Patent Grant
11071415
The disclosures of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/617,407, which was filed on Jan. 15, 2018, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/750,646, which was filed on Oct. 25, 2018, are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if presented herein in their entirety.
This disclosure generally relates to dispensers and, more particularly, to electronic dispensers for flexible sheet materials such as paper products.
Different types of dispensing devices for controlling quantities of paper products dispensed such as for hospitals, restrooms, and other environments have been developed in recent years. Many of these dispensers include automatic drive mechanisms that drive a feed roller to dispense selected amounts of sheet material. Such automatic drive mechanisms, however, typically employ intermeshing gears that can create significant noise during operation. Additionally, such automatic drive mechanisms may not apply a consistent driving or pulling force engaging and feeding the sheet material, which can result in inconsistent or improper feeding of the sheet material, and/or increased wearing of parts or components of the feed roller. Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for an automatic dispenser that provides for a substantially quiet and consistent dispensing or feeding of desired amounts of a sheet material, and which addresses the foregoing and other related and unrelated problems in the art.
Briefly described, the present disclosure is, in one aspect, directed to a dispenser assembly for dispensing selected amounts of a sheet material, for example, paper products, including, but not limited to, towels, tissue, napkins, etc. The dispenser assembly can include a dispenser housing and a supply of sheet material, such as a roll of sheet material, attached to at least a portion of the dispenser housing, for example, by one or more arms or supports. The dispenser assembly further may include a feed roller that is rotatably mounted within the dispenser housing and generally is configured to feed, drive, or pull a predetermined amount of sheet material of the supply of sheet material through a discharge of the dispenser. The dispenser assembly also generally can include one or more pressing rollers that are biased toward engagement with the feed roller so that the sheet material is urged and/or engaged against the feed roller such that the sheet material is pulled or drawn between the bead and pressing roller(s) during a dispensing operation.
In one embodiment, the dispenser assembly further includes a feed roller drive assembly/system for driving rotation of the feed roller to dispense selected amounts of sheet material. The drive system/assembly can include at least one driving mechanism, including a motor in communication with the feed roller to drive rotation or movement thereof. The drive system/assembly also can include a belt transmission assembly for transferring power between the motor and the feed roller. The belt transmission assembly includes a drive belt extending between the drive motor and feed roller. For example, the drive belt can engage a pulley, sheave or belt gear, or can be attached or otherwise operably coupled to a driveshaft of the motor, and further will be operatively coupled to the feed roller, e.g., by a feed roller pulley.
In one embodiment, the feed roller pulley can be attached to or engaged with the feed roller between the ends of the feed roller; for example, at or near a midpoint of the feed roller body, with the drive belt received about and operably engaging the feed roller for transferring power from the motor to the feed roller for driving rotation of the feed roller. Other coupling and driving arrangements between the feed roller and drive belt can be used, however, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The arrangement/positioning of the location/point of engagement where the drive belt engages the feed roller, further generally will be selected to facilitate the application of a substantially consistent drive force along the feed roller body, to help ensure substantially consistent feeding of the sheet material (e.g., preventing or reducing jamming and/or tearing of the sheet material) as well as increasing the working/useful life of the components of the feed roller.
The feed roller pulley can be disposed, arranged, or located along the feed roller body. In one embodiment, the feed roller pulley can be at least partially received or defined within a circumferential groove or channel defined in an outer surface of the feed roller body. Accordingly, the drive belt may be disposed within the outer, circumferential surface of the feed roller body, or a perimeter defined thereby. As another alternative, the feed roller body can include teeth or other engaging surfaces formed along its body (including at a recessed area) and which are adapted to be engaged by the drive belt. The drive belt further can include a plurality of ribs, notches, teeth or cogs disposed therealong and configured to at least partially contact or engage corresponding notches, indentations, recess, etc. between gear teeth or projections defined along a motor pulley, and along the feed roller pulley or the feed roller body.
The feed roller drive system assembly further can be substantially configured as a unit or module. The drive system with the drive belt transmission assembly also may help provide a reduction in noise in comparison to other transmissions/assemblies, such as assemblies utilizing a series of rigid, intermeshing gears, and/or drive arrangements mounted externally of the dispenser, such as drive arrangements mounted along the side of a dispenser. In addition, in another aspect, the drive belt transmission assembly may have an extended working/useful life in comparison to other components, and may allow for driving of the feed roller, and/or mechanisms/systems attached thereto or in communication therewith, using reduced power.
