Dual roll paper dispenser with a single opening.

(54) Title: DOUBLE ROLL PAPER TOWEL DISPENSER.

(54) Title: DUAL ROLL PAPER DISPENSER WITH A SINGLE OPENING.

(57) Summary

A double roll paper towel dispenser, a method for dispensing the towel from a double roll paper towel dispenser, and a method for maintaining a double roll paper towel dispenser are described in the present disclosure. The double roll paper towel dispenser can be provided with a dispensing mechanism arranged in a dispenser housing. The dispensing mechanism may include a first drive roll for dispensing paper from a first upper roll of paper and a second drive roll for dispensing paper from a second lower roll of paper. The dispensing mechanism may further include a drive system including a motor to selectively operate the first drive roll and the second drive roll, wherein the drive system feeds the motor in a first direction of rotation to drive the first drive roll and feeds the motor in a second direction of rotation opposite the first direction of rotation to drive the second drive roll.

(57) Abstract

A dual roll paper towel dispenser, a method of dispensing towel from a dual roll paper towel dispenser, and a method of servicing a dual roll paper towel dispenser are disclosed herein. The dual roll paper towel dispenser can be provided with a dispenser mechanism disposed in a dispenser housing. The dispenser mechanism can inelude a first drive roller for dispensing paper from an upper first roll of paper and a second drive roller for dispensing paper from a lower second roll of paper. The dispenser mechanism can further include a drive system including a motor for selectively operating the first drive roller and the second drive roller, where the drive system powers the motor in a first rotational direction to actute the first drive roller and powers the motor in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction to act the second drive roller.

DOUBLE ROLL PAPER TOWEL DISPENSER

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Dual-roll paper towel dispensers are advantageous in that they allow one roll of paper to be dispensed and then, once the paper in that roll has run out, they allow a second roll of paper to be dispensed. kept in reserve. A paper towel dispenser that allows sequential dispensing of rolls to be advantageous because it allows a roll to run out of paper towels before a custodian or janitor replaces the spent roll with a new roll. In single-roll paper towel dispensers, a custodian can replace a roll of paper without running out, thereby creating waste and added cost. Additionally, not all dual-roll paper towel dispensers encourage full paper consumption from one roll of paper.

One type of double roll paper towel dispenser includes two rolls of paper towels arranged side by side. This type of arrangement can be referred to as a horizontally arranged dispenser and generally requires the dispenser to occupy a length of the wall that corresponds to the length of at least two rolls of paper. See United States Patent No.

4,260,117. Another type of double roll paper towel dispenser includes two rolls arranged vertically with each other. Such dispensers can be referred to as vertically arranged dispensers. See United States Patent Nos. 3,288,387; 4,165,138; 4,206,858; and 6,145,779. Certain vertically arranged double roll paper towel dispensers include a transfer mechanism that allows a transfer of the paper towels from a depleted main roll to a secondary roll that is held in reserve where both rolls dispense through the same drive and pressure roller. Such designs can make maintenance difficult. For example, in some cases, the custodian may need to move the secondary roll to the main roll position, and then install a new secondary roll. Due to the complexity, there is a greater chance that the dispenser may not be properly maintained.

Various designs of the Electronic Dual Roll Paper Towel Dispenser are available. For example, see United States Patent Nos. 7,354,015; 7,325,768; 7,325,767; 6, 695,246; and 6,988,689.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Generally speaking, this disclosure is directed to a dual roll paper towel dispenser, a method of dispensing a towel from a dual roll paper towel dispenser, and a method of servicing a dual roll paper towel dispenser. double roll.

Unlike traditional roll towel dispensers, the dual roll paper towel dispenser described accommodates two full rolls of towels without the need to prematurely move or replace the auxiliary rolls.

The described design automatically transfers dispensing functions to the second roll when the first roll is completely depleted, keeping high traffic areas running while reducing maintenance.

It is also possible to alternate dispensing and simultaneous dispensing of the first and second rolls with the described design.

In one example, a dual roll paper towel dispenser is provided having a dispensing mechanism and a dispenser housing constructed to receive a first roll of paper on an upper mandrel and a second roll of paper on a lower mandrel. The dispensing mechanism may include a first drive roll to dispense the paper from the first paper roll and a second drive roll to dispense the paper from the second paper roll. The dispensing mechanism may further include a drive system including a motor to selectively operate the first drive roll and the second drive roll, wherein the drive system feeds the motor in a first direction of rotation to drive the first drive roll and feeds the motor in a second direction of rotation opposite the first direction of rotation to drive the second drive roll.

In one aspect and by way of a non-limiting example, a dual roll paper towel dispenser includes a dispenser housing constructed to receive a

<td>first roll</td><td>of paper and</td><td>a</td><td colspan="2">second roll</td><td>of paper</td><td>where</td><td>the</td>

<td>first roll</td><td>of paper</td><td>and</td><td>the second</td><td colspan="2">roll of</td><td>paper</td><td>I know</td>

<td colspan="2">vertically</td><td>of</td><td>Way that</td><td>the</td><td>first</td><td>roll</td><td>of</td>

Paper is located vertically above the second roll of paper when the dispenser is mounted to a wall and a dispenser opening to dispense the paper from the first roll of paper and the second roll of paper. The dual roll paper towel dispenser includes a first mandrel for holding the first roll of paper within the dispenser housing, a second mandrel for holding the second roll of paper within the housing, and a dispensing mechanism. The dispensing mechanism includes a first drive roll and a first pressure roll to dispense the paper from the first roll of paper through the dispenser opening, a second drive roll, and a second pressure roll to dispense the paper from the second roll. of paper through the dispenser opening, and a motor to feed the first drive roll and the second drive roll.

Another aspect is a method of dispensing a towel from a double roll paper towel dispenser. The method includes arranging a first roll of paper on a first mandrel and arranging a second roll of paper on a second mandrel. The dispenser is wall-mounted and the first roll of paper and the second roll of paper are located within a dispenser housing that has a dispenser opening in a front wall of the housing, the dispenser includes a dispensing mechanism comprising a first drive roll and a first pressure roll, and a second drive roll and a second pressure roll, and the paper from the first paper roll is located between the first drive roll and the first pressure roll, and the paper from the second paper roll is located between the second drive roll and the second pressure roll. The method includes dispensing the paper from the first roll of paper through the dispenser opening or dispensing the paper from the second roll of paper through the dispenser opening.

An additional aspect is a method of servicing a dual roll paper towel dispenser. The method includes supplying paper to a dual roll dispenser such that a first roll of paper is located on a first mandrel and a second roll of paper is located on a second mandrel. The dispenser is mounted on a wall, the first roll of paper and the second roll of paper are located within a dispenser housing that has a dispenser opening in a front wall of the housing, the dispenser includes a dispensing mechanism comprising a first drive roll and a first pressure roll, and a second drive roll and a second pressure roll, and the paper from the first paper roll is located between the first drive roll and the first pressure roll, and the paper from the second paper roll is located between the second drive roll and the second pressure roll.

A method of monitoring and operating the dual roll paper towel dispenser is also described and may include the steps of: detecting that one or more rolls in the dispenser is empty when a paper sensor does not detect paper after two cycles of consecutive dispensing of the same roll; monitor an open and closed state of a dispenser door; carry out a paper loading operation for each roll that has been found to be empty when the door status has changed from open to closed; record that a new roll has been loaded into the dispenser when the paper sensor detects that a sheet has been dispensed; and resetting a motor steering setting to match a setting that existed prior to the paper loading operation.

A method of identifying a paper jam in a double roll paper towel dispenser is also described and may include the steps of: monitoring the back electromotive force of a motor during a period of inertia moving during a dispensing operation by the use of a pulse counter; identify a paper jam failure when the counter-electromotive force pulse counter value is below a threshold value; and set the roll status to a stuck state.

Also described is a method of controlling the dispensing time for a dual roll paper towel dispenser that includes the steps of: monitoring the back electromotive force of a motor during a period of inertia during a dispensing operation by means of the use of a pulse counter;

monitor a battery voltage during a dispense operation; calculating a first motor dispense time to maintain a desired dispensed sheet length based on the difference between the measured battery voltage and a nominal battery voltage; calculating a second motor dispense time to maintain a desired dispensed sheet length based on the pulse count of the counter EMF from the motor; and selecting the longest of the first and second dispensing times to set the motor dispensing time in the next dispensing operation.

Also described is a method of calibrating a paper sensor in a paper towel dispenser that includes the steps of: starting a paper sensor calibration routine when paper is not present in a dispenser chute; activate a paper sensor light emitter; increase the light emitting intensity upward until the paper sensor receiver detects the light reflecting from the gutter to establish a reflection value; and setting the intensity of the light emitter to a value that is less than the intensity associated with the reflection value.

Also described is a method of configuring a hand sensor detection interval on a paper towel dispenser including: setting a normal detection interval for the hand sensor, the normal detection interval that is associated with a first distance; setting a low detection interval for the hand sensor, the low detection interval that is associated with a second distance that is less than the first distance; determine if paper is present in a dispenser chute; configure the hand sensor to operate within the normal detection range when paper is not detected in the gutter and when paper is in the gutter for a period of time that is less than a predetermined threshold; and configuring the hand sensor to operate at the low detection interval when paper has been present in the gutter for a period of time that is greater than the predetermined threshold.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

<td>The</td><td>Figure 1</td><td>is</td><td>a</td><td>view</td><td>front on</td><td>perspective</td>

<td colspan="2">from a dispenser</td><td>of</td><td colspan="2">towels</td><td>of paper</td><td>electronic</td>

<td>illustrative</td><td>mounted</td><td>in</td><td>a</td><td>wall</td><td colspan="2">I agree with you</td>

principles of the present description.

<td>The</td><td>Figure</td><td>2 is a view</td><td>broken up</td><td>of the</td>

<td>dispenser</td><td>of towels</td><td colspan="2">of electronic paper shown in</td><td>the</td>

<td>Figure 1.</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>

<td>The</td><td>Figure 3</td><td>it's a view on</td><td>perspective</td><td>of the</td>

electronic double roll paper towel dispenser shown in Figure 1 with two side doors removed and front cover open.

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the front cover shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view of the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser shown in Figure 1 taken along line 5-5.

