WO1999036347A1

WO1999036347A1 - An automated retail liquor measurement system

Info

Publication number: WO1999036347A1
Application number: PCT/GB1998/000091
Authority: WO
Inventors: Derek Neville Plimley
Original assignee: Innline International Ltd.
Priority date: 1996-05-21
Filing date: 1998-01-13
Publication date: 1999-07-22
Also published as: GB2314832A; GB9610614D0; GB2314832B

Abstract

A dispense measurement system which is automated by virtue of the fact that it will continuously monitor product flow without the need for manual input. The essential component part within this invention is the electronic sensor which directly detects the presence of the specific retail product and distinguishes it from any other medium which may be present in that working environment, be it cleaning fluid, flushing fluid or any other alien substance monitored within the sensing unit. Furthermore the electronic sensor is specific to its intended working environment in that it provides information utilising the analysis of light intensity which is subsequently able to provide the ultimate change of state information within the product/alien substance registers to ensure total system automation.

Description

An automated retail liquor measurement system

This invention relates to an automated retail liquor measurement system

The drink hospitality sector has for some time being using types of till technology which can identify individual product sales. Such till technology can produce theoretical stock levels, however sales registered are not necessarily an accurate measurement of dispense. Stock checks produce a better understanding of where discrepancies exist between sales and dispense. Such stock checks are time consuming, it is a service often provided by outside companies. Due to such cost and time factors the stock check is generally a monthly audit, and as such provides a retrospective understanding of profitability. With regard to draught beer it is often impossible to identify the cause of loss, or to separate waste or spillage from theft. As a consequence losses in the industry are generally accepted to varying degrees.

The invention has been principally developed with regard to draught beer, however it is sufficiently suitable in the measurement of any free flow product such as lemonades fruit juices and other non-alcoholic products within the Hospitality Industry and other retail environments. For this reason further reference to such free flowing dispensed items, the term 'product' or 'retail product' is used within this description and the subsequent claims attached. Furthermore the term alien product may also be used which refers to the dispense of other substances which are not intended for retail sale, these may be cleaning, flushing or any other substances not intended for retail sale.

Current systems exist which provide a separate measurement of dispense but requiie the cooperation of the on site operator to ensure the information is reliable. The involvement of the operator is required to separate beer dispense from cleaning or flushing procedures. To date there is no system available to provide an automated real time comparison between sales and dispense. Such a total solution for this market sector should be capable of both interfacing with a variety of till systems, and once initialised or commissioned, should not require manual input at any point during normal operating conditions . As a dispense monitoring system is effectively a policing system to ensure stock control it can not operate successfully unless automated.

According to the present invention there is provided a means to separate the amount of metered retail product by electronically detecting whether the product is present in the line as opposed to cleaning, flushing or any other alien solution. This system can also provide a complete historical record of both retail product and cleaning or other alien fluid dispense procedures. The product dispense information can interface with registered sales and display any discrepancy between these two quantities.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which :-

Figure 1) Shows the light source and receiver or detector within the product sensing unit in relation to a section of tube which can act as the in-line sensing chamber. Figure 2) Shows the relationship between the measured product, the meter, the sensor, the Till and the PC.

Figure 3) Shows a flow chart illustrating the automatic product sensor, its interface with the flowmeter and subsequent display on the site PC.

Figure 4) Shows an alternative relationship between light source and receiver where variation of light intensity (4.1) and or frequency (4.2) are the fundamental sources of achieving optimum calibration or sensitivity.

Referring to the drawing of the product sensor (Figure 1), it comprises of a blue frequency light source of approximately 470 nanometres (A), however other colour of light (or light frequency) could be employed within this same design, and light detector (B) which are placed at opposite ends of a length of tube (C) which acts as the measurement chamber. The light sensitive cell produces a varying electronic output dependant upon light absorbed by the measured liquid in the chamber. Sensitivity may be further enhanced by increasing or decreasing the length (L) of the measurement chamber (C). This changing analogue output is electronically amplified within the control unit (D) and converted to a digital output to be received as a switching signal within the flowmeter. A typical example of suitable light source is Part Number UL89W, available from Maplin Ltd in the United Kingdom and a suitable Light Sensitive Cell or Detector is MPY54C569 available from Farnell Ltd (United Kingdom Part Number 179611). The combination of these components produces a variation in electrical resistance of between 1.2M ohms where little product colour is detected to in excess of 20M ohms for darker products. These readings are typical when using a measurement chamber length (L) of approximately 170mm.