In one embodiment, the feed roller drive assembly or system, including the drive motor and at least a portion of the drive belt transmission assembly, can be located and/or mounted at least partially within a cavity or chamber defined within the dispenser housing. For example, the drive mechanism can be coupled to a motor housing or support that is connected to one or more interior support portions of the dispenser housing that are positioned within an interior chamber or cavity of the dispenser housing. The mounting of the motor within an interior cavity or chamber of the dispenser housing also can help substantially reduce ambient noise heard/experienced outside the dispenser housing during operation of the dispenser.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the drive belt transmission assembly also can include a tensioner assembly for creating and/or maintaining tension in the drive belt. The tensioner assembly can include a tensioner bracket movably mounted within the dispenser housing adjacent or proximate to the drive belt, and a roller configured to engage the drive belt for providing tension therealong. In one embodiment, the tensioner bracket can be biased, such as by a spring or biasing member, so as to press or engage the roller against an upper surface of the drive belt. The biasing force applied to the drive belt can be adjusted but generally will be sufficient to provide a substantially consistent tension along the drive belt to prevent slippage of the drive belt against the motor and/or feed roller pulley(s), and/or to help reduce premature wear of the drive belt.
In another embodiment, the dispenser can include a tensioned motor support assembly that includes a biasing member (e.g., a tension spring or other suitable spring or biasing member) that engages and biases the motor to prevent slippage of the drive belt. For example, at one end the biasing member can be connected to at least a portion of the housing, and at another end thereof can be connected to a support or mounting bracket (e.g., that supports the motor in a cantilever type arrangement) to bias the support/mounting bracket, and the motor supported thereby, in a manner to provide a sufficient tension force or stress along the drive belt (e.g., to prevent slippage thereof).
In additional embodiments, a tensioned motor mounting assembly can include a support frame or support portion and a base or pivot arm. The support frame/support portion is connected to and supports the motor, and further is coupled to the base (e.g., by a plurality of fasteners). The base further is moveably (e.g., slidably, pivotably, rotatably) coupled to the dispenser housing. For example, in one embodiment, the base is connected to the dispenser housing (e.g., an intermediate wall thereof) by a plurality of fasteners that are received within slots or other suitable apertures or openings that allow movement on the fasteners therealong. Alternatively, the base can be connected to the dispenser housing by a bearing assembly or other suitable mechanism that allows for rotation/pivoting of the support assembly thereabout.
The motor support assembly further includes one or more biasing members connected thereto for biasing the motor support assembly, such as to provide tension along the drive belt (e.g., to substantially prevent, reduce, or inhibit wear, slippage, etc. thereof) and/or to provide dampening for the motor/drive assembly (e.g., dampening or absorbing motor vibrations or other components of the drive system). In one example, the biasing member(s) can include a spring(s) with one end thereof connected to the frame and another end thereof connected to a portion of the dispenser housing.
Additionally, the tensioned motor mounting assembly can include a bearing or bushing that is coupled to the base (e.g., is fitted or otherwise received within an opening or aperture thereof) that at least partially supports or engages an end portion of the motor driveshaft. The bearing or bushing further generally is mounted between the base and driveshaft in a manner so as to substantially prevent, reduce, or inhibit bending or twisting of the driveshaft or components of the drive assembly (e.g., the belt gear attached to the driveshaft), and thus help substantially prevent, reduce, or inhibit uneven wear thereof or other damage thereto.
These and other advantages and aspects of the embodiments of the disclosure will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following detailed description of the embodiments and the claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the disclosure and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the disclosure as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles of the embodiments discussed herein. No attempt is made to show structural details of this disclosure in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the exemplary embodiments discussed herein and the various ways in which they may be practiced.
The following description is provided as an enabling teaching of embodiments of this disclosure. Those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that many changes can be made to the embodiments described, while still obtaining the beneficial results. It will also be apparent that some of the desired benefits of the embodiments described can be obtained by selecting some of the features of the embodiments without utilizing other features. Accordingly, those who work in the art will recognize that many modifications and adaptations to the embodiments described are possible and may even be desirable in certain circumstances. Thus, the following description is provided as illustrative of the principles of the embodiments of the present disclosure and not in limitation thereof.