Figure 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of an illustrative wrench in accordance with the principles of the present description.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser shown in Figure 1 with the two side doors and the front cover open.

Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the illustrative electronic double roll paper towel dispenser shown in Figure 1 taken along line 9-9.

Figure 10 is an exploded view of a portion of Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a side perspective view of the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser shown in Figure 8.

Figure 12 is a perspective view of a mandrel assembly in accordance with the principles of the present description.

Figure 13 is an exploded view of the mandrel assembly shown in Figure 12.

Figure 14 is a top plan view of a roll cup retainer in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure.

Figure 15 is a side view of the roll cup retainer shown in Figure 14.

Figure 16 is a top plan view of a cup of the roll according to the principles of the present description.

Figure 17 is a side view of the roll cup shown in Figure 16.

Figure 18 is a perspective view of a set of left mandrels coupled to a rear wall of the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure.

Figure 19 is a perspective view of a set of right mandrels attached to the rear wall of the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure.

Figure 20 is a front plan view of the left mandrel assembly of Figure 18 removed from the rear wall.

Figure 21 is a rear perspective view of the left mandrel assembly of Figure

20.

Figure 22 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the left mandrel assembly of Figure 18 taken along line 22-22.

Figure 23 is an enlarged portion of the left mandrel assembly of Figure 18.

Figure 24 is a cross-sectional view of a drive module assembly in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure.

Figure 25 is an enlarged view of a portion of the drive module assembly of Figure 24 that loads a sheet with a top drive mechanism.

Figure 26 is an enlarged view of a portion of the drive module assembly of Figure 24 that dispenses the sheet around an upper drive roll.

Figure 27 is an enlarged view of a portion of the drive module assembly of Figure 24 that loads the sheet from a bottom of an upper roll.

Figure 28 is an enlarged view of a portion of the drive module assembly of Figure 24 that loads a sheet with a lower drive mechanism.

Figure 29 is an exploded view of the drive module assembly.

Figure 30 is an enlarged view of a portion of the lower drive mechanism shown in Figure 28.

Figure 31 is an enlarged view of a portion of the lower drive mechanism shown in Figure 28.

Figure 32 is an enlarged view of a portion of the lower drive mechanism shown in Figure 28.

Figure 33 is an enlarged view of a portion of the lower drive mechanism shown in Figure 28.

Figure 34 is an enlarged view of a portion of the lower drive mechanism shown in

Figure 28 showing a spacer bar according to the principles of the present description.

Figure 35 is an enlarged view of a portion of the lower drive mechanism shown in

Figure 28 illustrating incorrect charging.

Figure 36 is an enlarged view of a portion of the lower drive mechanism shown in Figure 28 illustrating a paper jam.

<td></td><td>The</td><td>Figure</td><td> 37</td><td colspan="2">is a perspective view of the</td>

<td>joint</td><td>of the</td><td>module</td><td colspan="3">drive showing a stop</td>

<td>cams</td><td colspan="2">agreement</td><td>with</td><td>the principles of</td><td>Present</td>

<td>invention</td><td> •</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>

<td></td><td>The</td><td>Figure</td><td colspan="2">38 is a perspective view</td><td>of the top</td>

<td>cam</td><td>with</td><td colspan="2">the casing</td><td>withdrawal.</td><td></td>

<td></td><td>The</td><td>Figure</td><td> 39</td><td>is an enlarged view of the</td><td>top of</td>

<td>cam like</td><td>I know</td><td>shows</td><td>in</td><td>Figure 38.</td><td></td>

<td></td><td>The</td><td>Figure</td><td> 40</td><td colspan="2">is a perspective view of the</td>

<td>joint</td><td>of the</td><td>module</td><td>of</td><td>drive showing</td><td>the plate</td>

of circuits according to the principles of the present invention.

Figure 41 is a front perspective view of the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser showing the control circuit according to the principles of the present invention.

Figure 42 is an enlarged view of a portion of the control circuit shown in Figure 41.

Figure 43 is a cross sectional view of the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser shown in Figure 41.

Figure 44 is an enlarged view of a portion of the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser shown in Figure 43.

Figure 45 is a front view of the control circuit shown in Figure 41.

Figure 46 is a schematic representation of the control circuit shown in Figure 41.

Figure 47 is a schematic representation of a power source associated with the control circuit shown in Figure 46.

Figure 48 is a schematic representation of a microcontroller associated with the control circuit shown in Figure 46.

Figure 49 is a schematic representation of a debug and communication circuit associated with the control circuit shown in Figure 46.

Figure 50 is a schematic representation of an LED light circuit associated with the control circuit shown in Figure 46.

Figure 51 is a schematic representation of a switch input circuit associated with the control circuit shown in Figure 46.

Figure 52 is a schematic representation of an engine control circuit associated with the control circuit shown in Figure 46.

Figure 53 is a schematic representation of a battery voltage measurement circuit associated with the control circuit shown in Figure 46.

Figure 54 is a schematic representation of a hand detection circuit associated with the control circuit shown in Figure 46.

Figure 55 is a schematic representation of a paper detection circuit associated with the control circuit shown in Figure 46.

Figure 56 is a schematic representation of a hand sensor actuator circuit associated with the control circuit shown in Figure 46.

Figure 57 is a schematic representation of a paper sensor driver circuit associated with the control circuit shown in Figure 46.

Figure 58 is a flow chart of a roll state algorithm that can be implemented by the control circuit shown in Figure 46.

Figure 59 is a flow chart of a paper jam failure detection algorithm that can be implemented by the control circuit shown in Figure 46.

Figure 60 is a flow chart of a sheet length control algorithm that can be implemented by the control circuit shown in

Figure 46.

Figure 61 is a flow chart of a paper sensor calibration algorithm that can be implemented by the control circuit shown in Figure 46.

Figure 62 is a flow chart of a hand sensor calibration algorithm that can be implemented by the control circuit shown in Figure 46.

Figure 63 is a schematic side view of the dispenser of Figure 1 with the hand sensor calibrated for a normal detection range.

Figure 64 is a schematic side view of the dispenser of Figure 1 with the hand sensor calibrated for a low detection range.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the Figures, where like reference numbers represent like parts and assemblies in all the various views. Reference to the various embodiments does not limit the scope of the appended claims. Additionally, any of the examples set forth in this description are not intended to be limiting and only set forth some of the many possible embodiments of the appended claims.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an illustrative electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 mounted on a wall 5. The illustrative electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 can be mounted to a wall 5 or other member of Support by any of the conventional means such as, but not limited to, supports, adhesive, nails, screws, or anchors (not shown). The illustrative electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 includes a housing 12 having a main body 14, a rear wall 16, two side doors 18, 20, and a front cover that can be opened and closed 22. The housing 12 can Manufactured from stainless steel, aluminum, plastic, or other types of materials, or other types of substantially non-corrosive materials. In certain examples, the main body 14, the two side doors 18, 20 and the front cover 22 can be made of a material that has a glossy finish.

In one example, the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 may have a height Ηχ of from about 18 inches to about 22 inches.

In one embodiment, the height Ηχ can vary from about 19 inches to about 21 inches.

It will be appreciated that the electronic dual roll paper towel dispenser 10 can be configured and arranged in a variety of heights Ηχ.

In one example, the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 can have a width Wi of about 9 inches to about 15 inches. In one embodiment, the width Wi can vary from about 11 inches to about 14 inches. It will be appreciated that the electronic dual roll paper towel dispenser 10 can be configured and arranged with a variety of Wi widths.

In one example, the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 can have a length Li of from about 8 inches to about 14 inches. In one embodiment, the length Li can vary from about 9 inches to about 13 inches. It will be appreciated that the electronic dual roll paper towel dispenser 10 can be configured and arranged in a variety of lengths L_x.

Referring to Figure 2, the main body of the housing 12 may include an upper portion 24, a lower portion 26, and a front wall 13. In certain examples, the upper and lower portions

24, 26 and the front wall 13 can be formed unitarily with the main body 14 of the casing 12. In other examples, the upper and lower portions 24, 26 and the front wall 13 can be coupled to the main body of the casing 12. The housing 12 defines an opening 28 that can be covered by the front cover 22.

In one example, front cover 22 defines a slot 30 near a bottom of main body 14 for dispensing paper towels 32 (see Figure 1) therethrough. The front cover 22 may include the swing arms 7 coupled to the opposite sides of the front cover 22 near a lower portion 11 thereof. The swing arms 7 each include a rod 9 to couple the front cover 22 to the main body 14 of the housing 12. In one example, rod 9 can be supported at a pivot point 38 defined by main body 14 of housing 12.

Referring to Figure 3, a perspective view of the illustrative electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 is shown with the two side doors 18, 20 removed and the front cover 22 open. When the front cover 22 is opened, the front cover 22 can be unlocked and opened.

Referring to Figure 4, an enlarged portion of the front cover 22 is shown. The front cover 22 can be attached to the main body 14 by, for example, pivot point 38, to facilitate opening and closing of the front cover. 22 when a paper supply is placed in the casing 12. The rod 9 of the swing arms 7 can be configured to couple the pivot point 38 to secure the front cover 22 to the main body 14 of the casing 12. Front cover 22 can rotate to open and close within pivot point 38.

Referring to Figures 5 and 6, a cross-sectional view of the illustrative electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 is shown. In one example, the front cover 22 can be locked in a closed position. The front cover 22 can be closed by using a closure 34 fitted within a cavity 39 of the main body 14 of the housing 12.

Referring to Figure 6, an exploded view of the closure 34 is shown. The closure 34 may be a flexible metal spring that is constructed to move up and down to engage and release the front cover 22. In one example, the Lock 34 may be adapted to abut against a grip of front door 36 of front door 22 to prevent front cover 22 from opening when in the closed position. The latch 34 can spring into position so that the grip of the front door 36 abuts the latch 34 to create a stop for the front cover 22.

In one example, the front cover 22 can include the coupling elements 21 that can be configured to couple the ramps 23 to the main body 14 of the housing 12. The coupling elements 21 can be guided towards the openings 25 defined by the main body 14 when the front cover 22 is closed.

In one example, a key 27 may be used by maintenance personnel to open front cover 22.

The key 27 can be arranged and configured to mate with a slot 29 located between the ramps 23. In certain examples, the key 27 can be pushed down onto the latch 34 to allow the grip of the front door 36 to move past the latch 34 to open the front cover 22.