Sensitivity can also be adjusted by electronically increasing and decreasing the level of light intensity as shown in figure 4.1 or by optically filtering the light source as shown in figure 4.2. With the application of such light intensity adjustment the need to provide a measurement chamber with variable length (L) as a method of providing a means of calibration, or sensitivity adjustment can be either replaced or substituted with a fixed distance between light source and detector. The ability to vary the light source intensity can allow a fixed distance between the light source and detector, which may then be mounted at the opposite sides of a cross section of tubing as shown in figure 4. Furthermore the combination of varying measurement chamber length and light source intensity, either by optical or electrical means or by the employment of the adjustment of all variables (distance between light source and detector, adjustment of light intensity and frequency by either optical or electrical means or both) can be employed to enhance the sensitivity of the invention.

In (Figure 2) the sensor unit is fitted in the metered product line, and the pre-set digital output is used to switch the micro controller within the InnLine flowmeter (E) to enable a change of state from product metering to cleaning flushing fluid metering, or vice versa. Memory of flow volume can be retained within both the product flow and cleaning flow registers (see figure 3) of the flowmeter micro controller, whilst also being transmitted to the appropriate registers in either the site PC, or InnLine 'Data-Logging' unit (Figure 3 - K) The sensor unit configuration produces an analogue change within the light sensitive cell or detector which is converted into a digital on off signal set at a parameter either manually or automatically. In the manual set up mode an electronic means of adjustment is provided through the inclusion of a variable control setting which can use a variable resistance as a method of adjustment to pre-set the digital output. This manual set up is satisfactory when both the cleaning fluid and the flushing fluid produce sufficient transparency to separate them both from the lesser transparency of the metered product which is sold to the public or vice-versa. Where the transparency of the flushing fluid is greater or more than the retail product, but the transparency of the cleaning product is lower or less than the retail product, or vice-versa, then the automatic set-up method can be employed. With the automatic set-up method the analogue output of the product produced by the sensor is constantly monitored, and the exact electrical output whether it be voltage current or resistance produced by the retail product in the line is monitored. Whilst observing the product output level an acceptable upper and lower parameter may be included as a tolerance factor which can also be a part of the program within the sensor design. This parameter can allow for a changing analogue output which may occur due to electrical drift, or may be due to a progressive change in the measurement environment which may occur for any reason. The automatic set-up sensor can also at frequent intervals re-calibrate itself or re-zero itself to ensure it is set-up to monitor the analogue output produced at the time of or requirement for such automatic re-calibration. This can ensure that the analogue output produced when the retail product is in the line is more often than not at the mid way point between the upper and lower parameters which can be pre-set within the sensing unit. These possible upper and lower parameter levels are referred to as the product window. With this automatic version of the sensor it is possible to identify not only the differences between cleaning or flushing fluid and the retail product, but to also detect when a change of retail product has taken place. Such a change may be due to the introduction of a new retail product, or the introduction of alien substances in the original product.

Data produced from the output due to changes produced by different retail products monitored by the product detector can also be used to establish a 'product profile'. From the understanding of differing product profiles a database of information of the electrical or electronic properties of each and every retail product may be established. With the combination of some or all of the variables referred to in this description regarding sensitivity adjustment, it is also possible to identify the individual product dispensed. With this information an InnLine table of product profiles can be created to identify product dispense when required.

The initial set-up of this automatically calibrating sensor does not require any manual adjustment at the sensing unit. Set-up can be initiated either from the on site PC or remotely through telephone technology from Head Office or elsewhere. In this auto-calibrate or auto-setup routine a program can be initiated from or through the site PC after the retail product is present in the line or lines to be monitored. An electronic or computerised instruction, sent on the serial bus to the processor within the metering unit can instruct the sensor to create the product window from the analogue output being produced by the sensor at that time. It is also possible to send this same instruction directly from PC to sensor. The InnLine software programme ninning on the site PC can also allow the system user to access information about how much of either fluid was or is being dispensed. The option to access historical information is also available and can be used to reveal how much of either product was dispensed on any date, between any two dates or on an hourly or part thereof 'data log interval' of the users choice. The option to provide real time sales and dispense information is also accessible by merging real time product flow data with real time sales data.