As generally illustrated in
The driven feed roller drive assembly 14 can be activated to feed or drive the sheet material 12 from the supply 20 of sheet material to and through the discharge 22 of the dispenser housing 16, for example, upon receiving a signal from a control system 24 of the dispenser. An example of a control system 24 for a dispenser is shown generally in
The sensors 28 can include various type sensors or detectors, for example, including an adjustable proximity sensor that can be configured/adjusted to detect the presence of a user's hand or other object at a desired range/location and dispense measured/selected amounts of sheet material 12, or one or more pairs of IR sensors (e.g., an emitter and a corresponding detector) that are arranged about/within the discharge chute and transmit/receive signals across the discharge path to sense or detect the presence or absence of sheet material or other object within the discharge chute or otherwise along the feed path. Any suitable sensor, however, such as a photoelectric, light curtain, or other similar sensing systems/detectors, can be used to detect the presence of a user's hands or other object placed along the dispenser housing, and/or the feeding of a selected amount of sheet material 12 can be used, without departing from the present disclosure. In addition, various sensor arrays and/or control systems can be used, such as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/185,937, and Ser. No. 14/256,019, the complete disclosures of which are incorporated by reference as if set forth fully herein.
It further should be appreciated that the dispenser described herein should not be considered to be limited to any particular style, configuration, or intended use or type of sheet material. For example, the dispenser may be operable to dispense paper towels, toilet tissue, or other similar paper or sheet materials, including dispensing or feeding non-perforated and/or perforated sheet materials.
As indicated in
In some embodiments, the feed roller body 40 also may include one or more driving bands or sections 44 disposed on an outer surface 42A of the side wall 42, such as a series of driving bands being disposed on the outer surface in a spaced arrangement or configuration. The driving bands 44 may at least partially include or be comprised of rubber, plastic, resin or other, similar materials suitable to increase grip of the feed roller 18 and/or friction between the feed roller 18 and the sheet material 12 to thereby assist in the feeding or driving of the sheet material 12. It further will be understood that although some exemplary embodiments, such as illustrated in
As further shown in
As illustrated in
One or more pressing roller(s) 60 further can be disposed within a frame or other structure 66 and biased toward the feed roller such as by compressing spring 68 or other suitable springs, biased cylinders or other biasing mechanisms (
The pressing roller(s) additionally can include bands of a gripping material, such as a rubber or synthetic material, to assist in pulling the sheet material therebetween without causing damage to the sheet material as it passes between the feed roller and pressing roller(s). The engagement of the pressing rollers 60 and feed roller 18 will define nip points at upstream and downstream points along the feed path P of the sheet material 12 as the sheet material 12 is engaged and fed between the feed roller 18 and the pressing rollers. In addition, or alternatively, the pressing rollers 60 may be driven by drive mechanism, for example, off of a motor 74 that drives the feed roller or by a separate drive, so as to facilitate feeding of the sheet material 12.
In one additional aspect, the drive system/assembly 14 also can include a drive belt transmission assembly 76 for transferring power between the drive motor 74 and the feed roller 18. The drive belt transmission assembly 76 can include a drive belt 78 coupling the drive motor 74 to the feed roller 18. In one example, the drive belt 78 can engage a pulley, sheave, or belt gear 80 attached or otherwise operably connected to a driveshaft 82 of the motor 74. The drive belt 78 further can be coupled to the feed roller 18, such as by engaging a pulley, sheave, or belt gear 84 that is operatively connected to the feed roller 18, or by otherwise engaging the feed roller body 40. The pulleys 80 and 84 also can be configured with differing gear ratios to provide a desired driving force to the feed roller. By way of example, a gear ratio of about 11/6 or about 1.833 can be used in some embodiments. However, it will be understood that any suitable gear ratio, such as about 2/1, about 3/1, etc., can be used without departing from the scope of present disclosure.
In one embodiment, the feed roller pulley 84 can be attached or connected to the feed roller body 40 at a position between its ends 40A, 40B. For example, the feed roller pulley 84 may be mounted or located between the ends 40A, 40B at a position that is substantially spaced apart from both of the ends 40A, 40B. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the feed roller pulley 84 can be arranged/positioned approximately intermediate or substantially at a midpoint 86 of the feed roller body 40. Such arrangement/positioning may facilitate the application of a substantially consistent driving force along the feed roller body, which may provide consistent feeding of the sheet material (e.g., preventing or reducing jams, tears, etc.) as well as increasing the working life of the components of the feed roller.
