Dispenser for selectively dosing and dispensing liquids

Abstract

Dispenser (1) for liquids selectively composed of mixed components, such as a tinting machine for paints. The dispenser comprises: - a turntable (7); - canisters (8A, 8B), supported by the turntable and provided with a stirrer (27); - a stirrer driver plate (30), each stirrer having a drive crank (34, 35) rotatably connected to the stirrer driver plate; - a stirrer drive (38) arranged to drive the stirrer driver plate to circle each drive crank about a central axis of the associated stirrer. The stirrer drive (38) is positioned above the stirrer driver plate (30).

Description

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a dispenser for selectively dosing and dispensing liquids, in particular liquid components to be mixed, such as a paint dispenser or tinting machine allowing to dispense and mix a number of colorants in accordance with a formulation of a selected paint colour.

[0002] An example of such a dispenser is disclosed in EP 0 800 858 A1. This known dispenser comprises a turntable supporting a plurality of canisters provided with a stirrer. A stirrer driver plate with radially extending fingers is configured to drive the stirrers of all canisters simultaneously. Each radial finger of the stirrer driver plate is connected to a drive rod of a stirrer of a respective one of the canisters. A stirrer drive is arranged to drive the stirrer driver plate via a crank to make rotations with a diameter corresponding to the distance between the drive axis of the stirrer drive and the bearing connecting the crank to the stirrer driver plate. As a result, each finger circles around a rotation axis coinciding with the cylinder axis of the associated canister and drives the stirrer of that canister via the drive rod. Operational parts, such as drives and circuitry for the turntable, the stirrer drive, and actuator for selectively actuating one of the pumps with the associated valve, are positioned in the lower part of the dispenser below the turntable. A similar paint dispenser is disclosed in WO 2012 / 093020.

[0003] Such paint dispensers are used on Points of Sale, where clients want to mix paints of a selected colour. These Points of Sale also include smaller shops with limited space. Therefore, there is a need for a compact paint dispenser consuming less space.

[0004] The object of the invention is achieved with a dispenser for liquids selectively composed of mixed components comprising: a turntable; a plurality of canisters, supported by the turntable and provided with a stirrer; a stirrer driver plate, each stirrer having a drive crank rotatably connected to the stirrer driver plate; a stirrer drive arranged to drive the stirrer driver plate to circle each drive crank about a central axis of the associated stirrer; wherein the stirrer drive is positioned above the stirrer driver plate.

[0005] Positioning the stirrer drive above the stirrer driver plate creates space below the turntable and allows a more economic use of the available space and a more compact design of the dispenser.

[0006] To save more space, the canisters can be arranged in two or more concentric circular arrays, including an outer circular array and an inner circular array of canisters.

[0007] In a specific embodiment, the stirrer driver plate can comprise radially extending fingers extending between an inner circumference of the stirrer driver plate and an outer circumference of the stirrer driver plate. The canisters of the inner circular array have stirrers with a drive crank connected to the outer ends of the fingers and the canisters of the inner circular array have stirrers with a drive crank connected to the stirrer driver plate at the inner circumference, e.g., centrally between two adjacent fingers.

[0008] Each canister may for example comprise a dispense nozzle, e.g., at a bottom side of the container. The dispenser comprises at least one pump connected to, or selectively connectable to a canister. More specifically, each canister can be provided with a pump, or the canisters can selectively be connected to a central pump. Each pump can be provided with a valve movable between a position allowing withdrawal of liquid from the container by the pump, and a second position closing off the container and allowing dispensing of withdrawn liquid from the pump. Each of the valves and pumps can be controlled by a control unit to dispense selected amounts of the respective tinting paste in accordance with a paint formulation of a selected colour.

[0009] In a specific embodiment, each canister is connected to an associated pump, in particular a piston pump, and a valve selectively movable between a position allowing withdrawal of liquid from the container by the pump, and a second position closing off the container and allowing dispensing of withdrawn liquid from the pump, and the dispenser is provided with a common actuator for sequentially operating the pumps and the valves. The canisters can selectively be positioned within reach of the common actuator, allowing the common actuator to actuate the pump and valve of the respective canister to dispense an amount of liquid from the canister. An example of such a common actuator is disclosed in WO 2012 / 093020. Since the stirrer drive is positioned above the stirrer driver plate, the common actuator can be positioned more centrally, which makes it possible to use a turntable with a smaller diameter.

[0010] If the dispenser comprises at least two concentric circular arrays of canisters, as disclosed above, canisters of the inner circular array can be provided with a pump-valve assembly of the pump and the valve at the same diameter as canisters of the outer circular array. To this end, the canisters of the inner circular array can each be provided with a radially extending extension line between canister and the pump-valve assembly.