Referring to Figure 7, a perspective view of the wrench 27 is illustrated. The wrench may include the calipers 51 and an extension member 53. In one example, the calipers 51 can engage the opening 29 to push down the latch 34 to allow front cover 22 to open. The key can be stored within housing 12 by sliding extension member 53 into housing 12 in a stored position (not shown).

Referring to Figure 8, a perspective view of the illustrative electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 shown in Figure 1 is shown with the two side doors 18, 20 and front cover 22 open. In one example, the two side doors 18, 20 may include structural ridges 55 to help provide rigidity to the two side doors 18, 20. The two side doors 18, 20 each include plugs 96 to help prevent improper loading of the paper rolls and to support the mandrels for mounting the paper rolls thereon.

In certain examples, the two side doors 18, 20 each can be hinged to one side of the rear wall 16 of the housing 12 by, for example, hinge pivots 40. The two side doors 18, 20 open around the pivots hinge 40 to move between a closed position (see Figure 1) and an open position (see Figure 8). The two side doors 18, 20 each include the top grips 42 and bottom grips 43 to lock the two side doors 18, 20 in a closed position. The upper grips 42 can define an opening 41 and the lower grips 43 define an opening 45.

Referring to Figures 9 and 10, a cross-sectional view of the illustrative electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 is shown in

Figure 1. In one example, the upper grips 42 of the two side doors 18, 20 engage a cutout 44 (see Figure 8) defined by the main body 14 of the housing 12 to secure the two side doors 18, 20 in a closed position.

Referring again to Figure 8, the front cover 22 includes the tabs on the top cover 46, and the tabs on the bottom cover 47 on each side of the front cover 22 to help prevent the two side doors 18 from opening. , 20. In one example, the tabs on the top cover 46 can be attached to the opening 41 of the top grips 42 to secure the two side doors 18, 20 in a closed position. The tabs on the bottom cover 47 can engage the opening 45 of the bottom grips 43 to secure the two side doors 18, 20 in a closed position. As such, the two side doors 18, 20 would not open until the front cover 22 is opened. The two side doors 18, 20 can be opened to reload the illustrative electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 with the towels. of paper 32.

Referring again to Figure 2, the rear wall 16 of the housing 12 includes a plate 48 constructed to hang the illustrative electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 on the wall 5. The plate 48 can be made of the same materials than the housing 12. Plate 48 can be secured to rear wall 16 by, for example, a mechanical member, a snap-lock configuration, blogging tabs, solder, adhesive, or other conventional coupling means. In other examples, the plate 48 can be coupled together with the rear wall 16 so that the rear wall 16 and the plate 48 are integrated with each other or are constructed to form a part.

Figure 11 illustrates the mounting details of the paper towel rolls in the illustrative electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10.

Figure 11 depicts a side perspective view of the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 shown in Figure 8. As illustrated, the housing 12 of the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 can be adapted to hold an upper roll (for example, the first one) 50, a lower roll (for example, the second one) 52, and an assembly of the drive module 54 (for example the dispensing mechanism). In one example, the upper and lower rolls 50, 52 are shown arranged in a vertically stacked configuration along a vertical axis 56. The drive module assembly 54 can be located in a space between a deeper part D_x of the top roll and the deepest part D2 of the bottom roll 52 and between the front wall 13 and both the top and bottom rolls 50, 52. The deepest part D_x, D₂ of the upper and lower rolls 50, 52 may be at a central point (not shown) in a core of the upper and lower rolls 50, 52.

Referring to Figure 12, a perspective view of an illustrative mandrel assembly 58 is shown. In one example, the illustrative mandrel assembly 58 includes an arm 60, an upper (eg, the first) mandrel 62, and a lower chuck (for example, the second one) 64. In one example, arm 60 includes mounting protrusions 66 extending approximately perpendicularly therefrom and guide arms 68 extending outward from an outer surface 70 of arm 60. In certain examples, the upper rolls and Lower 50, 52 can be cantilevered from one side and mounted on upper and lower mandrels 62, 64 respectively.

Figure 13 is an exploded view of the mandrel assembly shown in Figure 12.

In one example, the upper and lower chucks

62, 64 each protrudes proximally from a proximal face 88 of arm 60. Each of upper and lower mandrels 62, 64 may include a roll cup bearing 90 (eg, bushing, sleeve), a roll cup 92, and the roll cup retainers 94. The roll cup bearing 90 is illustrated adjacent to proximal face 88 of arm 60. The caps 96 of the two side doors 18, 20 can be arranged and configured to engage the roll cup 92 to help prevent incorrect loading and support the upper and lower mandrels 62, 64.

In one example, the upper and lower rolls 50, each include the notches 102 (see Figure 11) in the outer core of the upper and lower rolls 50, 52 to aid in the correct installation of the rolls

<td>higher</td><td>and lower 50,</td><td> 52 .</td><td>In other examples,</td><td>the</td><td>notches</td>

<td colspan="2">102 can be placed in</td><td>the</td><td>inner core of</td><td>the</td><td>scrolls</td>

<td>higher</td><td>and lower 50,</td><td> 52</td><td>to help with</td><td colspan="2">installation</td>

<td>adequate</td><td>of the rolls</td><td colspan="2">upper and lower</td><td> 50,</td><td>52. In</td>

In certain examples, the upper and lower rolls 50, 52 can be loaded onto the upper and lower mandrels 62, 64 such that the roll cup retainers 94 engage the notches 102 and can allow the two doors to close. laterals 18, 20.

Referring to Figures 14 through 17, the roll cup retainers 94 may include the lock retainers 98 configured to engage the grooves 100 defined by the roll cup 92 such that the roll cup retainers 94 and the roll cup 92 can be connected together. The stoppers of the cups of the rolls 94 can include a stem 103 to position the cup of the roll 92 therein. The stem 103 of the roll cup retainers 94 may include a plurality of tabs 106 separated by the gaps 107. The roll cup 92 may include a stem 101 defining a recess 105. The recess 105 of the stem 101 can be constructed for receiving the tabs 106 of the stem 103 of the roll cup retainers 94 so that the roll cup retainers 94 and the roll cup 92 are interlocked or connected together.

In one example, the stem cups 101, 103 of the roll cup retainers 94 and the roll cup 92 can be arranged and configured to fit over the spindles 61 (see Figure 13) of the upper and lower mandrels 62, 64 for coupling in it. Retainers for roll cups 94 and roll cup 92 can be placed on top and bottom mandrels 62, 64 to help guide installation of top and bottom rolls 50, 52. In one example, the roll cup retainers 94 may include a rib 104 that is constructed to abut the top and bottom mandrels 62, 64 if the top and bottom rolls 50, 52 are not properly installed therein.

If the installation of the upper and lower rolls 50, 52 is correct, the two side doors 18, 20 would not close due to the fact that the seals of the cups of the rolls 94 interfere with the caps 96.

Referring to Figures 18 and 19, a left side mandrel assembly 72 and a right side mandrel assembly 74 are depicted. The left side and right side mandrel assemblies 72, 74 can be respectively attached to a left or right side of the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10. This allows the illustrative electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 to be mounted in a wide variety of environments. Regardless of which side of the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 engages the mandrel assembly 58, the mounting protrusions 66 can be attached to the rear wall 16 in the same manner.

Referring to Figures 20 and 21, the rear wall 16 can define the ducts 76 on both the left side 78 and the right side 80 of the rear wall 16. The ducts 76 can include cavities 77 therein. In one example, mounting protrusions 66 can include a proximal end 82 and a distal end 84. Protrusions 66 may include spring fingers 65 which are arranged and configured to engage cavities 77 in conduits 76 as they slide into conduits 76 in rear wall 16 on either the left or right sides 78, 80.

Referring to Figures 22 and 23, the exploded views of the mounting protrusions 66 are illustrated. The mounting protrusions 66 can slide into the conduits 76 of the rear wall 16 so that the spring fingers engage the cavities. 77 as shown. In certain examples, protrusions 66 can extend in a proximal to distal direction along posterior wall 16. Switching between the left side and right side mandrel assemblies 72, 74 can change the way the paper towel 32 comes out of the top and bottom rolls 50, 52, in either a clockwise orientation or an orientation counterclockwise.

In certain examples, the guide arms 68 in the mandrel assembly 58 can be attached to the front wall 13 in the recess 15 (see Figure 8) to help provide support to the front wall 13 and limit movement of the mandrel assembly 58 . In one example, the guide arms 68 include a bent retention portion 86 (see Figure 12) that can be attached to the upper and lower rolls 50, 52 to help secure the upper and lower rolls 50, 52 to the upper mandrels and lower 62, 64 respectively.

Referring to Figure 24, a cross-sectional view of the drive module assembly 54 is depicted. In one example, the drive module assembly 54 may include a module housing 108, a top drive mechanism (eg, the first) 110, a lower drive mechanism (eg, the second) 112, a motor 114, and a circuit board 207 (see Figure 40). In one example, the module housing 108 can be constructed to accommodate the first and second drive mechanisms 110, 112 in close proximity to each other to produce a compact arrangement for dispensing double rolls of paper. As illustrated, the first and second drive mechanisms 110, 112 can be two separate drive mechanisms for the upper and lower rolls 50, 52. Examples of the upper and lower drive mechanisms 110, 112 will be described in more detail below.

In one example, the upper and lower rolls 50 can be fully loaded and ready to dispense at the same time unlike traditional dispensers where the exchange bar only engages the reserve roll after the main roll is depleted. In the drive module assembly 54, it is not necessary to move the upper and lower rolls 50, 52 around an auxiliary position to reload.

The upper and lower rolls 50, 52 can be replaced when empty without interfering with each other.

In one example, the arrangement of the drive module assembly 54 provides that the paper sheets of the

<td colspan="2">rolls top e</td><td colspan="2">lower 50, 52</td><td>I know</td><td colspan="2">detect by</td><td colspan="2">a sensor</td>

<td>paper 210</td><td>(see</td><td>the</td><td>Figure 42).</td><td>The</td><td>joint</td><td>of the</td><td>module</td><td>of</td>

<td>actuation</td><td> 54</td><td>of the</td><td>dispenser</td><td>of</td><td>: towels</td><td>of</td><td>paper</td><td>of</td>

Illustrative electronic double roll 10 can provide the ability to dispense two paper towels 32 at one time or alternatively. In certain examples, the paper towel 32 can be dispensed through the same opening in dispenser 118.