As shown in one embodiment, the feed roller pulley 84 can be disposed at least partially within a circumferential groove 88 defined in the outer circumferential surface 42A of the feed roller body 40. Accordingly, at least a portion of the drive belt 78 may be disposed within the circumferential groove 88 and at a position that is substantially below or otherwise within a perimeter or outer boundary defined by the outer surface 42A of the feed roller body. For example, as generally illustrated in
The feed roller pulley 84 also can be integrally formed with the feed roller body 40, though other constructions are possible, without departing from the present disclosure. For example, the feed roller pulley can be a separate part/component that is coupled between two separate, symmetrical parts that can be connected/coupled together to form the feed roller body. As a further alternative, the drive belt can engage or be fitted in a driving relationship with the feed roller directly without a drive pulley or gear.
The drive belt 78 can include a synchronous belt with a plurality of ribs, notches, or cogs 94 disposed therealong that are configured to be at least partially received within corresponding notches or teeth 96/98 of the motor pulley and the feed roller pulley. Other types and/or configurations of drive belts also can be used. The drive belt assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure may substantially reduce noise in comparison to other drive transmissions/assemblies, such as drive assemblies utilizing a series of intermeshing gears. Further, the drive belt assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure may have an extended working life in comparison to other systems/assemblies, and may allow for driving of the feed roller, or mechanisms/systems attached thereto or otherwise in communication therewith, using reduced power requirement in comparison to other driving systems/assemblies.
In one embodiment, the drive belt 78 can be a type 72XL belt, having a belt width of about 10 mm and having about 32 to about 36 cogs. It will be understood, however, that the drive belt can have any suitable width, e.g., about 5 mm to about 10 mm, and/or suitable number of teeth or cogs, e.g., about 20 to about 60 cogs, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The belt and/or the cogs thereof can comprise a chloroprene rubber adhesive or other suitable elastic material, though any material can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The pitch of the cogs further can be about 4 mm to about 8 mm, and in another aspect, about 5.0 to about 6.0 mm and can have a height of about 1 to about 3 mm, and in one aspect about 1.25 mm to about 1.27 mm.
The drive belt 78 further can comprise one or more layers or plies, including a tensile layer that comprises a reinforcement, for example, fiberglass, though the belt can comprise any suitable material, e.g., other rubbers, plastics and/or composites, without departing from the present disclosure. Additionally, the drive belt 78 can include a wrapping, such as a cloth or sheet material comprising high elastic nylon, though the wrap cloth can comprise any other suitable material without departing from the present disclosure. Further, the drive belt 78 can have a thickness of about 2.0 mm to about 2.30 mm, though the belt can have any suitable thickness, e.g., about 1.5 mm to about 3.00 mm, or greater than 3.0 mm, and a tensile strength of about 60 N/mm to about 80 N/mm with an elongation of the belt generally being less than about 6%-4%. Still further, the drive belt 78 can have a hardness of about 75, though the belt may have any suitable hardness, while retaining sufficient flexibility, for example, about 65 to about 70 or about 80 to about 85, though belts with hardness values less than 65 or greater than 85 also can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
In addition, as shown in
With the drive motor 74 received within the channel 120 of the motor housing 112, the driveshaft 82 of the motor 78 may extend through an opening or aperture in a wall 118 of the motor housing 112. Additionally, one or more dampening pads, such as silicon pads 126, further may be provided, such as, at the connection of the motor housing to the supports and between the motor and the motor housing, to reduce vibration and/or noise due to operation of the motor. The internal mounting assembly of the motor within the cavity or chamber of the dispenser housing can isolate the motor so as to substantially reduce ambient noise heard/experienced outside the dispenser housing during operation of the drive mechanism.
As generally shown in
The tensioner bracket 132 further can be biased, such as by a spring 140 or other suitable biasing member, sufficient to bias or engage a roller 142 connected to the lower end 138 of the tensioner housing against an upper surface of the drive belt (
The roller 142 also can be rotatably mounted to the tensioner bracket 132 so as to roll along the moving drive belt 78. For example, one or more ends 142A/B of the roller 142 can be snap-fitted within one or more channels/notches 144 defined in the projecting portion 146 at the lower end 138 of the tensioner bracket 132. Due to the applied biasing or spring force, the tensioner assembly 130 generally will urge the roller in a downward direction D1 and toward engagement with the drive belt 78 sufficient to tension or tighten the belt. The spring/tension force further can vary with movement of the feed roller/belt, to ensure the belt and the pulleys remain tightly engaged.
