG-50) by Micro-Measurements, Inc.

With reference now also to Figs. 1 and 2, the electrical signal from the sensor 30 representing actual syrup flow rate through the dispensing valve 10 is compared by the master controller 38 with a flow reference value, as illustrated in Fig. 2. If the actual flow value is not equal to the reference set point value, the error signal is processed by the controller 38 and the resulting manipulating signal acts on the syrup control valve 26 to correct the actual flow rate. If the desired flow rate reference value is kept constant, the controller action will provide constant syrup flow rate equal to the set point.

After leaving the fluidic oscillator 28, the syrup follows a channel 40 portion of the conduit 14 (see Figs. 3 and 4) and enters a control chamber 42. Fig. 4 shows a proportional solenoid 44 with a spring loaded armature 46 working as the control valve element. The proportional solenoid 44 is a readily available commercial product. The master controller 38, which will preferably include a microprocessor, generates the manipulating signal in a form TRB0103J-6 m wherein the voltage periodically energizes the solenoid 44 for a set interval of time. The position of the solenoid armature 46 in relation to the orifice 48 in the valve seat 49 can be varied by changing the width of the pulses sent to the solenoid coil in response to the error signal. If the solenoid coil is not energized, the solenoid armature 46 is seated in the orifice 48 by a spring located on the top of the armature 46.

The proportional solenoid armature 46 as shown in Fig. 4 is subjected to varying pressure drop between the channel and a channel 51 downstream from the orifice 48. The pressure of the flowing syrup in the channel 51 and in the mixing nozzle 22 is low and close to atmospheric pressure. The pressure in channel is highly dependent on the syrup pressure applied to the dispensing valve 10 and to the pressure loss in the fluidic 15 oscillator 28. Therefore, the controller 38, whose task is to S: minimize the error signal, must compensate for the varying force .created by the pressure drop and the plunger spring Fig. 5 shows a valve 58, which is an alternative embodiment for isolating the armature 46 from the varying syrup pressure, by 20 means of a pressure compensation device 60. Fig. 5 shows a diaphragm Si and control plunger assembly 62, a control spring 64, and an outlet orifice 66, all of which comprise the pressure compensating device which maintains a small and constant pressure drop at the orifice 48, thus relieving the solenoid armature 46 from changing 25 pressures. The pressure drop at the orifice 48 can be determined by the spring 64 and the working area of the diaphragm itself.

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-6- The water side of the dispensing valves 10 and 58 operate the same as the syrup side described above, and therefore a detailed description thereof is not necessary.

In addition, as shown in Fig. 1, the master controller can, if desired, provide information on the number of drinks per day, quantity of syrup sold per day, and total syrup sales.

While the preferred embodiments of this invention have been described above in detail, it is to be understood that variations and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

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Claims

1. A postmix beverage dispenser valve comprising: a body having a syrup conduit and a water conduit therethrough for carrying syrup and water, respectively, from respective inlet ports to a mixing nozzle; a fluidic oscillator flowmeter in at least one of said conduits for measuring the flow therethrough and including a sensor for generating electrical signals corresponding to the said flow; a controller connected to said sensor for S: receiving signals therefrom and for generating control S* signals; and flow control means in said at least one conduit downstream from said flowmeter and connected to said controller for receiving said control signals and for controlling the flow through said flow control means.

2. The valve as recited in claim 1, wherein a separate one of said flowmeter and said flow control jeea are located in each of said conduits.

3. The valve as recited in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said controller includes a microprocessor.

4. The valve as recited in any one of claims 1 to 3 'wherein said flow control means is a proportional solenoid.

The valve as recited in claim 4 wherein said solenoid includes pressure compensation means for isolating its armature from varying syrup inlet pressures.

6. A method for measuring tho volumetric flow -rote of an- one of syrup or water in a postmix beverage dispen valve comprising: feeding any one of syrup o ater flowing through said valve from an in -port to a mixing nozzle, through a fluidi scillator flowmeter located in said valve; generating in said valve an electrical signal -'orrzponding to the flow through said flowmetc; and AB J 6. A method for measuring the volumetric flow rate of any one of syrup or water in a postmix beverage dispenser valve comprising: feeding any one of syrup or water flowing through said valve from an inlet port to a mixing nozzle, through a fluiidic oscillator flowmeter located in a conduit of said valve; sensing the frequency of the syrup or water oscillations in said fluidic oscillator flowmeter; generating in said valve an electrical signal corresponding to the flow through said flowmeter; feeding, electrical signal representing such loca-\e a si a '\cA \c\ve. frequency to a master controller; and controlling, in said valve, the syrup or water 15 flow downstream from said fluidic oscillator j, flowmeter in response to the flow through said flowmeter.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 including feeding 20 said syrup or water through a flow control means in said valve downstream from said fluidic oscillator flowmeter, and feeding flow control signals from said master controller to said flow control means controlling the flow of said syrup or water therethrough in response to the 25 measured syrup or water flow.

8. A postmix beverage dispenser valve according to claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 3 and 4 or Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings. DATED: 26 February 1992 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Attorneys for: THE COCA-COLA COMPANY 3027Z -8