Patent ID: 8353321
Filing Date: 2013-01-15
Classification: B67D,G01D,G01S

Abstract:
1. A system for short-range ultrasonic detecting of a target; the system being part of a dispensing system including a spigot end that defines a dispensing direction; the system for detecting a target comprising: a sensor assembly that operates in the time domain including an ultrasound transmitter and an ultrasound receiver positioned side by side so as to yield respective transmitting and receiving beams that are oriented generally perpendicularly to the dispensing direction and which overlap at a first predetermined location distanced from the sensor assembly, yielding a first overlap of the transmitting and receiving beams defining a first detection area; and a controller coupled to both the transmitter and receiver that i) activates the transmitter and receiver; ii) causes the transmitter to emit the transmitting beam; iii) receives from the receiver an echo indicative of the presence of the target when the target enters the first detection area and iv) determines a distance of the target from the sensor assembly using a time difference between emitting of the transmitting beam and receiving of the echo.