Figures 25 to 27 illustrate the characteristics of the upper drive mechanism 110 of the drive module assembly 54.

Referring to Figures 25 and 26, the upper drive mechanism 110 may include an upper drive roller (eg, the former) 120, an upper choke roller (eg, the former) 122 (eg, pressure roller) ), an upper blade (eg, the first) 124, an upper gutter area (eg, the first) 126, and an upper transfer bar 128. The upper choke roll 122 is shown in the Figures as a fixed roll. The upper choke roller 122 can be positioned adjacent to the upper drive roller 120.

In one example, the upper choke roller 122 may include rubber rings or friction material therein to cooperate with the upper drive roller 120 in feeding the paper towel 32.

The upper transfer bar 128 is shown in an open position for loading a sheet of paper from the upper roll 50. The upper transfer bar 128 can easily be raised to the open position and lowered by gravity. The drive module assembly 54 is constructed such that the top roll 50 can be loaded without having to remove a bottom sheet of paper from the bottom roll 52.

In one example, the top transfer bar

128 it is free to float up and down around a pivot point 130 based on the stresses in the paper towel sheet. The ability to float up and down allows loading of paper towel rolls while maintaining a wrap on top drive roll 120. The wrap on top drive roll 120 provides top drive roll 120 to adequately hold the paper towel sheet which can help prevent free spin and promote good dispensing. The upper transfer bar 128 is arranged and configured so that the paper towels can be loaded from either the top or bottom (see Figure 27) of a roll of paper.

Referring to Figure 26, an illustration of loading paper from a top roll 50 is represented by using the top drive mechanism 110. In one example, a folded end 33 of paper towel 32 can be pulled down and insert under upper transfer bar 128 of upper drive 110. The upper transfer bar 128 is lowered by gravity and can apply loading pressure to the paper towel 32 to ensure that the upper drive roll 120 will pull the paper towel 32 to the upper choke roll 122.

Referring to Figure 27, motor 114 can be used to drive upper drive roller 120 to pull paper towel 32 to upper choke roller 122. It should be noted that motor 114 can be of any suitable type (eg, gradual speed, servo, brushing, brushless, etc.). As shown, the paper towel 32 will continue to dispense past the top choke roll 122 and out of the top gutter area 126. A user can then hold a holder of the paper towel 32 and pull the paper towel 32 against the upper blade 124 to tear it.

Referring to Figures 28 through 36, an example of the lower drive mechanism 112 of the drive module assembly 54 is illustrated.

Figure 28 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the drive module 54 assembly with the lower drive mechanism 112.

<td></td><td>In</td><td>an example the</td><td>mechanism</td><td>of</td><td>actuation</td>

<td>lower</td><td> 112</td><td>can include</td><td>a roller</td><td>of</td><td>actuation</td>

<td>lower</td><td colspan="2">(For example, him</td><td>second)</td><td> 132,</td><td>a roller</td>

<td colspan="2">throttle</td><td colspan="2">bottom (for example the</td><td colspan="2">second) 134 (by</td>

example, pressure roll), a paper roll channel 136, a channel member 138 located in the paper roll channel 136, a lower blade (eg, the second) 140, a feeder assembly 142, an area of lower gutter (eg second gutter) 144 and a spreader bar 143.

Feeder assembly 142 is shown in the open position for loading. Channel member 138 can be configured to surround lower drive roll 132 to create paper roll channel 136 through which paper towel 32 can be fed. In one example, lower drive roll 132 can be configured with a plurality of tires 131 separated by spaces 133 (see Figure 29) for pulling the sheets of paper towels 32. In certain examples, the channel member 138 can help guide the paper towel 32 around the lower drive roller 132. In one example, the channel member 138 can be made of plastic. It should be understood that other materials can be used.

In one example, the lower choke roller

134 it can be a floating roller. Lower choke roll 134 can be configured to move freely within the channel of paper roll 136.

In the embodiment shown, the choke roller 134 is held against the

<td>roller</td><td colspan="2">drive</td><td>lower 132 by</td><td>a</td><td>pair</td>

<td>springs</td><td>insured to</td><td>the</td><td>module housing</td><td> 108</td><td>in each</td>

<td>extreme</td><td>roller</td><td colspan="2">choke 134.</td><td>The</td><td>roller</td>

<td colspan="2">lower choke</td><td> 134</td><td>can cooperate with</td><td colspan="2">the roller</td>

lower drive 132 while feeding the paper towel 32 so that the lower choke roller

134 rotates and slides on lower drive roller 132. In one example, lower choke roller 134 may be a 3/16 inch diameter rod. Lower choke roll 134 can be approximately 8.5 inches long. The size of the lower choke roller 124 allows the close proximity of the upper and lower gutter areas

126, 144.

Referring to Figure 29, an exploded view of the drive module assembly 54 is shown. Feeder assembly 142 may include a lower tray 146 defining a plurality of openings 148, two supports 150 on opposite sides of feeder assembly 142 of so that the lower tray 146 extends between the two supports 150, and a vertical frame 152 that generally extends upwards from the lower tray 146. Feeder assembly 142 can be constructed to prevent the high friction paper from contacting itself and pulling upward so that it contacts the lower drive roller 132 causing a jam. This concept is illustrated and described in more detail with reference to Figures 35 and 36.

In one example, brackets 150 define openings 154 to receive a fastener, such as, but not limited to, a lug screw, pin, bolt, dowel, rivet, lock, flange, and the like that engage in the housing of the module 108. In other examples, supports 150 may be secured to feeder assembly 142 by, for example, adhesive, fasteners, welding, bronzing, or combinations of these or other joining techniques. Feeder assembly 142 can rotate about pivot point 156 between an open and closed position.

In one example, the vertical frame 152 may define a slot 158 ​​for the loading of paper sheets from the lower roll 52. In one example, the sheets of paper can be loaded from the bottom of the lower roll 52. In another For example, the sheets of paper can be loaded when exiting the top of the bottom roll 52, as shown in Figure 34. The vertical frame 152 may include an upper surface 160 from which a plurality of feed projections 162 extends upwardly thereof. In certain examples, the plurality of feed projections 162 can be separated by gaps 164. The plurality of feed projections 162 provides enough surface area to help cause the sheets of paper to come off lower drive roller 132. The plurality of feed projections 162 is described and illustrated in more detail with reference to Figure 30.

As shown in Figure 28, the feeder assembly 142 rotates to open along pivot point 156 in preparation for feeding the lower roll 52 paper through slot 158 ​​of the feeder assembly 142.

Referring to Figure 30, the bottom roll paper towel 52 can be wrapped around feeder assembly 142 so that it loops up and over the plurality of feed projections 162. Feeder assembly 142 can be rotated to one closed position for loading the folded end of the paper towel 32 of the lower roll 52 against the lower drive roller 132. In certain examples, the configuration of the feed projections 162 can help to ensure that the paper towel 32 contacts the lower drive roller 132 and can be removed from the proper load.

In one example, the feed projections 162 can be aligned with the spaces 133 of the lower drive roll 132 to help guide the paper towel sheets 32 onto the lower drive roll 132. Motor 114 can be used to drive the drive roll bottom actuator 132 that can pull the paper towel 32 around the bottom choke roller 134 into the channel of the paper roll 136, as shown in Figure 27.

Referring to Figure 31, motor 114 drives lower drive roller 132 to pull paper towel 32 past lower choke roller 134. In one example, lower choke roller 134 can float within the channel of the idler roller. paper 136 to allow the folded end 33 of the paper towel 32 to feed between the lower choke roller 134 and the lower drive roller 132.

Referring to Figures 32 and 33, the lower choke roller 134 can be retracted from the lower drive roller 132 to allow two sheets of paper 32a to be accepted between the lower choke roller 134 and the lower drive roller 132. The sheets assist to provide enough tension for them to be dispensed. After the paper sheets 32a pass through the channel of the paper roller 136, the lower choke roller 134 can slide back toward the lower drive roller 132. The lower choke roller 134 can maximize the wrap angle around the lower drive 132 to assist the lower drive roller 132 to pull the paper towel 32. Motor 114 may continue to operate to dispense the paper towel 32 out of the lower gutter 144 area.

Referring again to Figure 29, the spreader bar 143 may include the tie members 166 positioned along a lower surface 168 of the spreader bar 143. The tie members 166 can be constructed to engage openings 148 in the tray Bottom 146 of feeder assembly 142. Attachment members 166 can assist in coupling and supporting spacer bar 143 in feeder assembly 142. The spreader bar 143 includes an upper surface 170 from which a plurality of fingers 172 extends upwardly thereof. In certain examples, the plurality of fingers 172 can be separated by spaces 174.

In one example, spacer bar 143 may include two supports 176 on opposite sides of spacer bar 143. In certain examples, the two supports

176 they may be secured to the spacer bar 143 by, for example, adhesive, fasteners, welding, bronzing, or combinations of these or other defining techniques of bonding. Each of the two supports 17 6

<td colspan="2">a cavity 178 to</td><td>receive the</td><td colspan="2">knife</td><td>lower 140.</td><td>The</td>

<td>divider bar</td><td> 14</td><td colspan="2">3 can accommodate</td><td>a</td><td>portion of</td><td>the</td>

<td>lower blade</td><td></td><td>140 inside</td><td>of</td><td>the</td><td>sleeves</td><td> 180</td>

<td>adjacent to</td><td colspan="2">two supports</td><td> 176.</td><td>In</td><td>An example,</td><td>the</td>

<td colspan="2">180 sleeves can</td><td>be hollow</td><td>for</td><td colspan="2">receive and secure</td><td>the</td>

certain lower blade 140 therein. In examples, sleeves 180 can be integrated with or attached to the two supports 176.

In other examples, the spacer bar 143 is sleeved by, for example, adhesive, fasteners, welding, bronzing, or combinations of these or other joining techniques.