In one example, the mounting assembly 330 includes a mounting bracket 334 supporting the motor 74. The biasing member 332 can be coupled to the mounting bracket 334, such that the biasing member 332 engages/biases the motor 74 and tensions the drive belt 78. As shown in
The mounting bracket 334 includes a generally u-shaped bracket having side portions 340 and an end portion 342 that is disposed at an end 340A of the side portions 340 (see
The biasing member 332 is connected to an end 340A of one of the side portions 340 of the mounting bracket 334 to bias the motor 74 and the mounting bracket 334 a sufficient amount to provide a tension force or stress along the drive belt 78. The mounting bracket 334 can be made from a metal (e.g., steel, such as plated steel, stainless steel, etc.; aluminum; or other suitable metallic material), a plastic or polymeric material, or other composites/synthetic materials, and generally can be configured so as to allow for some deflection, elongation, or bending of the mounting bracket 334 under biasing of the biasing member 332.
Additionally, or in an alternative construction, the intermediate wall 346 can have slots or other suitably shaped or configured apertures defined therein that received the fasteners 348, or the mounting bracket 334 can be otherwise movably coupled to the dispenser housing, e.g., such as by a bearing or bushing, to allow for some movement of the mounting bracket 334 along the wall 346, e.g., as urged by or under control of the biasing member.
The biasing force applied to the by the biasing member 332 generally will be sufficient to provide a substantially consistent tension along the drive belt 78 to prevent slippage thereof against the motor pulley 80 and/or feed roller pulley 84, and/or to help reduce premature wear of the drive belt 78. Further, the movable mounting bracket 334 will be able to move under the control of the biasing member 332 to substantially dampen or absorb vibrations or other movements by the motor or other components of the drive system to substantially reduce noise generated thereby.
The support assembly 400 also can include a biasing assembly 406 (
A body or pad, e.g., formed form silicon, rubber, or another suitable material (not shown), can be received about the driveshaft 82 of the motor 74 between the surface/face 410A and the motor 74 in a sandwich type arrangement, e.g., to dampen or absorb vibrations between the motor 74 and the support frame 402. Each support 412 also generally includes a flange 418 or other suitable portion extending therefrom to facilitate attachment of the frame 402 to the base 404. For example, each flange 418 includes a hole or aperture 419 (
Additionally, the base 404 includes a body 430 with a plurality of protruding portions 433 extending therefrom that correspond and facilitate attachment to the plurality of supports 412 of the support frame 402 (
In one embodiment, the body 430 of the base 404 is formed from polyoxymethylene (“POM”), also known as acetyl, polyacetyl, and polyformaldehyde. Other suitable plastic, polymeric, or synthetic materials having reduced frictional properties (e.g., a low surface friction) capable of enabling or allowing at least some sliding movement between the body 404 and a portion (e.g., an intermediate wall 431) of the dispenser housing 16 also can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
In addition, or in an alternative construction, the body 430 or can have a low-friction coating that allows for sliding movement between the base 404 and the interior wall 431. The fasteners 432 further can include/receive washers 438 thereabout that have a Teflon®, or other substantially low friction, coating, or are formed from a substantially low friction material (e.g., polyoxymethylene or other suitable polymeric or synthetic material), to further facilitate movement, e.g., sliding, between the base 404 and the intermediate wall 431.
As further shown in
The biasing assembly 406 also can include a pin or rod 460 that is fitted or otherwise received within one or more grooves or notches 462 defined in or along the rear wall 454 of the dispenser housing 16, or portion or member attached thereto, and the pin or rod 460 can be connected to the second hooked, looped, or ring end 452B of the spring body 454 (
Accordingly, the support assembly 400 can be biased by the biasing assembly 406 to provide a tensioning force or stress along the drive belt 78. This tension along the drive belt 78 can substantially prevent, inhibit, or reduce wear of the drive belt 78, motor 74, or other components of the drive assembly. Furthermore, the support assembly 400 generally will be moveable/translatable under the control of the biasing assembly 406 (e.g., shock absorbing manner/arrangement) to provide dampening, shifting or moving in a substantially controlled, cushioned or vibration absorbing effects and/or movements of the motor 74 and other components of the drive assembly to substantially reduce noise generated thereby.
