Patent GB-1327026-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for dispensing liquid in measured quantities
IPC: G01F11/00
Filed: 1969-09-03
Abstract: 1327026 Apparatus for dispensing measured quantities of liquids T A MIDDLETON and T P PRIESTLEY 1 Sept 1970 [3 Sept 1969] 43619/69 Heading B8N Apparatus for dispensing measured quantities of liquid includes a dispenser, which will dispense a volume of liquid on each operative stroke of a member, e.g. a piston or a flexible diaphragm, movable in a chamber and a control arrangement therefor, which control arrangement is such that with a glass of two units capacity at a filling location the movable member will perform two operative strokes and with a glass of one unit capacity at that location the movable member will perform only one operative stroke. The apparatus of Figs. 1 and 3 incorporates the dispenser illustrated in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2 of Patent No. 1,306,922 (italic references hereinafter refer to the drawings of this prior Patent). A motor driven turntable 15 can support six ¢ pint or 1 pint glasses at equi-spaced circumferential locations. Closure of a START button SB will cause motor 19 to be actuated to rotate turntable through 60 degrees so that a pint glass placed next adjacent the filling location will be brought into the filling location 29. When the glass is so positioned it will via spring biased lever 31 close microswitch MS2 and via spring biased lever 33 open microswitch MS3. At the same time cam 17 rotatable with the turntable will actuate microswitch MS1 to open contacts MS1A, thus stopping motor 19, and to close contacts MS1B thus a positive pulse will switch monostable time delay unit M21 to its unstable condition. Upon unit M21 reverting after a delay to its stable condition it will pass a pulse to pulse control monostable unit PCM. When unit PCM receives a pulse, relay R3 is energized and contacts R3A are changed over to cause capacitor bank CX to discharge through rotary solenoid 109<SP>1</SP> (contacts R1B being normally closed), energizing the latter and causing it to rotate a cam shaft 103 through 30 degrees. Thus the positions of valves 37, 53, 73, 89 are reversed from the illustrated positions to permit liquid to flow to right-hand side of piston 13<SP>1</SP> and dispensing of ¢ pint of liquid from the other side of the piston via nozzle 9. During this dispensing, unit PCM returns to its stable condition. As piston 13<SP>1</SP> ap preaches the left hand end of the cylinder, magnet M2 effects closure of reed switch contacts RR2 which results in a positive pulse via diode D7 to unit M21, thus unit M21 is triggered for a second time, and a positive pulse to binary bi-stable unit BBU. Again the rotary solenoid 109<SP>1</SP> is energized to return the valves 37, 53, 73, 89 to the illustrated positions to effect a return of the piston 13<SP>1</SP> to the right hand end of the cylinder. The reed switch RR1 is now closed and another pulse is applied to unit M21 and to unit BBU. When the second pulse is received by unit BBU it will result in an output pulse from that unit to monostable unit M11 which switches to an unstable condition and passes an inhibiting voltage to the unit PCM thus the output pulse from unit M21 resulting from closure of switch RR1 will not cause the solenoid 109<SP>1</SP> to be energized. Triggering of unit M11 energizes a relay R2 (not shown) to cause contacts R2A to close, thus relay R1 is energized to close contacts R1A and open contacts R1B. Closure of contacts R1A result in re starting of motor 19, which will move the turntable, and cam 17 initially effects closure of holding contacts MS1A for relay R1A and then releases the contacts MS1A and permits closure of contacts MS 1B when the turntable has moved through 60 degrees. If this movement results in movement of an empty 1 pint glass into the filling position, the above sequence will be repeated. Movement of a ¢ pint glass into the filling location will result in switch MS3 remaining closed, thus closure of contacts MS1B and of switch MS2 will result in a pulse passing via MS3 and diode D2 to the unit BBU. The subsequent pulse to unit BBU on the magnet M2 closing reed switch RR2 will cause that unit to emit a pulse which triggers unit M11 to cause an inhibiting pulse to pass to unit PCM, and triggering of unit M11 will also cause restarting of the motor 19. Should no glass be moved into the filling position on movement of the turntable through 60 degrees, no dispensing will commence and further actuation of the apparatus will be initiated only on depressing the START button. Instead of the turntable 15, glasses may be advanced to a filling station by a conveyer (37, Figs. 4 and 5, not shown) and in this case cam (45) which is equivalent to cam 17 of the previous described arrangement actuates switch MS1. If contacts MS1B are shorted out, a glass on reaching the filling station will by closing switch MS2 initiate operation of the dispenser. In a further arrangement, glasses are placed at stationary filling stations, each station being associated with a respective dispenser and control circuit (Fig. 6, not shown) which operate in a manner similar to that previously described. Instead of the piston being provided with magnets M1, M2, for operating reed switches RR1, RR2, a flow operated switch is provided. In the arrangement of Figs. 7/8 flow of liquid pivots arm 357 provided with magnet 363 to open the reed switch RR3, connected in circuit of Fig. 1 in a manner similar to contacts RR2. Upon flow ceasing the arm 357 drops and switch RR3 is closed to allow a pulse to pass to unit BBU. In a similar arrangement a flow responsive plunger actuates a transformer which gives rise to pulse transmitted to unit BBU when flow ceases. A pressure operated switch could be used instead of a flow operated switch.