Referring to Figure 34, the plurality of fingers 172 of the spreader bar 143 can help guide the paper sheet out of the area of ​​the lower gutter 144 to prevent the paper sheet from wrapping around the lower drive roller 132 again and causing a jam. In one example, the plurality of fingers

172 can align with spaces

133 of the lower drive roller 132 to help guide the paper towel sheets 32 out of the lower gutter area

144. After the paper towel 32 is dispensed, the user can pull the paper towel 32 along the lower blade 140 to tear the paper towel 32.

Referring to Figures 35 and 36, an illustration of incorrect charging of the feeder assembly is shown.

142 where the foil is incorrectly wrapped. In the illustrated position, the foil will not transfer for loading.

If a bottleneck jam occurs in the area of ​​the lower gutter 144, the lower choke roller 134 may move away from the lower drive roller 132 to remove the force needed to drive the paper sheet onto the lower drive roller 132 so that it does not additional paper can be dispensed. Once the paper is removed from the lower gutter area 144, the roller

<td>throttle</td><td>lower 134 can fall against the roller</td>

<td>actuation</td><td>132 and the paper can be dispensed from</td>

new normally.

<td>In</td><td>an example roll size</td>

<td>throttle</td><td>bottom 134 can provide two sheets</td>

<td>paper for</td><td>that has two discharge routes to dispense</td>

from different independent locations. The paper from the upper roll 50 can be dispensed out of the upper gutter area 126 from around the upper drive roll 120 and the paper from the lower roll 52 can be dispensed out of the lower gutter area 144 from around the lower drive roll 132.

<td>With</td><td>referring to Figures 29 and 37 to 39,</td>

show in greater detail the aspects of a

<td>actuation</td><td>248 which includes the 114 engine and a</td>

drive gears 250 for driving

<td>selective the</td><td>upper and lower drive rollers</td>

<td>120, 132. In</td><td>one aspect, motor 114 is configured to</td>

<td>act on</td><td>selectively in a first direction of</td>

<td>rotation Rl</td><td>and act in a second direction of</td>

rotation R2 opposite to the first direction of rotation Rl.

As described in more detail below, the drive direction of motor 114 can be controlled by control circuit 208 such that dispenser 10 dispenses paper towels 32 from top roll 50 when motor 114 is driven in first direction A and dispenses paper towels 32 from lower roll 52 when motor 114 is driven in second direction B. In one example, control circuit 208 includes an H circuit to selectively reverse polarity to motor 114.

In one aspect, motor 114 is provided with a motor drive stem 115 on which each first drive gear 252 and a second drive gear 254 are mounted. Although not limited to such a configuration, gears 252, 254 are the same size as the other one with the same diameter and the same number of teeth. As shown, each of the gears 252, 254 is mounted to the motor drive shaft 115 by a respective one-way clutch bearing 256, 258. One-way clutch bearings 256, 258 are constructed and configured to allow torque to transfer from motor drive shaft 115 to gear 252, 254 only in one direction of rotation of drive shaft 115.

In the mode shown, the clutch bearing

256 associated with the first drive gear 252 only transmits torque to the first drive gear 252 when the motor 114 feeds the drive stem 115 in the first direction of rotation Rl. Similarly, the clutch bearing 258 associated with the second drive gear 254 only transmits torque to the second drive gear 254 when the motor 114 feeds the drive stem 115 in the second direction of rotation R2. This configuration ensures that one and only one of the first and second drive gears 252, 254 is always driven by motor 114 at any given time so that paper towels 32 are dispensed from only one of roll 50 and roll 52 and so motor 114 only drives drive gears 252, 254 in the direction of the dispenser. However, it should be noted that the description is not limited to just such a configuration and that the clutch bearings 256, 258 could be arranged to drive both of the drive gears 252, 254 in the same direction for simultaneous dispensing in one direction of the motor . The drive gears 252, 254 could also be mounted directly to the drive stem

115 in some applications where such a configuration would be convenient.

As shown, the first drive gear 252 drives an upper roll gear 182a that mounts to a stem 188a of the upper drive roll 120. A tensioner gear 260 is also provided to engage the gears 252, 182a. Therefore, when the motor 114 is driven in the first direction of rotation Rl, the upper drive roller 120 is also driven in the first direction of rotation Rl. However, when the motor is driven in the second direction of rotation R2, no torque is transmitted to the first drive gear 252 and the upper drive roller 120 will remain fixed. It should be noted that the use of one or more tension gears 260 is not necessary in all applications, but is useful when it is desired to have the upper drive roller 120 rotate in the same direction as the first drive gear 252 and / or to accommodate a distance between stems 115 and 188.

The second drive gear 254 is shown to drive a lower roll gear 182b which meshes with the second drive gear 254 and mounts to a lower drive roll stem 188b 132. Therefore, when motor 114 is driven in the second direction of rotation R2, the lower drive roller 132 is driven in the first direction of rotation Rl. However, when the motor is driven in the first direction of rotation Rl, no torque is transmitted to the first drive gear 252 and the lower drive roller 132 will remain fixed. It should be noted that the use of one or more tension gears could be used in conjunction with the second drive gear 254 and the lower roller gear 182b.

It should also be noted that the drive gear train 250 is configured so that, despite the direction of the motor, the upper and lower drive rollers 120, 132 are driven in the same direction (i.e., first direction of rotation A ) to dispense a paper towel 32. This functionality of the dispenser 10 is guaranteed even when the motor wiring may be incorrect since actuation of the motor 114 in either direction will result in the dispensing of a paper towel 32 from one of the rolls 50, 52. It is also possible to configure the drive gear train 250 such that upper and lower drive rollers 120, 132 rotate in opposite directions or both operate in the second direction of rotation B, if desired.

With the above-described drive system 248, it is possible for control circuit 208 to automatically switch between dispensing top roll 50 and bottom roll 52 when either roll 50, 52 is completely dispensed simply by changing the direction of motor drive. This independent dispense functionality eliminates the need to move auxiliary rolls and also allows each roll 50, 52 to be completely dispensed and replaced with a new roll without causing interference with or modification of an already installed roll 50, 52 that has not yet has run out.

As shown, each of the upper and lower drive rollers 120,132 includes a respective cam stop 182a, 182b (designated as 182) which interacts with the respective roller gear 184a, 184b (designated as 184). Cam stop 182 is arranged and configured to prevent additional paper dispensing when a user attempts to circumvent the automatic dispensing functionality. Referring to Figure 38, the cam stop 182 can interact with the roller gear 184 adjacent the housing 12 to lock the upper and lower drive rollers 120,132 to prevent further paper dispensing.

Figure 39 is an enlarged view of the cam stop 182 and the roller gear 184. As seen more easily in Figure 38, the cam stop 182 can define an opening 186 to receive the respective stem

188a, 188b (referred to as 188) of the upper and lower drive rollers 120, 132. The cam stop 182 may include a lock 190, a pivot pin

192 and a terminal 194.

The closure

190 it may include an operating surface 191, and a locking surface 193.

The closure

190 and the pivot pin

192 can be built on a first side 196 of the cam stop

182 and terminal 194 can be built on a second side

198 of the cam stop 182. The roller gear 184 defines an opening 200 that aligns with the opening 186 in the cam stop 182 to receive the stem 188 of the upper and lower drive rollers 120, 132. The roller gear 184 it may include a slot 202 and an annular opening 204.

In one example, roller gear 184 can drive cam stop 182 through slot 202 of roller gear 184 that interacts with terminal 194 of cam stop 182. Cam stop 182 can be connected without tightening the drive rollers upper and lower 120, 132 but can contact upper and lower drive rollers 120, 132 through locking surface 190 and pivot pin 192. Roller gear 184 and cam stop 182 will operate in the same direction.

In one example, the cam stop 182 is free to rotate around the pivot pin 192 with limitations imposed by the slot 202 in the roller gear 184 and in the closure 190. If a user pulls the paper when the motor 144 is off, the roller gear 184 will not move while the upper and lower drive rollers 120, 132 move. This action can cause the cam stop 182 to rotate around the pivot pin 192 to move the terminal 194 in the groove 202 of the roller gear 184. The locking surface 193 of the seal 190 can move out of the center of the gear of the roller 184.

In certain examples, if a user continues to pull the paper, the locking surface 193 can become fully extended and the terminal 194 can move to the opposite end of the slot 202. The casing 12 can include a single stop 206 (see Figure 37 ) or multiple radially spaced stops 206 adjacent the cam stop 182. The stops 206 may be constructed to abut the cam stop 182 when the cam stop 182 engages fully. In this position, the paper can no longer be pulled to dispense.

In one example, the cam stop 182 can be fully retracted so that it will not hit the stops

206 in the casing 12. Once the motor 114 is started, the roller gear 184 will turn on and the cam stop 182 can be rotated out of the locked position so that the paper can be dispensed once more.

In one example, dispensing the towel from the

<td>dispenser</td><td>of</td><td>towels</td><td>of</td><td>paper</td><td>from double</td><td>roll</td><td colspan="2">electronic</td>

<td>10 includes</td><td></td><td>provide</td><td>the</td><td>roll</td><td>higher</td><td>50 in</td><td>the</td><td>mandrel</td>

<td>top 62</td><td>and</td><td>provide</td><td>the</td><td>roll</td><td>lower</td><td>52 in</td><td>the</td><td>mandrel</td>

Bottom 64. The electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 can be mounted to the wall 5. The top and bottom rolls 50, 52 can be located within the housing 12 and dispensed through the opening 118 in the front wall 13. The electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 includes an upper drive mechanism 110 and a lower drive mechanism 112. The paper from the upper roll 50 can be located between the upper drive roller 120 and the upper choke roller 122. The paper from the lower roll 52 can be located between the lower drive roller 132 and the lower choke roller 134. The paper can be dispensed from the roll upper 50 through opening 118 or dispense from lower roll 52 through opening 118. In certain examples, a method of servicing the electronic dual roll paper towel dispenser 10 may include supplying paper from the top roll 50 located on the top mandrel 62 and the bottom roll 52 located on the bottom mandrel 64.