[0011] In a further embodiment, the stirrer drive is arranged to drive a gear wheel with a central gear axis rotatably engaging the stirrer driver plate at a wiggle axis at a distance from the gear axis, the distance corresponding to a length of the cranks of the stirrers. The gear wheel can for example be part of a top side of a crank wheel, the crank wheel comprising a wheel or cylindrical skirt at its lower side having a central wheel axis coinciding with the wiggle axis. The wheel or skirt can rotatably be received in a ring bearing of the stirrer driver plate. When the gear wheel rotates, the wiggle axis will circle around the gear axis. Since the stirrer driver plate is connected to the drive cranks of the various stirrers, and the wheel or skirt rotates in the ring bearing, the stirrer driver plate will wiggle such that all points of the stirrer driver plate make circular movements with a radius corresponding to the distance between the wiggle axis and the gear axis.

[0012] The dispenser can be designed with a diameter which is substantially smaller than the diameter of presently common paint dispensers, e.g., having a diameter of 600 mm or less and / or occupy a surface area of at most 0,42 m2.

[0013] The above-described aspects will hereafter be more explained with further details and benefits with reference to the drawings showing a number of embodiments by way of example. Figure 1: shows an exemplary embodiment of a dispenser; Figure 2: shows a top part of the dispenser of Figure 1 with its outer wall partly broken away; Figure 3A: shows a canister of the inner circular array; Figure 3B: shows a canister of the outer circular array; Figure 4: shows in cross section a canister of the inner circular array in the dispensing position; Figure 5: shows a common actuator of the dispenser of Figure 1; Figure 6: shows the turntable and stirrer driver plate of the dispenser of Figure 1 in top view; Figure 7: shows a detail in cross section of the stirrer driver plate connecting to a stirrer; Figure 8: shows the turntable and stirrer driver plate of the dispenser of Figure 1 in exploded view.

[0014] Figure 1 shows a dispenser 1 for mixing and dispensing paint products. The dispenser 1 has a dispenser housing 2 with a front side 3 presenting a cavity 4 with a platform 5 for positioning a paint can 6 or similar receptacle.

[0015] Figure 2 shows the dispenser 1 with the housing 2 partly broken away, in order to show the interior of the dispenser 1. The dispenser 1 contains a turntable 7 and canisters 8A, 8B arranged in two concentric circular arrays: An inner circular array 9A with canisters 8A and an outer circular array 9B of canisters 8B mounted on the turntable 7. Each canister 8A, 8B contains a tinting paste of a specific colour and is usually provided with an internal stirrer (see Figure 4) to prevent settling.

[0016] Figures 3A shows a canister 8A of the inner circular array 9A and Figure 3B shows a canister 8B of the outer circular array 9B on the turntable 7. Each canister 8A has a radial outlet 10A close to the bottom connecting to a pump-valve assembly 11A. Similarly, each canister 8B comprises a downwardly directed outlet 10B in the bottom of the canister 8B.

[0017] The pump-valve assembly 11A of the canisters 8A comprises an extension line 12, a tubular valve housing 13 encasing a cylindrical valve body 14, a piston pump 15 with a cylindrical pump housing 16 and a piston 17. The extension line 12 extends radially relative to a central axis of the turntable 7 and connects outlet 10A to the valve housing 13. The pump housing 16 connects to the valve housing 13 and also extends radially from the valve housing 13 towards the centre of the turntable 7.

[0018] The lower end of the valve housing 13 contains a stopcock 20 closing off an outlet 18 of the valve housing 13. Below the pump housing 16 is a rotatable knob 19 for moving the stopcock 20 between a closing position and a release position.

[0019] The valve body 14 is profiled to define a channel (not shown) between the extension line 12 and the pump housing 16 when the valve body 14 in in a suction position. In this suction position, the piston 17 can be moved outwardly to withdraw liquid from the canister 8A. The valve body 14 can then be rotated and moved downward into a dispensing position, closing off the extension line 12 and aligning the channel with the outlet 18 of the valve housing 13. By rotating the knob 19 into the release position and subsequent inward pushing of the piston 17, liquid is dispensed from the pump housing 16 via the outlet 18 of the valve housing 13.

[0020] The extension lines 12 of the pump-valve assemblies 11A of the inner circular array 9A of canisters 8A have such a length that the pump-valve assemblies 11A are at the same distance to the central axis of the turntable 7 as the pump-valve assemblies 11B of the canisters 8B of the outer circular array 9B. This way, all pump-valve assemblies 11A, 11B are aligned in a single circular array.

