Patent ID: 6384402
Filing Date: 2002-05-07
Classification: G07F

Abstract:
An optical vend-sensing system for control of a vending machine which has at least one mechanism arranged for initiating operation upon selection by a customer for vending an article into a vend space through which the article falls into a customer-accessible hopper, the vend space having a defined lateral width and a defined front-to-rear depth, said sensing system comprising:an article sensing subsystem arranged athwart said vend space, said article sensing subsystem comprising: at least one emitter of electromagnetic radiation, and associated emitting structure, arranged to emit electromagnetic radiation in a broad plane which substantially completely covers the transverse cross section of the vend space, the transverse cross section extending across the lateral width and across the front-to-rear depth of the vend space and being below said at least one mechanism but above where said article, upon being vended, comes to rest in said customer-accessible hopper, and comprising at least one electromagnetic radiation detector and associated detection structure; a machine control unit arranged to terminate operation of the respective at least one mechanism; and control circuitry operatively connecting said article sensing subsystem with said machine control unit, and arranged to cause the machine control unit to complete a vend operation procedure of said at least one mechanism upon said article sensing subsystem sensing that electromagnetic radiation, reaching said at least one detector and associated detection structure as a result of electromagnetic radiation emission by said at least one emitter and associated emitting structure, has temporarily diminished by predetermined amount.