AUTOMATED DISPENSER WITH A PAPER SENSING SYSTEM

• US 20090198373A1
• Filed: 12/14/2005
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Essity Hygiene and Health Aktiebolag (Essity AB)
• Original Assignee: SCA Hygiene Products AB (Essity AB)
• Inventors: Mok, King Lun, Ng, Hong, Mok, Kin Lun
• Granted Patent: US 8,224,480 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/231
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 10/36 with mechanical dispensing, roll switching or cutting devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 10/3612 with drive and pinch rollers
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 10/3625 with electronic control means
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 2010/3668 Detection of the presence of a user

Abstract

A dispenser for dispensing a portion of sheet product stored in a dispenser, in which a dispensed sheet portion is to be removed by tearing the sheet portion from the remaining product supply. The dispenser includes a system which detects the presence of sheet product in a region of a dispensing outlet. Upon detection of a potential user, the sensing system causes dispensing of paper, on the condition that the sheet portion is regarded as having been torn off. The system includes elements for detecting a discontinuity in the sheet product.

Claims

1. A dispenser including a feeding means driven by a motor for dispensing a portion of sheet product stored in said dispenser, further including a dispensing outlet through which said sheet product is fed upon a feed command being issued by a control means, and a tear means against which a region of said sheet product is to be drawn so as to allow said sheet portion to be torn and removed from a remaining portion of a sheet product supply, wherein said dispenser includes a sheet sensing means for detecting the presence of sheet product in front of a specific region of said dispenser proximate said dispensing outlet, said sheet sensing means being connected to said control means, wherein said sheet sensing means is arranged to repeatedly scan said specific region at a first scan interval for the presence of sheet product or a discontinuity of said sheet product during the entire operation of said motor up to ceasing of operation of said motor, and wherein said sheet sensing means is arranged to send a signal to said control means to indicate that sheet product has been torn whenever said sensing system detects a discontinuity of sheet product during said entire operation of the motor.

2. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said specific region is arranged downstream of said tear means.

3. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the control means is arranged to operate the motor such that a predetermined length of sheet product is fed by said feeding means at least when no discontinuity in said sheet product is detected during said entire operation of said motor.

4. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said sheet sensing means comprises at least one IR emitter, and at least one IR receiver arranged to receive IR emitted by said IR emitter and reflected by sheet product blocking the IR path to said specific region.

5. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said specific region is located on a surface of said dispenser housing.

6. A dispenser according to claim 5, wherein a relatively dark area, with respect to the colour of said sheet product, is arranged on said surface of said dispenser housing.

7. A dispenser according to claim 6, wherein said relatively dark area is a black area covering at least part of said surface of said dispenser housing.

8. A dispenser according to claim 1, further including a user sensing means connected to said control means, said user sensing means providing a signal to said control means upon detection of the presence of a user to allow said control means to issue a sheet feed command.

9. A dispenser according to claim 8, wherein said control means includes a memory for storing information from a previous scan by said sheet sensing means performed during operation of said motor.

10. A dispenser according to claim 9, in which said control means is arranged to issue a sheet feed command when a discontinuity has been detected in said previous scan during operation of said motor, and wherein said control means is arranged to maintain a control condition not to issue a sheet feed command if no discontinuity has been detected in said previous scan until such time as a further single scan, during a time without operation of said motor, detects a discontinuity.

11. A dispenser according to claim 10, wherein the control means is arranged such that, when a discontinuity has not been detected on a previous scan, a second single scan is performed by said paper sensing means at a second scan interval after said previous scan during a time without operation of said motor wherein said second scan interval is longer than said first scan interval performed during operation of said motor, and wherein if sheet product is detected during said second single scan, a further single scan is performed on a repeating basis at said second scan interval, until sheet product is not detected.

12. A dispenser according to claim 11, in which said second scan interval increases to a third longer scan interval upon a predetermined number of second scan intervals being exceeded.

13. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said first scan interval is less than or equal to 20 ms.

14. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said first scan interval is less than or equal to 3 ms.

15. A dispenser according to claim 7, wherein said second scan interval is the same as a scanning interval determined by a microprocessor wake-up circuit used for determining the scanning interval for detecting presence of a user, whereby the scan interval in the sheet sensing means is the same as, and performed at the same time as, the scan for detection of a user.

16. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the control system is arranged to supply a command signal to the drive motor of said feeding means to stop said drive motor upon detection of a discontinuity in the sheet product.

17. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said control means is arranged to stop said sheet sensing means from performing a scan at said first scan interval upon cessation of operation of said motor.

18. A dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the control means is arranged to operate the motor such that a predetermined length of sheet product is fed by said feeding means at least when no discontinuity in said sheet product is detected during said entire operation of said motor.

19. A dispenser according to claim 7, further including a user sensing means connected to said control means, said user sensing means providing a signal to said control means upon detection of the presence of a user to allow said control means to issue a sheet feed command.

20. A dispenser according to claim 8, wherein said second scan interval is the same as a scanning interval determined by a microprocessor wake-up circuit used for determining the scanning interval for detecting presence of a user, whereby the scan interval in the sheet sensing means is the same as, and performed at the same time as, the scan for detection of a user.