[0021] The outlet 10B of the pump-valve assemblies 11B directly connects to the valve housing 13. The pump-valve assemblies 11B of the canisters 8B work in the same way as the pump-valve assemblies 11A of the canisters 8A.

[0022] The turntable 7 can be rotated to selectively place each one of the canisters 8A, 8B into a dispense position above the platform 5. Figure 4 shows in cross section a canister 8A of the inner circular array 9A in the dispensing position. In this dispensing position, the pump-valve assembly 11A engages a common actuator 21 of the dispenser 1 for engaging and actuating the pump 15, the valve body 14 and the stop cock of the pump-valve assembly 11A.

[0023] Figure 5 shows the common actuator 21 in more detail. The common actuator 21 comprises a pump actuator 22 and a stopcock actuator 23. The common actuator 21 is static and does not rotate with the turntable 7.

[0024] The pump actuator 22 comprises a gripper 24 which is movable in radial direction by means of a spindle mechanism 25 although other types of drives can also be used if so desired. In this specific exemplary embodiment, the gripper 24 is a C-shaped gripper. The outer end of the piston 17 of the piston pump 15 is provided with a disk 26 sliding into the C-shaped gripper 24 when the respective canister 8A, 8B with the associated pump-valve assembly 11A, 11B is moved into the dispensing position. When the valve body 14 is in the suction position, the gripper 24 pulls the piston 17 to suck liquid out of the canister 8A, 8B into the valve housing 16. When the valve body 14 is subsequently moved into the dispense position and the stopcock 20 is in the release position, the gripper 24 can push the piston 17 back into the pump housing 16 and force the liquid to flow out of the outlet 18.

[0025] When the canister 8A, 8B with the pump-valve assembly 11A, 11B is moved into the dispensing position, the stop cock actuator 23 engages the rotating knob 19. Rotating the stop cock actuator 23 rotates the rotating knob 19 and moves the stopcock 20 into the release position.

[0026] The dispenser 1 further comprises a control unit (not shown) and a user interface, such as a touch screen, in communication with the control unit enabling an operator or user to input a desired paint colour. When a user inputs a desired paint colour, e.g., by using a defined colour code, the control unit determines a paint formulation matching the desired paint colour, e.g., by selecting the paint formulation from a database. The determined paint formulation typically is a composition of one or more tinting pastes available in the respective canisters 8A, 8B of the dispenser 1, and optionally a base paint. The control unit controls rotation of the turntable 7 to sequentially move the canisters 8A, 8B containing the required tinting pastes into the dispense position above a paint can 6 on the platform 5 and controls the common actuator 21 to engage and actuate the pump-valve assembly 11A, 11B of the respective canisters 8A, 8B and dispense the respective tinting pastes one by one in accordance with the paint formulation.

[0027] The tinting pastes are usually water borne pigment dispersions. To avoid settlement of the tinting pastes, each canister 8A, 8B is provided with a stirrer 27 extending the full height of the inside of the canister 8A, 8B. The stirrers 27 are shown in Figure 4 and comprise a central stirrer shaft 28 and a set of stirrer blades 29 or similar elements attached to the stirrer shaft 21.

[0028] The stirrers 27 of the various canisters 8A, 8B are simultaneously driven by means of a stirrer driver plate 30. The stirrer driver plate 30 is shown on top view in Figure 6 and in perspective view in Figure 8. In the shown exemplary embodiment, the stirrer driver plate 30 comprises radially extending fingers 31 extending between an inner circumference 32 of the stirrer driver plate 30 and an outer circumference 33 of the stirrer driver plate 30. The canisters 8A of the inner circular array 9A have stirrers 27 with a drive crank 34 rotatably connecting the lower end of the stirrer shaft 28 to the outer ends of the fingers 31 (see Figure 7). The canisters 8B of the outer circular array 9B have stirrers 27 with a drive crank 35 connected to the stirrer driver plate 30 at the inner circumference 32, centrally between two adjacent fingers 31.

[0029] The stirrer driver plate 30 is positioned above the turntable 7 and moveable in a plane parallel to the turntable 7. As shown in Figure 8, the stirrer driver plate 30 is operatively connected to a stirrer drive 38 by means of a crank wheel 39. In the shown exemplary embodiment the stirrer drive 38 is an electric motor. At its lower side, the crank wheel 39 comprises a cylindrical skirt or wheel 40 with a wiggle axis W. At its top side the crank wheel 39 comprises a gear wheel 41 with a gear axis G. The distance between the wiggle axis W and the gear axis G corresponds to the length of the drive cranks 34, 35. A central flange 42 joins the wheel 40 and the gear wheel 41 to form a single part.