Control Circuit

Referring again to Figures 40 and 41 and 48 to 57, the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 may include a control circuit 208 including a circuit board 207 for controlling the electronic system of the paper towel dispenser. electronic double roll paper 10. An example of a control circuit is described in US Patent Nos. 7,325,768, 6, 293,486, 6, 695,246, 6,854,684, 6, 988,689, 7,325,767 and 7,354,015, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Referring to Figure 40, an exploded view of the drive module assembly 54 is shown. The drive module assembly 54 includes the control circuit 208. The control circuit 208 may include a switch 19 that can be configured to interact with a rib 17 (see Figure 3) on the front cover 22. The characteristics of the rib

<td>17 and switch</td><td> 19</td><td>I know</td><td>describe</td><td>and illustrated in</td><td>plus</td>

<td>detail with reference</td><td>to</td><td>the</td><td>Figures 43</td><td>and 44.</td><td></td>

<td colspan="2">With reference</td><td>to</td><td>the figure</td><td>41, the circuit</td><td>of</td>

The control 208 may be arranged and configured to mount within the housing 12 of the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10. In one example, the control circuit 208 may include the paper sensor 210 and a hand sensor 212. In certain examples, control circuit 208 may be arranged and configured to be mounted at an angle to direct paper sensor 210 down and back and hand sensor 212 down and forward. However, the paper sensor 210 can be located anywhere between the source roll 50, 52 and the gutter opening downstream of the drive rollers 120, 132.

Referring to Figures 43 and 44, a cross-sectional view of the electronic double-roll paper towel dispenser 10 is shown to illustrate the characteristics of switch 19 of control circuit 208. Figure 44 is an enlarged view illustrating the Interaction between the rib 17 of the front cover 22 and the switch 19 in the control circuit 208.

In one example, switch 19 can be a mechanical switch or a magnetic switch. As shown, the rib 17 of the front cover 22 interacts with the switch 19 to control the electronic system. In certain examples, switch 19 may be actuated by rib 17 to activate the electronics, with switch 19 being closed by rib when front cover 22 is closed. When the switch 19 is closed, the electronic double-roll paper towel dispenser 10 is capable of dispensing towels when activated by the hand sensor 212. Otherwise, when the front cover 22 is opened, the switch 19 is Turns the electronics on and off, and the Electronic Dual Roll Paper Towel Dispenser 10 cannot dispense paper towels.

Referring to Figure 42, an enlarged portion of the control circuit 208 is shown. In one example, the paper sensor 210 can be configured to include an infrared (IR) emitter 214 and an IR receiver 216. However, it is to be understood. that paper sensor 210 can be any type of electromechanical switch configured to detect the presence of paper and is not limited to just being an IR type switch. Additionally, paper sensor 210 may include more than a single paper sensor 210, such as a first paper sensor 210 associated with roll 50 and / or 52 and a second paper sensor 210 associated with roll 50 and / or 52. Similarly, the hand sensor 212 can be configured to include an IR emitter 218 and an IR receiver 220. In certain examples, the front cover 22 is formed from a material that is IR-transparent thus allowing IR light to pass through the front cover 22. Because the front cover may allow the IR light passes through it, there is no need for a hole to be formed to allow IR light to pass through the front cover 22. Illustrative sensors are described in United States patents

<td>nos.</td><td colspan="3">7,325,767 B2 and 6,412,679 that</td><td>incorporate</td><td>this</td>

<td>way</td><td>for reference in</td><td>its</td><td>whole.</td><td></td><td></td>

<td></td><td>With reference</td><td>to</td><td>the figure</td><td colspan="2">45, a</td>

<td>view</td><td>on the front floor</td><td colspan="2">of the circuit</td><td>of control</td><td>208. The</td>

Control circuit 208 may include a paper towel length switch 222, a dispense mode switch 224, LED 226, LED 228, LED 230, and LED 232. In one example, the towel length switch of Paper 222 can be used to control the length of paper towel 32 that is dispensed.

In one example, the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 may include a power source 234 to power the drive module assembly 54. In one example, the power source may be a battery. In the embodiment shown, power supply 234 includes four batteries 236 arranged in a series configuration between two terminals 238 connected to control circuit 208. Each of the batteries 236 can be removably held in place in the base 16 by one or more clips 240. As shown, three pairs of clips 240 are provided with each pair supporting and retaining the contact ends of the two batteries 236. Control circuit 208 can be used to receive the signal from paper sensor 210 and control the power supply for the drive module 54 assembly.

<td></td><td>With reference to the</td><td>Figure 46,</td><td>I know</td><td>presents</td><td>a</td>

<td>scheme</td><td colspan="2">of control circuit 208. As</td><td>I know</td><td>shows,</td><td>the</td>

<td>circuit</td><td>control 208 includes</td><td>a fountain</td><td>of</td><td colspan="2">feeding</td>

<td>302, a</td><td>304 microcontroller,</td><td>a circuit</td><td>of</td><td>control</td><td>of</td>

debugging and communication 306, an LED light circuit 308, the input circuits of the switch 310, a motor control circuit 312, a battery voltage measurement circuit 314, a hand detection circuit 316, a circuit paper sensing switch 318, a hand sensor actuator circuit 320, and a paper sensor actuator circuit 322. Other circuits, switches, and other items may also be provided with control circuit 208. Furthermore, it should be noted that the specifications and performance values ​​quoted for the components described above and below associated with the control circuit 208 are for illustration purposes only and are not limiting in the description as other performance specifications and values ​​may be used which may be required for any particular implementation of the described dispenser 10.

Power circuit 302

Referring to Figure 47, a schematic diagram for power circuit 302 is presented. In the embodiment shown, power source 302 is powered from (4) 1.5V (volt) 236 dry cell batteries, with a nominal input supply voltage of 6.0V. The feed is fed into plate 207 via J4, pl &amp; p2. The 6.0V source is protected with an F1 resettable fuse. The fused battery voltage (VBAT) supplies the motor control H-bridge, the hand sensor actuator, and the 2.5V regulator.

The 2.5V (VDC) regulator input is protected with a D26 reverse protection diode. This diode prevents damage to all remaining circuits, the input battery voltage should be reversed. This diode also provides runtime protection so that the microcontroller 304 remains energized even if the input battery voltage momentarily falls below the minimum regulator voltage due to motor load. The VCC is used to supply the U2 and U3 hand and paper sensing operating amps and photodiodes. As shown, the VCC is low-pass filtered with a 47ms (millisecond) RC (resistor58 capacitor) filter (R81 &amp; Cll). This filter is used to prevent false positives in the sensor circuits due to noise from the power supply. Operational amplifiers are micro-power devices and therefore allow large resistance value in series with their power pins. Micropower devices are also necessary for battery life. The 2.5V VCC regulator is used to power the microcontroller and the entire remaining circuitry. It is a micro-power device that provides the necessary static battery life.

Microcontroller

Referring to Figure 48, a schematic diagram for microcontroller 304 is presented. Microcontroller 304 is there to perform the various functions of dispenser 10, as described in the present disclosure. A particular example of a 304 microcontroller suitable for use in the dispenser is a Texas Instruments MSP430F2132IPW. In addition to the numerous GPIO (general purpose input and output) requirements of microcontroller 304 to perform the functions described in the present disclosure, microcontroller 304 can also be provided with the switch input pins associated with various components of dispenser 10, by the paper sensor 212, input length switch can also channels positive negative example, the switch sensor of the towel 222.

hand 210, door 19, and the

Channels to be provided, for example, those associated with battery voltage, back EMF voltage, and EMF voltage.

As shown, the microcontroller restarted with a simple circuit

RC, R15 voltage

304 can

C2. However, an external supervisory circuit could be used, albeit at a higher cost. Sometimes when the batteries

236 are changed, the microcontroller 304 may crash due to cases, at an intermediate voltage of the battery. In these the RC circuit can be configured so that the user only needs to simply remove the batteries 236, wait at least 10 seconds, and replace the batteries 236 to restore the operation of the dispenser 10.

Debugging and communication circuits 306

Referring to Figure 49, a schematic diagram for the debug and communication circuits 306 is presented. The debug connection to the microcontroller 304 can be accomplished with a 6-pin J1 thousand receptacle. Communication with the 304 microcontroller can be accomplished through the protocol

Texas Instrument's Spy-By-Wire (TEST &amp; RST_NMI). In one aspect, a custom adapter card is required to connect the Texas Instruments emulator pod MSPFET430UIF through this connector. Alternatively, J5 is provided as another connector. This connector is not a physical connector, but rather a fingerprint on the printed circuit board (PCB) that connects to a pogo pin type connector (TC2050-IDC-430). The connector is available as a component and standard plugs directly into the emulator slot.

In addition to emulator communication, the board and controller provide a universal asynchronous transmitter / receiver interface (UART) used for board configurations and general data extraction. A dedicated connector, J2, is provided for this purpose. It should be noted that the voltage levels are shown as being the 2.5V logic in the illustrative mode shown, therefore an external UART transceiver is required between the board and the portable device. In addition to J2, UART signals are also routed to the emulator connectors. This allows J2 to be disabled at a later date, if desired, for cost savings. If these connectors are used, special adapter plates / harnesses must be used for proper signal routing.

LED light circuit

Referring to Figure 50, a schematic diagram for LED light circuit 308 is presented. As shown, four DI LEDs are used, D2, D3, D4, and D5 (corresponding to LEDs 226-232 in the other Figures) to indicate the diagnostic status. The LEDs are powered directly by the pins on the microcontroller port. The LEDs can be used to indicate the current operating mode of the dispenser 10 and also the current status of the dispenser 10. For example, LEDs 226 and 230 can be used to indicate the selected length of paper towel 32 dispensed when door 22 is opened. For example, LED 226 can flash when the length of paper towel 32 is set. in long mode and LED 230 can be used as an indicator to flash when paper towel length 32 is in short mode. LEDs can also be configured to provide an indication as to whether the dispenser is in service or demand mode. LEDs can also be configured to indicate a status of dispenser 10 when door 22 is in a closed state (as known by switch 19). For example, LEDs can indicate if one or both of the rolls 50, 52 are empty, if a fault has been detected, and / or the battery status (i.e. indicate if the batteries are adequately charged, when they may need to are changed in the near future and / or when they need to be changed immediately).

Switch input circuits

Referring to Figure 51, the input circuits of switch 310 are shown in greater detail. As shown, there are 3 switch inputs, all touch switches. The service and length switch is user operated for mode control, manual feed, and for calibration. The door switch is actuated by the door for the purpose of detecting when the door opens or closes, for such things as statistics, battery change detection, roll change detection, etc.

