Method and apparatus for heater current control for automatic vending machine

• US 4,915,162 A
• Filed: 08/03/1989
• Issued: 04/10/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanden Corporation (Qingdao Huatong State-Owned Capital Operation (Group) Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sanden Corporation (Qingdao Huatong State-Owned Capital Operation (Group) Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ikura, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Ford, John
• Application Number:
  US07/393,098
• Time in Patent Office: 250 Days
• Field of Search: 62/230, 219/485, 219/508, 307/31, 307/32, 307/33, 307/34, 307/35, 307/38, 307/39, 307/40, 307/41, 222/146.1, 222/146.5, 222/146.6, 165/58, 165/63, 165/64, 165/918, 165/2
• US Class Current: 165/200
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1919 characterised by the type of controller
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/065 for drink preparation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/105 Heating or cooling means, for temperature and humidity control, for the conditioning of articles and their storage dispensers for food articles requiring a processing by temperature treatment or conditioning before they are ready for dispensing G07F17/0064
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 165/918 Heated and cooled food cabinets and/or trays

Abstract

In an automatic vending machine having a heater for boiling water, and a motor-driven compressor for refrigeration, a flow of current to the heater is stopped when the compressor is started. On the other hand, while the compressor is being operated stably, the current flowing in the heater is controlled in phase such that the sum of an effective current flowing in the compressor and an effective current flowing in the heater does not exceed a predetermined value.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a heater current in an automatic vending machine including a heater, and a motor-driven compressor for refrigeration, characterized by:

detecting an amount of current flowing in said compressor;

determining when said compressor is being started, based on the amount of detected current flowing in said compressor;

terminating a flow of current to said heater when an effective value of the detected current flowing in said compressor exceeds a predetermined value; and

phase controlling the current flowing in said heater when said compressor is being operated stably, such that the sum of an effective current flowing in said compressor and an effective current flowing in said heater does not exceed a predetermined value.

2. An apparatus for controlling a heater current in an automatic vending machine including a heater and a motor driven compressor for refrigeration, comprising:

means for detecting the amount of current flowing in said compressor;

means for determining when said compressor is being started based on the amount of detected current flowing in said compressor;

means for terminating a flow of current to said heater when the amount of current flowing in said compressor exceeds a predetermined amount; and

means for phase controlling the current flowing in said heater when said compressor is being operated stably such that the sum of an effective current flowing in said compressor and an effective current flowing in said heater does not exceed a predetermined value.