Optical vend-sensing system for control of vending machine

• US 7,191,915 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2004
• Issued: 03/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Automated Merchandising Systems Incorporated (Seaga Manufacturing Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Automated Merchandising Systems Incorporated (Seaga Manufacturing Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hair, James M. III, Spentzos, Kyriakos P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bollinger; David H.
• Application Number:
  US10/838,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20040204791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 250/216, 250/221, 250/223.R, 250/222.3, 250/224, 250/559.29, 221/194, 221/93, 221/133, 221/174, 221/191, 221/195, 221/200, 221/13, 364/479.01, 700/231, 700/244, 359/728, 359/732, 359850-869
• US Class Current: 221/13
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/04 in which magazines the articles are stored one vertically above the other
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/42 the articles being delivered by motor-driven means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

For ensuring that a vending machine motor will continue to operate until a product has descended through a vending space or an established time interval has elapsed, an optical beam is established across the vend space through which a product must drop. A change in beam intensity is detected. By preference infra red light is emitted at one focal point of an elliptical reflector, and detected at the other focal point. The light is emitted in pulses in the preferred embodiment, and the optical sensing system has automated calibration and error detecting functions.

Claims

1. A method of detecting a dispensed object within a transparent front vending machine, the method comprising:

emitting pulsed electromagnetic radiation in a plurality of beams such that said electromagnetic radiation substantially subtends a detection region through which said dispensed object will freely fall, upon being dispensed;

causing said emitted electromagnetic radiation to reach at least one electromagnetic radiation detecting element;

selecting a detection threshold that is exceeded when said object to be detected does not intercept said detection region and is not reached when said object intercepts said region; and

comparing a plurality of signals from said electromagnetic radiation detecting element, each at a different time, to said detection threshold,

wherein a pulse width of said pulsed radiation is selected during a calibration so as to account for current ambient light conditions inside the vending machine.

2. A method of detecting a dispensed object according to claim 1, wherein said selecting a detection threshold selects a threshold that compensates for variations in electromagnetic radiation in said detection region that are slow relative to a time interval for said dispensed object to traverse said beam of electromagnetic radiation.

3. A method as in claim 1 wherein said emitting comprises:

transmitting one or more beams from at least one of a plurality of light emitters.

4. A method as in claim 3 wherein said at least one electromagnetic radiation detecting element comprise one or more light detectors, the method further comprising:

monitoring the plurality of light beams at said one or more light detectors.

5. A method as in claim 3 wherein each of the plurality of light emitters emits an infrared signal.

6. A method as in claim 3 wherein said at least one electromagnetic radiation detecting element further comprises a plurality of photodetectors and one or more mechanisms constructed and adapted to direct radiation beams received from said light emitters to at least one of said plurality of photodetectors.

7. A method as in claim 1 wherein the electromagnetic radiation is generated by a row of electromagnetic emitters.

8. A method as in claim 7 wherein at least one of said emitters provides pulsed modulated electromagnetic radiation that is on set duty cycles.

9. A method as in claim 7 wherein at least one of said emitters provides continuous, though modulated, electromagnetic radiation.

10. A method as in claim 7 wherein at least one of said electromagnetic emitters is aligned with at least one of said one or more light detectors.

11. A method as in claim 7 wherein electromagnetic radiation from at least one of said plurality of emitters is detected by at least one of said one or more detectors.

12. A method as in claim 11 wherein said electromagnetic radiation is detected by a detector aligned with said at least one of said plurality of emitters.

13. A method as in claim 7 wherein the emitters are arranged in a row extending front to rear, depthwise, of a vend space through which dispensed objects fall.

14. A method as in claim 1 wherein said at least one electromagnetic radiation detecting element comprises:

a plurality of photodetectors.

15. A method as in claim 1 wherein said detection region is a region of a vend space in a vending machine.

16. A method as in claim 15 wherein said vending machine is a glass front vending machine.

17. A method as in claim 16 wherein said vend space is a space through which the dispensed object falls into a customer-accessible hopper, and wherein the electromagnetic radiation is generated by a plurality of electromagnetic emitters positioned in at least one row which extends front-to-rear, depthwise of said vend space.

18. A method as in claim 1 further comprising:

upon failure of a first attempt to detect a dispensed object, attempting to redispense the object for one or more of a predetermined number of attempts.

19. A method as in claim 18, further comprising:

providing a customer one or more alternative choices upon failure to dispense the object after the one or more predetermined number of attempts.

20. A method as in claim 1 wherein said electromagnetic radiation is pulsed at frequencies exceeding 120 Hz.

21. A method as in claim 1 wherein said calibration is conducted periodically.

22. A method as in claim 21 wherein said calibration is conducted at regular intervals.

23. A method as in claim 22 wherein said calibration is performed if a time since a previous calibration is between about three minutes and about five minutes.