The support assembly 500 further can include a bearing assembly 570 (e.g., including a bearing, bushing, etc.) that engages the pivot arm 504 and the belt gear 80 to at least partially support the driveshaft 82, e.g., to substantially reduce, inhibit, or prevent bending or twisting of the driveshaft 82 (e.g., due to the urging of/force of the biasing assembly 506), to help to substantially prevent, reduce, or inhibit premature and/or uneven wear or other damage to the components of the motor 74 and/or drive assembly.
As shown in
Further, in the embodiment shown in
Still further, in the embodiment shown in
The biasing assembly 606 generally is coupled to or otherwise in communication with the pivot arm 604 and the motor support portion 602, such that the support assembly 600 can pivot, rotate, or otherwise move, e.g., under the control of the biasing assembly 606, to provide a substantially constant tension stress or force along the drive belt 78 and/or to dampen or absorb vibrations of the motor 74 or other components of the drive assembly during operation thereof. For example, as shown in
In one embodiment, as shown in
Additionally, the bearings 612 and 614 can be received within, such as by press-fitting into, an opening or passage 628 defined in the intermediate portion/wall 616, such that an inner race 612/614 of the bearing assembly engages an exterior surface 619 of the support or projecting portion 618 of the pivot arm 604 and an outer race 612A/614B of the bearing 612/614 engages an interior surface 629 defined by the opening 628 provided or defined in the intermediate portion/wall 616, as generally shown in
In one embodiment, the outer race 612A/614B of each bearing 612/614 further can include, or receive thereabout, a material having a desired degree of give or compressibility, such as a material formed from rubber or other suitable dampening material, such as plastics, synthetics, etc. to provide dampening or absorbing of vibrations between the pivot arm 604 and intermediate portion/wall 616 during operation of the motor or other components of the drive mechanism.
Further, in the embodiment shown in
The support assembly 600 further can include a bearing assembly (e.g., similar to bearing assembly 570) that is at least partially received within and engages an opening or passage 672 defined along the pivot arm 604 (such that the bearing assembly is supported thereby), and that also engages the belt gear 80. The support assembly 600 thus can at least partially support the driveshaft 82, while also helping to substantially reduce, inhibit, or prevent bending or twisting of the driveshaft 82 (e.g., due to the urging of/force of the biasing assembly 506), and help reduce or inhibit premature and/or uneven wear or other damage to the components of the motor 74 and/or drive assembly.
Optionally, as shown in
As shown in
As indicated in
In one example embodiment of an electronic dispenser, a sensor 28, such as a proximity detector or other suitable sensor 206, may be configured to detect an object placed in a detection zone external to the dispenser to initiate operation of the dispenser. This sensor may be a passive sensor that detects changes in ambient conditions, such as ambient light, capacitance changes caused by an object in a detection zone, and so forth. In an alternate embodiment, the sensor 28 may be an active device and include an active transmitter and associated receiver, such as one or more infrared (IR) transmitters and an IR receiver. The transmitter transmits an active signal in a transmission cone corresponding to the detection zone, and the receiver detects a threshold amount of the active signal reflected from an object placed into the detection zone. The control system circuitry generally will be configured to be responsive to the sensor for initiating a dispense cycle upon a valid detection signal from the receiver. For example, the proximity sensor 206 or other detector can be used to detect both the presence of a user's hand. The dispenser can additionally include a paper detector sensor 208, such as one or more infrared emitters and infrared detectors with one infrared emitter/detector, pair aligned to detect a user's hand below the dispenser 10 and the second infrared emitter/detector pair aligned to detect a sheet hanging below the outermost front edge of the discharge chute.
The dispenser controller or processor 210 can control activation of the dispensing mechanism upon valid detection of a user's hand for dispensing a measured length of the sheet material 12. In one embodiment, the control circuit can track the running time of the drive motor 74 of the motorized feed roller, and/or receive feedback information directly therefrom indicative of a number of revolutions of the feed roller and correspondingly, an amount of the sheet material feed thereby. In addition, or as a further alternative, sensors and associated circuitry may be provided for this purpose. Various types of sensors can include IR, radio frequency (RF), capacitive or other suitable sensors, and any one or a combination of such sensing systems can be used. The control system 24 also can control the length of sheet material dispensed. Any number of optical or mechanical devices may be used in this regard, such as, for example, an optical encoder may be used to count the revolutions of the drive or feed roller, with this count being used by the control circuitry to meter the desired length of the sheet material to be dispensed.
