×

Dispenser control with ultrasonic position detection

  • US 5,573,041 A
  • Filed: 08/01/1994
  • Issued: 11/12/1996
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1994
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
Patent Images

1. An ultrasonic detecting and dispensing control for detecting when an object is in a desired position and activating a dispenser in response to object position detection, the control comprising:

  • a clock circuit;

    a transceiver connected to the clock circuit and having a transmitter portion and a receiver portion, the transmitter portion emitting ultrasonic signals having a cone-shaped dispersion path, the receiver portion receiving ultrasonic signals reflected by an object in the cone-shaped dispeiob reflected ultrasonic signals having an amplitude proportional to the distance between the object and the transceiver;

    an amplitude detector connected to the transceiver to produce an amplitude signal when the amplitude of a reflected ultrasonic signal has a given relationship to a predetermined reference signal; and

    a timer circuit connected to the clock circuit and the amplitude detector, the timer circuit eating a timing window and producing a dispense signal suppliable to a dispenser for activating same-when the amplitude signal occurs within the timing window/andan arrangement in which the transceiver is placed to reflect ultrasonic signals from a substantial portion of the object to be detected when the object is in a target space below the dispenser, the target space being defined by the timing window and the predetermined reference siqnat such that the target space has minimum and maximum boundaries in which an object sufficiently within those boundaries activates the dispenser.

View all claims
  • 1 Assignment
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×