[0030] The stirrer driver plate 30 has a central opening 43 bordered by a ring bearing 44 receiving the wheel 40, so as to allow the wheel 40 to rotate within the ring bearing 44 about the wiggle axis W..

[0031] The gear wheel 41 of the crank wheel 39 is connected to an central axle stump 45 of the turntable 7. The gear wheel 41 is driven by the electric motor 38 (see Figure 8) via a gear transmission 46 to rotate about the gear axis G jointly with the turntable 7..

[0032] When the gear wheel 41 rotates about the gear axis G, the wiggle axis W circles about the gear axis G. The connection to the drive cranks 34, 35 prevents the stirrer driver plate 30 from full rotation relative to the turntable 7. Instead, due to the eccentric rotation of the wheel 40, the stirrer driver plate 30 wiggles about the gear axis G and every point of the stirrer driver plate 30 describes a circle with a radius corresponding to the length of the cranks 34, 35 and corresponding to the distance between the wiggle axis W and the gear axis G. This way, all cranks 34, 35 are driven to rotate all stirrers 27 simultaneously.

[0033] The turntable 7 comprises a circular upper disk 47 and a lower ring 48 of a plate material. The upper disk 47 and the lower ring 48 are parallel and coaxial and connected to each other by a circular array of radially extending supports 49 of equal size and shape. The lower ring 48 has a teethed inner circumference 50. The common actuator 21 (not shown in Figure 8) is placed within the lower ring 48, just below the upper disk 47 and at a distance from the path of the radially extending supports 49, and does not rotate with the turntable 7.

[0034] The central axle stump 45 with a channel for guiding the power cable for the electric motor 38. The turntable 7 is driven to rotate with the stirrer driver plate 30. Meanwhile, the stirrer driver plate 30 wiggles relative to the rotating turntable 7 to drive the stirrers 27 of all canisters 8A, 8B simultaneously.

[0035] It is noted that the drawings are schematic, not necessarily to scale and that details that are not required for understanding the present invention may have been omitted. The terms "upward", "downward", "below", "above", and the like relate to the embodiments as oriented in the drawings, unless otherwise specified.

[0036] The disclosure is not restricted to the above described embodiment which can be varied in a number of ways within the scope of the claims. For instance, other mechanisms can be used for actuating the respective pumps and valves.

Claims

1. Dispenser (1) for liquids selectively composed of mixed components comprising: - a turntable (7); - a plurality of canisters (8A, 8B), supported by the turntable and provided with a stirrer (27); - a stirrer driver plate (30), each stirrer having a drive crank (34, 35) rotatably connected to the stirrer driver plate; - a stirrer drive (38) arranged to drive the stirrer driver plate to circle each drive crank about a central axis of the associated stirrer; wherein the stirrer drive (38) is positioned above the stirrer driver plate (30).

2. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the canisters (8A, 8B) are arranged in two or more concentric circular arrays, including an outer circular array (9B) and an inner circular array (9A) of canisters.

3. Dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the stirrer driver plate (3) comprises radially extending fingers (31) extending between an inner circumference of the stirrer driver plate and an outer circumference of the stirrer driver plate; and wherein the canisters (8A) of the inner circular array (9A) have stirrers with a drive crank (34) connected to the outer ends of the fingers and the canisters (8B) of the outer circular array (9B) have stirrers (27) with a drive crank (35) connected to the stirrer driver plate at the inner circumference, e.g., centrally between two adjacent fingers.

4. Dispenser according to claim 2 or 3, wherein canisters (8A) of the inner circular array (9A) are provided with a pump-valve assembly of the pump and the valve at the same diameter as canisters of the outer circular array (9B); and wherein the canisters (8B) of the outer circular array (9B) are provided with a radially extending extension line between the respective canister and the associated pump-valve assembly.

5. Dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, the turntable having a diameter of 600 mm or less.

6. Dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the stirrer drive (38) drives a gear wheel (41) with a central gear axis G, the gear wheel rotatably engaging the stirrer driver plate (30) at a wiggle axis W at a distance from the gear axis G, said distance corresponding to a length of the drive cranks (34, 35) of the stirrers (27).

7. Dispenser according to claim 6, wherein the gear wheel (41) is part of a top side of a crank wheel (39), the crank wheel comprising a wheel (40) at its lower side having a central wheel axis defining the wiggle axis W; wherein the wheel (40) is received in a ring bearing (44) of the stirrer driver plate (30).

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