It should be noted that the IN_LENGTH_SW and IN_SERVICE_SW port pins are dual-purpose. These are used for the aforementioned switch inputs while the door is open, and are used to control the paper sensor's calibration resistors when the door is closed. Because they control the N-channel FETs for calibration, the switches use low logic state bias resistors (as opposed to high logic state bias resistors) to ensure that the FETs are normally turned off when using the inputs of the switch.

the

Counter-electromotive motor control

With reference to motor control and counter electromotive 312 power supply 302 is described above, using a motor of the motor 114 with allows the therefore, this operation measurements Figure 52, of force measurement circuits of force show in greater regarding the detail. As dispenser circuit 10 it can be configured to

6VDC 114. Microcontroller 304 drives a standard H-bridge circuit, motor 114 runs in both directions.

aspect of the design is essential for

By that of a double roll dispenser where each roll is operated from the same motor

114, since the motor direction determines which roll is dispensed, the upper roll 50 or the lower roll 52.

drive FETs (transistors

As shown, field effect) are specified for 3A (amp) min. This provides adequate power decrease for motor 114, which pulls 200mA - 300mA (milliamps). It also provides room for maneuver, if the motor cables 114 short-circuit. The 236 dry cell alkaline batteries will supply around 3A - 4A in this condition, and the PTC fuse at the battery input should also open.

It should be noted that the connection names indicate the PWM (Pulse Amplitude Modulation) signals on the Q14 &amp; Q19 Low Side Controllers (LSD) which could be advantageous for some 114 motor configurations, such as where the voltage motor target is 3VDC. However, the described 6V motor 114 will allow for longer battery life.

While a PWM signal is not required to regulate the motor voltage, a PWM signal is still applied to the LSD. The operating cycle of this signal is always 795cts / 800cts = 99%. The reason for this is to take advantage of the motor reverse voltage phenomenon. Return diodes (D17, D22, D18, and D23) across the FETs are included in the H-bridge to set the reverse voltage. However, before the diodes can be turned on, the battery voltage still peaks above 6V by a finite amount. This increase in voltage, in combination with the reverse voltage diode of the power supply and the backup capacitor (D26 &amp; C8), causes the VCC supply to increase while the motor is running. A 9. IV zener diode (D32) is included through VCC to limit this voltage surge to a permissible level. Increasing voltage is a desirable behavior, as it ensures that the control circuit always has the proper voltage while the motor is running, even in low battery conditions.

The motor cables are fed back into 2 A / D channels for the purpose of back-electromotive force voltage measurement. Because the motor is powered by 6V, the resistance dividers (R25 / R77 &amp; R26 / R78) are used to reduce this voltage within the A / D range (2.5V). Counter EMF voltage measurement is made by briefly turning off the motor after it has been running, and allowing inertia to continue to rotate motor 114. During this period, motor 114 acts as a generator, and generates a voltage. This voltage includes sinusoidal peaks at each pole of motor 114. By knowing how many poles motor 114 has, and by counting the time between peaks, one can determine the actual speed of the motor. This is useful for adjusting the length of the paper. For example, if there is friction in the paper spindle, and the motor spins slower than expected, the back EM measurement will show longer periods between peaks, and thus allows the microprogram to run the cycle more long to maintain a consistent blade length.

Battery voltage measurement

Referring to Figure 53, the battery voltage measurement circuit 314 is shown in greater detail. The battery voltage is measured with one channel

A / D. The battery voltage is lowered with a resistance divider and fed directly into an A / D channel. The measurement of the battery voltage is used in the diagnosis, and for the regulation of the length of the paper (together with the measurement of the counter-electromotive force mentioned above).

Paper and hand detection circuits

Referring to Figures 55 and 56, the hand and paper sensing circuits 316, 318 are shown in greater detail. Hand detection and paper detection are performed using standard IR PIN photodiodes. The diodes are reverse biased to a filtered VCC. The VCC provides the maximum available voltage to improve sensitivity, and the RC filter in VCC_SENSE provides the necessary filtering to prevent circuits from tripping due to noise on battery power (mainly due to motor operation).

In the embodiment shown, both circuits 316, 318 are identical, and use a micro-power op amp (TLV2211) to amplify the current pulses created by the photodiode when the IR pulses emitted from the LEDs are adequately reflected by a hand or by the paper behind the · photodiode. The circuits are coupled by capacitors (C3 &amp; C4) and therefore only respond to changes in IR levels, not absolute levels. If the photodiode current is sufficient, the op amp output will increase above 0.7V, the output NPN transistor is turned on, an interrupt signal is created at INT_IR_HAND_SENSOR_IN or INT_IR_PAPER_SENSOR_IN. The gains from the amplifier used in circuits 316, 318 are selected to maximize the performance of the circuit.

Hand sensor actuator circuit

Referring to Figure 56, the hand sensor 320 driver circuit is shown in greater detail. An IR LED is used to emit a pulse of IR light that is to be reflected by a human hand back to the photodiode of the hand sensor. hand. The LED current required to do this is quite large, around 40mA, and so the LED is supplied directly from the battery voltage, to reduce power and load dissipation in the 2.5V regulator.

All three LEDs are included as options to trigger the LED pulse. Q8 and Q9 are the primary controllers, each using a different resistor to allow different power levels, and therefore different hand detection distances, depending on the situation.

The third LSD, Q21, is not currently enabled on the PCB. This controller is intended for use with the UART, which enables IR communication between the dispenser and an external IR transceiver. This would provide the ability to communicate with the board without having to physically connect to it with a cable.

Paper Sensor Drive Circuit

Referring to Figure 57, the paper sensor driver circuit 322 is shown in greater detail. An IR LED is used to emit a pulse of IR light that is to be reflected by the paper back to the photodiode of the paper sensor. In the absence of paper, the IR light will collide with the paper gutter at approximately the same distance as the paper, and should not be reflected back to the sensor. The difference will be that the paper is white or brown, while the gutter is black. Therefore, the power output of the LED must be precisely controlled so that it is strong enough to reflect the tear off of the top roll 52 and the farthest the bottom roll 50 is, but is too weak to reflect off of the gutter.

In order to maintain this precise control of power, the LED is powered by the regulated supply of

2.5V. Since the distance is low, the required power of the LED is low enough to be operated from the regulator.

Along with the regulated voltage, the LED current can be varied by the microcontroller by switching in different FET combinations that switch the discrete resistors to provide an equivalent total resistance, and therefore a total current. This adjustment is made through (4) LSD FETs (Q22 - Q25), and (1) High Side Controller (HSD) FETs (P26), for a total of 32 discrete configurations. HSD was designated as a rough control, for cases where the plate is shared with another product that has a significantly closer gutter. LSDs are then envisioned as the calibration interval for a given dispenser design. Each dispenser must be calibrated to determine the threshold at which no reflection from the black gutter returns. This calibration is saved in the data display of the plate for its operation. Once the calibration is established, and the calibration FETs turn on or off accordingly, a single LSD FET (Q10) is used to actually emit a pulse to the LED. This is necessary because the calibration FETs are controlled by more than 1 GPIO register in the microcontroller, which means that not everything can be changed at the same time.

Control of dispensing operation

In one example, the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 is affected when a user places an object such as their hands in front of the hand sensor 212. The hand sensor 212 can activate motor 114 to dispense a length Paper Towel 32 Default. In certain examples, if the paper sensor 210 is blocked, the hand sensor 212 cannot be activated. If the paper sensor 210 is blocked (for

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used to activate the next paper towel 32 after the user takes a previously dispensed paper towel 32. In certain examples, the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 can dispense from about ten to about twenty inches of paper towels 32 per dispensing cycle. An illustrative switch configuration for the towel length is described in US Patent No. 6,988,689 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Roll algorithm status

In certain examples, the paper sensor 210 can detect whether a paper towel 32 is actually dispensed from the top roll 50 or the bottom roll 52 during a cycle or dispensing operation. In one example, the paper sensor 210 can automatically dispense at least once more if a paper towel 32 is not detected. In some examples, the paper sensor 210 will not yet detect a paper towel 32 after a second one is dispensed. time. In such a case, the control circuit 208 can store a state that the roll is empty and change the setting of the motor direction to reverse the direction of the motor 114 to effect dispensing of the other roll, if it is not also empty. When an empty roll is detected, one or more of the LEDs may be flashing to indicate that the roll is empty. The control circuit may further include monitoring the motor current in conjunction with or as an alternative to the use of the paper sensor 210. In such an application, the control circuit 208 could monitor a change in motor current that could be indicative that a roll will empty.

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cycle of the last emptied roll (ie upper or lower drive roll) for dispensing a length of paper towel 32 in a paper loading operation. If the paper sensor 210 detects that a paper towel 32 was actually dispensed from that roll, the control circuit 208 can store that either the top or bottom roll 50, 52 has been loaded. When the motor address setting is changed to repeat the cycle of the last emptied roll, the motor direction setting can be reset back to the setting that existed before the paper loading operation so that the gue roll previously dispensed can be used until exhaustion.

For example, a paper loading operation would be started when the upper roll 50 is currently being used and the lower roll 52 is previously detected as being empty and the door has been detected as having been opened and closed. In such a case, the motor direction setting is changed such that a paper towel 32 is then dispensed from the lower drive roll 132 to determine if a new lower roll 52 has been loaded by the paper sensor 210. When the paper sensor 210 detects that a paper towel 32 has been dispensed, control circuit 208 will store that the lower roll 52 has been loaded. Once a user tears the paper towel 32 from the bottom roll. 52, the motor address setting can be changed back to its previous setting so that the next required cycle can be dispensed from the top roll 50. When both rolls 50, 52 were previously emptied, the paper sensor 210 can detect that the paper towel 32 of the top roll 50 has been dispensed. If the top roll 50 is previously emptied before the front cover 22 opens and closes, the electronic system can detect that both the top and bottom rolls 50, 52 are fully loaded.

Control circuit 208 can be configured to retain information on charging and dispensing operations that can be useful in evaluating whether dispenser 10 is properly maintained. For example, control circuit 208 can record the number of dispensing cycles of the top roll 50, the number of dispensing cycles of the bottom roll 50, the number of times the door has been opened, the number of times the roll upper 50 has been empty, the number of times the lower roll 50 has been empty, and the number of times both rolls 50, 52 have been empty at the same time.

