Automatically configurable chemical dosing apparatus for cleaning equipment

• US 20070044819A1
• Filed: 06/01/2006
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Diversey Incorporated (Sealed Air)
• Original Assignee: JohnsonDiversey, Inc
• Inventors: Story, Douglas, Chan, Wai Yin, Simpson, William, Cocking, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 7,654,421 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/18
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/0055 Metering or indication of used products, e.g. type or quantity of detergent, rinse aid or salt; for measuring or controlling the product concentration
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4418 in the form of liquids A47L15/4409, A47L15/4436, A47L15/4445 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4436 in the form of a detergent solution made by gradually dissolving a powder detergent cake or a solid detergent block
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4454 with automatic identification means, e.g. barcodes, RFID tags or magnetic strips
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4463 Multi-dose dispensing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/449 Metering controlling devices A47L15/4229 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2401/023 Quantity or concentration of the consumable product
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2401/026 Nature or type of the consumable product, e.g. information on detergent, e.g. 3-in-1 tablets, rinsing aid or salt
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2401/10 Water cloudiness or dirtiness, e.g. turbidity, foaming or level of bacteria
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2401/12 Water temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2401/26 Loading door status, e.g. door latch opened or closed state
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2401/30 Variation of electrical, magnetical or optical quantities
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2501/06 Water heaters
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2501/07 Consumable products, e.g. detergent, rinse aids or salt
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2501/26 Indication or alarm to the controlling device or to the user
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2501/32 Stopping or disabling machine operation, including disconnecting the machine from a network, e.g. from an electrical power supply
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/60 Audible signals
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 33/37 of metering of detergents or additives
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/022 in a liquid state D06F39/024 takes precedence

Abstract

A dispensing system responds to reading data stored on a container by determining a dose for a chemical stored in that container. Then each time that the chemical is to be fed into a cleaning machine, the dispensing system operates a flow control device to deliver the designated dose. Thus the dispensing system is automatically reconfigured when different concentrations of the chemical are supplied to the dispensing system. Various mechanisms for storing the data on and reading the data from the container are described.

Claims

1. An apparatus for dispensing a chemical into a cleaning machine wherein the chemical is stored in a container that has data recorded thereon, said apparatus comprising:

a dispenser port for receiving the chemical from the container;

a flow control device connected to the dispenser port and controlling flow of the chemical from the dispenser port to the cleaning machine;

a data reader that reads the data from the container; and

a controller connected to the data reader and operating flow control device in response to the data to control an amount of chemical that is dispensed.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the flow control device is selected from a group consisting of an electric motor for moving a metering and dispensing closure on the container, a pump, and a valve.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the controller operates the flow control device to control an amount of chemical that is dispensed by controlling one of an amount of time that the chemical is dispensed, a rate at which the chemical is dispensed, and movement of a metering and dispensing closure on the container.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the controller operates a given flow control device for an amount of time determined from a signal produced by the data reader.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the data are recorded as indicia on the container and the data reader optically senses the indicia on the container.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein the indicia are formed in a plurality of areas on the container;

and the data reader senses an optical characteristic each of the plurality of areas.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 6 wherein the data reader comprises a plurality of light detectors each sensing the optical characteristic of a different one of the plurality of areas.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein the dispenser port includes an element that cooperates with the container in a manner that orients the container with the indicia facing the data reader.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the data reader comprises a barcode reader.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the data are recorded in a radio frequency tag on the container;

and each of the data reader comprises a device that interrogates the radio frequency tag to obtain the data.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 10 further comprising detecting when the container is empty;

and erasing the data recorded in the radio frequency tag.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 further comprising detecting when the container is empty;

and erasing the data from the container.

13. An apparatus for dispensing a plurality of types of chemicals into a cleaning machine, wherein each chemical is stored in a container that has data recorded thereon, said apparatus comprising:

a plurality of dispenser ports each for receiving a container to accept chemicals therefrom;

a plurality of flow control devices each associated with a different one of the plurality of dispenser ports and controlling flow of chemicals from the associated dispenser port to the cleaning apparatus;

a data reader arrangement that reads data from containers received in the plurality of dispenser ports; and

a controller connected to the plurality of flow control devices and the data reader arrangement, and operating the plurality of flow control devices in response to the data read from each container to control amounts of each chemical that are dispensed.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein each of the plurality of flow control devices is selected from a group consisting of an electric motor for moving a metering and dispensing closure on the container, a pump, and a valve.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein the data reader arrangement comprises a plurality of data readers each associated with a different one of the plurality of dispenser ports to read data from a container received in the associated dispenser port.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of data readers optically reads indicia on the container.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 16 wherein the indicia are formed by a plurality of areas on each container;

and each of the plurality of data readers senses an optical characteristic of each of the plurality of areas.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 17 wherein each of the plurality of data readers comprises a plurality of light detectors each sensing the optical characteristic of a different one of the plurality of areas.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of data readers comprises a barcode reader.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 15 wherein the data are encoded in a radio frequency tag on each container;

and each of the plurality of data readers comprises a device that interrogates the radio frequency tag to obtain the data.

21. The apparatus as recited in claim 20 further comprising detecting when a given container is empty;

and erasing the data encoded in the radio frequency tag on that given container.

22. The apparatus as recited in claim 15 wherein the controller operates given flow control device for an amount of time determined from a signal produced by one of the plurality of data readers that is associated with the same one of the plurality of dispenser ports with which the given flow control device is associated.

23. The apparatus as recited in claim 13 further comprising detecting when a given container is empty;

and erasing the data from the given container.

24. The apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein the controller operates the flow control device to control an amount of chemical that is dispensed by controlling one of an amount of time that the chemical is dispensed, a rate at which the chemical is dispensed, and movement of a metering and dispensing closure on the container.

25. A method for dispensing a chemical into a cleaning machine wherein the chemical is stored in a container that has data recorded thereon, said apparatus comprising:

receiving the chemical from the container at a dispenser port;

reading the data from the container;

operating a flow control device to control an amount of chemical that is dispensed from the dispenser port in response to the data read from the container.

26. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein operating a flow control device controls one of an amount of time that the chemical is dispensed, a rate at which the chemical is dispensed, and movement of a metering and dispensing closure on the container.

27. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein the data are recorded as indicia on the container and reading the data optically senses the indicia.

28. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein reading the data comprises interrogating a radio frequency tag on the container to obtain the data.

29. The method as recited in claim 28 detecting when the container is empty;

and erasing the data in the radio frequency tag.

30. The method as recited in claim 25 further comprising detecting when a given container is empty;

and erasing the data from the container.