Dispenser Electrical Diagnostics for Stall and Clog Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dispensers for materials like liquids and aerosols face issues such as low battery power, mechanical stalls, clogged pumps, and empty refill containers, which affect their functionality and efficiency, and existing monitoring systems do not adequately address these problems.
Innovation Solution
The system evaluates dispenser functionality by measuring non-loaded and loaded electrical characteristics, peak currents, and other metrics during dispense events to identify mechanical issues, battery life, and operational conditions, and adjusts thresholds based on historical data to determine whether to perform a dispense event or provide alerts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a dispenser operates without monitoring systems, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability of dispensing operation deteriorates due to undetected mechanical stalls, clogged pumps, and power issues
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser performs self-diagnostics by automatically measuring electrical characteristics (current, voltage, power) during normal operation to detect mechanical stalls, clogged pumps, and power supply issues without requiring external monitoring equipment, thereby maintaining high reliability while minimizing additional system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors electrical parameters during dispensing operations and uses this feedback to detect abnormal conditions such as mechanical stalls and pump clogs, enabling real-time identification of problems that affect dispensing reliability
2Reliability
If electrical characteristics are measured continuously to detect mechanical issues, then reliability of operation is improved, but use of energy increases due to continuous monitoring
Solution Approach 1:
The system measures electrical characteristics at specific intervals and during key phases of the dispensing cycle (such as during pump activation and at completion), rather than continuously monitoring, which reduces energy consumption while maintaining sufficient operational detection accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs measurements of electrical characteristics before and during dispensing events to predict and detect potential issues in advance, allowing for proactive maintenance while minimizing the duration and frequency of active monitoring
3Measurement precision
If multiple electrical characteristics are measured during dispense events to identify various faults, then measurement precision of operational conditions is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple sensors and measurement circuits
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a multi-functional measurement approach where a single set of electrical measurement circuits measures multiple parameters (current, voltage, power) that serve multiple diagnostic purposes, including detecting mechanical stalls, pump clogs, and power supply issues, thereby achieving high measurement precision without proportionally increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system combines multiple measurement functions into integrated measurement circuits that simultaneously capture electrical characteristics during dispensing events, consolidating what would otherwise require separate sensors and measurement systems into a unified monitoring approach
Data Source
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AI summary
One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for evaluating dispenser functionality of a dispenser for dispensing a material. In an example, a non-loaded electrical characteristic and/or a loaded electrical characteristic of the dispenser may be measured and evaluated to determine whether to perform a dispense event. In another example, current measurements, such as peak current, may be measured during a dispense event. The current measurements may be evaluated to determine whether a problem exists, such as a mechanical stall, a gear train problem, an actuator problem, a pump problem (e.g., a clogged pump), a mechanical impedance, and/or other issue. Such information may be collected, stored as historical data, and/or used to determine whether to perform subsequent dispense events.