24. A method as in claim 1 wherein said calibration is conducted during normal operation.

25. A method as in claim 1 wherein said pulse width is selected based, at least in part, on temperature.

26. A method as in claim 1, operable in a glass-front vending machine having a controller, wherein said calibration is performed when the controller powers up.

27. A method as in claim 26 wherein the calibration is performed if the controller has been off for longer than a predefined period of time.

28. A method as in claim 26 wherein the calibration is performed if current ambient temperature has changed by a predefined amount.

29. A method as in claim 1 wherein said pulsed electromagnetic radiation is emitted by at least one light emitting source, and wherein the at least one light emitting source and the at least one detecting element are positioned such that the spacing between detectible beams accounts for the smallest product that transitions through the detection region.

30. A method as in claim 29 wherein said at least one light emitting source is aligned with at least one said at least one detecting element.

31. A method as in claim 1 wherein the emitted electromagnetic radiation, in combination with the at least one electromagnetic radiation detecting element are constructed and adapted to detect objects having a narrowest dimension equivalent to that of the narrowest article likely to be dispensed.

32. A method of detecting a dispensed object within a transparent front vending machine, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of electromagnetic emitters and a plurality of electromagnetic detectors;

calibrating at least some of said plurality of electromagnetic emitters to account for current ambient light conditions inside the vending machine;

causing at least some of said plurality of electromagnetic emitters and said plurality of electromagnetic detectors to form a light curtain across a detection region, said detection region being a region through which said dispensed object will freely fall, upon being dispensed;

comparing a plurality of signals from said electromagnetic radiation detectors, each at a different time, to a detection threshold, said detection threshold being exceeded when said object to be detected does not intercept said detection region and being not reached when said object intercepts said region.

33. A method according to claim 32 further comprising:

selecting as the detection threshold a threshold that compensates for variations in electromagnetic radiation in said detection region that are slow relative to a time interval for said dispensed object to traverse said beam of electromagnetic radiation.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein said calibrating comprises determining a pulse width of emitted electromagnetic radiation based at least in part on current ambient light conditions.

35. A method of detecting a dispensed object within a transparent front vending machine, the method comprising:

using one or more light emitters to emit pulsed light across a detection region through which said dispensed object will freely fall, upon being dispensed;

calibrating said one or more light emitters in order to account for current ambient light conditions inside the vending machine;

using one or more light detectors to detect the light emitted by the one or more light emitters;

selecting a detection threshold that (i) is exceeded when said object to be detected does not intercept said detection region, and (ii) is not reached when said object intercepts said region; and

comparing a plurality of signals from said light detectors, each at a different time, to said detection threshold.

36. A method as in claim 35 wherein each of the one or more light emitters emits an infrared signal.

37. A method as in claim 36 wherein the one or more light emitters are positioned behind an opening.

38. A method as in claim 35 wherein the one or more light emitters form a row.

39. A method as in claim 38 wherein the emitters are arranged in a row substantially extending front to rear, depthwise, of a vend space through which dispensed objects fall.

40. A method as in claim 35 wherein said one or more light detectors comprise:

a plurality of photodetectors.

41. A method as in claim 40 wherein the plurality of photodetectors are positioned in a row behind an opening.

42. The method of claim 35 wherein said calibrating comprises determining a pulse width of emitted electromagnetic radiation based at least in part on current ambient light conditions.

43. A method of detecting a positive vend of a dispensed product within vending machine having a transparent front, the method comprising:

positioning one or more emitters of electromagnetic radiation to emit radiation across a cross-section of a cross-sectional area to a plurality of electromagnetic radiation detectors on an opposite side of said cross-sectional area, said cross sectional area being below a vend space within said vending machine through which a dispensed product freely falls but above a customer accessible retrieval bin into which said product falls;

calibrating at least some of said one or more emitters to account for current ambient light conditions inside the vending machine;

emitting electromagnetic radiation from said one or more emitters at a frequency selected to reduce interference caused by ambient light entering said vending machine through said transparent front;

detecting when a positive vend has occurred by comparing a level of electromagnetic radiation at frequency selected received by said one or more detectors to a predetermined threshold amount;

wherein said one or more emitters of electromagnetic radiation are arranged to emit electromagnetic across a depth of the vending machine, front to rear, which substantially corresponds with the front to rear depth of the vend space within the vending machine.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein said calibrating comprises determining a pulse width of emitted electromagnetic radiation based at least in part on current ambient light conditions.

45. The method of claim 43 wherein said threshold amount is based at least in part on current ambient light conditions.

46. The method of claim 43 wherein said electromagnetic radiation is infrared light.