The processing logic for operation of the electronic dispenser in, for example, the hand sensor and butler modes, can be part of the control software stored in the memory of the microprocessor in the control system 24. One or more binary flags are also stored in memory and represent an operational state of the dispenser (e.g., “paper cut” set or cleared). An operational mode switch in dispenser sets the mode of operation. In the hand sensor mode, the proximity (hand) sensor detects the presence of a user's hand below the dispenser and in response, the motor 74 is operated to dispense a measured amount of sheet material 12. The control circuit can then monitor when the sheet of material is removed. For example, actuation of the pawl member 152 or triggering/activation of a paper detection sensor 208 can determine the removal of paper and reset the hand sensor. The proximity sensor 206 also can be controlled to not allow additional sheet material to be dispensed until the proximity sensor is reset. If the proximity sensor 206 detects the presence of a user's hand but does not dispense sheet material, the control circuit can check for sheet material using the paper detection sensor 208. If sheet material 12 has not been dispensed (i.e., no sheet material is hanging from the dispenser), the motor 74 will be activated to dispense a next sheet.
A multi-position switch 212 also can be provided to switch the dispenser operation between a first or standard operation mode and a second mode, such as a butler mode. In such butler mode, the proximity sensor 208 for detecting the presence of a user's hand/object can be deactivated, and the controller 24 can automatically dispense sheet material when the cover is closed and the dispenser is put into operation. The paper detection sensor 208 further can determine if a sheet is hanging from the dispenser. If sheet material is hanging, the control circuit will then monitor when the sheet of material is removed. For example, a cutting mechanism movement detector, which may arranged and configured to detect actuation or movement of the cutting mechanism; the pawl member; and/or the paper detection sensor can determine the removal of paper and reset the dispenser. The next sheet will be dispensed automatically. If the paper detection sensor 158 determines the absence of hanging sheet material, the motor 74 will be activated to dispense the next sheet. The control circuit will then determine if the sheet has been removed before dispensing another sheet.
In one embodiment, the dispenser assembly 10 is operative in a first mode to be responsive to a signal from the proximity sensor to dispense a sheet of material. The dispensing mechanism is operative in a second mode to dispense a next sheet in response to the signal means being activated by movement of the cutting mechanism or tear bar to its extended position in response to dispensed sheet material 12 being removed from the dispenser. In another embodiment, the dispenser 10 can be operative in a second mode to dispense a next sheet in response to a signal means being activated by movement of the cutting mechanism, and a signal from a paper detection sensor 208 that the sheet material 10 has been removed from the dispenser. Such a sensor can be affixed to an external surface of the discharge chute rather than inside the discharge chute.
The dispenser 10 generally can dispense a measured length of the sheet material, which may be accomplished by various means, such as a timing circuit that actuates and stops the operation of the motor driving the feed roller after a predetermined time. In one embodiment, the drive motor 74 of the drive or feed roll can provide direct feedback as to the number of revolutions of the feed roller, indicative of an amount of the sheet material fed thereby. Alternatively, a motor revolution counter can be provided that measures the degree of rotation of the drive rollers and is interfaced with control circuitry to stop a drive roller motor after a defined number of revolutions of the feed rollers. This counter may be an optical encoder type of device, or a mechanical device. The control circuitry may include a device to allow maintenance personnel to adjust the sheet length by increasing or decreasing the revolution counter set point. The multi-position switch 212 can also be in operable communication with the control circuit to select one of a plurality of time periods as a delay between delivery of a first sheet and delivery of a next sheet to the user. Embodiments of the present disclosure described herein can also utilize concepts disclosed in commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,213,782 entitled “Intelligent Dispensing System” and U.S. Pat. No. 7,370,824 entitled “Intelligent Electronic Paper Dispenser,” both of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties herein.
The foregoing description generally illustrates and describes various embodiments of the present invention. It will, however, be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the above-discussed construction of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed herein, and that it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as being illustrative, and not to be taken in a limiting sense. Furthermore, the scope of the present disclosure shall be construed to cover various modifications, combinations, additions, alterations, etc., above and to the above-described embodiments, which shall be considered to be within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, various features and characteristics of the present invention as discussed herein may be selectively interchanged and applied to other illustrated and non-illustrated embodiments of the invention, and numerous variations, modifications, and additions further can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/617,407, filed on Jan. 15, 2018, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/750,646, filed on Oct. 25, 2018.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
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