An additional interface can be provided within the PC software to enable the merge of product flow data with registered sales from the operators EPOS system (J). This link can provide the system user with a complete current or historical account of profit and loss information for all metered or measured products.

In (Figure 3) a logic flow chart is shown illustrating the relationship between the product sensor, essential components within the flowmeter and the on-site PC. The inclusion of the InnLine 'Data logger (K) is an option which allows the system user to run the invention on any existing site PC. The 'Data Logger' continuously monitors product dispense on a real time basis. The interface between on site PC and the Data Logger, which may be through either serial port or network connection, will 'download' all information stored at a pre-set time which is a variable element of the InnLine PC 'view program'. The data logger stores time and date stamped dispense information, consuming site PC processor time only at the pre-set download time, or at the time of a manually requested spot check ('X Reading') or during the initial PC 'Start-Up' procedure. The InnLine Data Logger is designed to record data for an extensive period which allows the on site operator to switch the site viewing PC on or off with the full assurance of system integrity. With Modem or other telephone interface technology it is also possible to remotely interrogate or download data from either this Data Logging unit from any authorised remote place, or again remotely through the existing on site PC. Any authorised user can access information directly from the site PC.

The InnLine Data Logger is not required if specific site security is not a serious concern, and or if use of existing site PC processor time is of no concern. In these circumstances the invention can be operated and viewed from either the existing site PC or a bespoke PC solely dedicated to the invention. In either such event the system can operate connected directly to a personal computer system without such a data logging interface.

Claims

1) An automated retail liquor measurement system comprises a means to meter retail product dispense which electronically detects whether the correct product is present in the line metered as opposed to cleaning solution, flushing solution, beer gas air or any other alien substance.

2) An automated retail liquor measurement system as claimed in Claim 1 which detects whether product is present in the line by the analysis of the level of light absorbed between a light source of known frequency and intensity, and a light sensitive cell referred to as a detector.

3) An automated retail liquor measurement system as claimed in Claim 1, or Claim 2 produces an electronic analogue change within a light sensitive cell. The cell output is amplified and switched at a pre-set value to produce an on/off signal to the microprocessor within the InnLine flowmeter. This change of state information switches the invention from its product flow register into a second, possibly alien substance or line cleaning register, or vice versa. The change of state information is then transmitted to an InnLine data logger and or site PC.

4) An automated retail liquor measurement system as claimed in Claim 1, Claim 2 or Claim 3 which includes the ability for the analogue output from the beer sensor to automatically calibrate itself to recognise the designated retail product in the line. This is achieved by including an electronic detection window within the beer sensor design which recognises the specific electrical output (by voltage or current or resistance measurement) for the retail product measured and metered. The 'calibration setting' signal can be initiated from the flowmeter or remotely at the time of original calibration, or at such time that the designated retail product type or manufacture is changed.

5) An automated retail liquor measurement system as claimed in Claim 1, Claim 2, Claim 3 or Claim 4 is produced by a light source and detector which are placed at opposite ends of a tubular cross section, and the tube length is one component part of the calibration of the design, in that greater tube length provides increased sensitivity when detecting beers with little colour.

6) An automated retail liquor measurement system as claimed in Claim 1, Claim 2, Claim 3, Claim 4 or Claim 5 produced by a light source of variable intensity and frequency as an alternative or additional means of providing calibration adjustment. 7) An automated retail liquor measurement system as claimed in any preceding claim, which provides a complete historical record of both product dispense and cleaning or other procedures recorded and logged at either frequent intervals or on a real time basis. The product dispense information can interface with registered sales and displays any discrepancy or variance between these two quantities.

8) An automated retail free flow monitoring system as claimed in any preceding claim, and is required to automatically interface with the metering equipment.

9) An automated retail liquor measurement system as described herein with reference to Figures 1-4 of the accompanying drawings.