Jam detection algorithm

In some examples, a paper jam may occur when paper is dispensed from one of the rolls

50, 52. As illustrated in Figure 59, a paper jam can be identified by using a paper jam failure detection algorithm 1100. In certain examples, control circuit 208 may include circuits that monitor and record electromagnetic fields (counter electromotive force) generated by motor 114 when motor 114 is rotated. The 1100 paper jam failure detection algorithm may include monitoring the back EMF motor and using a pulse counter as feedback during each dispensing operation. As described in more detail in the sheet length control section below, a paper jam failure can be detected when the engine counter electromotive force pulse counter is below a predetermined threshold setting. A paper jam failure can be treated by the control circuit in the same way as detecting an empty roll of paper, where control circuit 208 changes the direction setting of the motor to reverse the operation of the motor so paper is dispensed from the jammed roll. Control circuit 208 can also store a jammed state for the roll (s) that have been detected as having a jam failure. Control circuit 208 can also store the accumulated number of jams for upper roll 50 and lower roll 52. In other examples, a safety timer circuit can shut down motor 114 if a paper jam is detected, for example, if A paper jam is detected in both rolls. The detection algorithm 1100 may further include monitoring the motor current in conjunction with or as an alternative to monitoring the back electromotive force of the motor. In such an application, control circuit 208 could monitor a change in motor current that could be indicative of a paper jam.

Sheet length control algorithm

In certain examples, the counter electromotive force, battery voltage, and / or current can be used to calculate the run time for operation of motor 114 to dispense the desired length of paper towel 32. An illustrative control circuit that monitors the counter electromotive force is described in United States Patent no. 6,988,689 B2, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The described control circuit 208 includes circuits that allow two different measurements that are useful for controlling the length of the sheet. The first is the battery voltage. A fader / clamp circuit is included that provides an input to one channel of the microcontroller's A / D converter. The second is the counter electromotive force from the motor. Two attenuator / clamp circuits are included that provide inputs to two channels of the microcontroller's A / D converter. Control circuit 208 may further include monitoring the motor current in conjunction with or as an alternative to monitoring the motor voltage and counter electromotive force. In such an application, the friction in the motor could be calculated by using the current as a parameter to add another dimension to the estimate of the sheet length.

The described design includes an H-bridge circuit of motor 114 (see Figure 52) that allows microcontroller 304 to control motor 114. The H-bridge is supplied directly from the raw battery voltage. Battery voltage decreases as batteries drain over time and use. Therefore, the speed of motor 114 will drop as the batteries run down.

The length of the sheet is therefore controlled by varying the amount of time motor 114 is driven. With a new set of batteries, motor 114 will spin faster, and therefore the nominal dispense time, Nominal Dispense Time, will be the shortest for a given sheet length. As the batteries discharge, the dispensing time will increase.

The battery voltage is measured during each cycle of dispensing under load. Since motor 114 is the only significant charge on the batteries, it is important that the measurement be carried out during the dispensing cycle with motor 114 energized.

Specifically, the dispense voltage microprogram.

nominally theoretically in

400ms the microcontroller

304 shows this after the start of the cycle

Because the proportional to the motor speed time 114 voltage supplied to is it, dispensed can be decreased proportionally based on the measured battery voltage.

Therefore, in an ideal case with no friction, this would be the case for a simple calculation:

TimeDispensedCurrent

NominalDispenseTime * (Vmedbat / 6V)

Where:

Current Dispense Time is the calculation of the current dispensing time

Nominal Dispensing Time is the nominal nominal dispensing time for all dispensers with new batteries

Vmedbat is the measured voltage of the current battery

- 6V is a constant and represents the voltage of the battery used to determine the

TimeDispensedNominal

However, friction exists in the actual system, and the motor torque will vary with the motor voltage. Therefore, the relationship between the motor speed in the dispenser and the battery voltage is non-linear. This is best handled in the microprogram with a 2-D lookup table. The query table implemented in the microprogram is:

<td>medbat</td><td>V (mV)</td><td>bj etivo</td><td>Vo (mV)</td>

<td> 000</td><td> 3</td><td> 00</td><td> 90</td>

<td> 000</td><td> 4</td><td> 00</td><td> 72</td>

<td> 000</td><td> 5</td><td> 00</td><td> 63</td>

<td> 000</td><td> 6</td><td> 00</td><td> 60</td>

The first column represents the measured battery voltage. The second column represents a theoretical value needed to adjust the appropriate dispensing time given the slow speed of motor 114. The lookup table can be used as a way to simplify the microprogram calculations and reduce excess calculations.

The calculation follows:

Determine the nearest table entry below the measured battery voltage. By using the corresponding Vobjective in the table, the dispensing time is:

CurrentDispensedTime = NominalDispensedTime * (Vobjective / Vmedbat)

For example, a measured battery voltage of

Four. IV (4100mV) would result to be the third entry in the table, or Vobjective = 6300. With a nominal dispensing time of 1.11 sec, the adjusted dispensing time would then be:

CurrentDispensedTime = 1.11 sec * (6300/4100) =

1.71 sec

In this example, the dispensing time is increased by 5% from the value that would be calculated by a simple ratio. It can be seen from the table that this difference increases exponentially as the battery voltage drops.

Although the look-up table was empirically determined on a dispenser, values ​​can be calculated based on motor 114 torque-speed-voltage ratio, gear ratio, and roll dimensions.

The only expected conditions that cause changes in motor speed 114 are battery voltage decay and / or friction. Both of these conditions cause motor 114 to rotate slower. There are no conditions that will cause motor 114 to spin faster. Therefore, adjusting the battery voltage at dispense time is only allowed to increase the time, never decrease it.

As mentioned above, the dispensing time can also be controlled through measurement of the back electromotive force operating by energizing the motor 114 for a period, then withdrawing the power and allowing the motor 114 to move inertia (i.e. , rotate only by inertia). During this period of inertia moving, one of the motor cables 114 is grounded, and the other cable is tested with an A / D converter. The test essentially results in a tachometer reading, as the motor brushes 114 rotate past the poles and create spikes in a waveform. The period of inertia is short, specifically 10 ms, after which motor 114 is re-energized, and the cycle is complete.

Because the described dispenser 10 uses an H-bridge for forward and reverse control, the hardware must include 2 measurement channels, 1 for each direction of motor 114. For each given direction, the microprogram must determine channel A / D correct to test, as well as properly maintaining the H-bridge in a state that will not saturate the A / D channel. In one example, the tested data is buffered and further processed after the period of inertia movement allows for easier debugging and analysis .

For a given dispense cycle, motor 114 inertia 600 ms after the start of the cycle. Once inertial motion begins, the A / D converter activates and begins collecting a sample every 100 ps. After 100 samples have been collected (ie 10 ms), motor 114 is re-energized, and samples are processed.

The microprogram processes the first data by counting the total number of pulses detected. This is done by first determining the DC bias of the sampled waveform. DC bias can be divided into 2 calculations (for example sample # 0 - 63, and sample # 36 - 100) which is useful for at least a couple of reasons. The first is that the DC bias decays over time since inertia motion of motor 114 was initiated. The second was to eliminate the mathematical division to determine the average. Rather, a simple bit change can be used since each buffer size is 64 samples. However, this results in the overlap in the middle of the 28 samples, which is made manageable by weighting the averages in the middle of the entire buffer of the 100 samples.

By using the bias calculated for each section of the buffer, the sample by sample buffer is then evaluated. Each time a zero crossing is detected, a pulse count is accumulated. A zero crossing is defined when any of the data that exceeds the DC bias for 10 cts or more is on the positive side (if the last state was negative), or falls below the DC bias for 10 cts or more in the negative side (if the last state was positive). During this pulse count, the sample number from the 4th pulse detection is recorded.

After all 100 samples have been evaluated, the resulting pulse counter represents the total number of pulses detected during the period of inertia movement. If the total number of counted pulses is less than the jam threshold (nominally 2 pulses), then a jam condition is detected.

The 4th pulse sample number, which is equivalent to time, is then used to adjust the dispense time. Similar to calculating the battery voltage, the adjusted dispensing time starts as the nominal value, and then increases by a proportion of the measured 4th pulse time versus the nominal time.

CurrentDispensedTime = NominalDispensedTime * (Time4toPulsomed / Time4toPulsonom)

For example, the nominal dispense time is 1.11 sec, the time of the 4th nominal pulse (sample) is 52, and the measured sample time for the 4th pulse is 73, the adjusted time would then be:

CurrentDispensedTime = 1.11 sec * (73/52) = 1.56 sec.

The only expected conditions that cause changes in motor speed 114 are battery voltage decay and / or friction. Both of these conditions cause motor 114 to rotate slower. There are no conditions that will cause motor 114 to spin faster. Therefore, adjusting the battery voltage at dispense time is only allowed to increase the time, never decrease it. For each dispensing cycle, both of the calculations are performed. Whatever the resulting dispensing time is greater than the time used for that cycle. This double approach of the method guarantees the advantages provided by each one, while reducing the negative aspects of each one.

The battery voltage method is advantageous because the measurement itself is stable and can be repeated. Since there are no unusual sources of friction, this method provides consistent cycle-to-cycle results. However, if excess friction is present, this method has no compensating means, and the resulting sheet would be short. The back electromotive force method is also advantageous because it is a closed-loop approximation, meaning that the current speed of motor 114 is directly measured and used to adjust the dispensing time. However, the measurement itself is not as stable and cannot be repeated as might be ideal, and therefore there may be a greater degree of cycle-to-cycle variability. Furthermore, as wear occurs within motor 114 (such as brushes in a brush DC motor), the voltage method can become a more reliable source of data than the approximation of the counter electromotive force during the dispenser life 10. Back EMF may also have limited reliability at low motor voltages. As such, the counter electromotive force approximation and the voltage approximation are complementary to each other.

By performing both calculations, and by adjusting the dispensing time based on the greater of the two values, greater consistency is achieved for cases of nominal friction, while closed-loop control will still provide adjustment in cases where friction exceeds nominal. Figure 60 shows a flow chart showing this generalized approach in a 1200 control algorithm. Just as importantly, the use of motor voltage and back EM monitoring eliminates the additional cost associated with the additional hardware and controls that would be necessary to install the feedback systems to verify the blade length, such as encoders on the rolls and / or drive motor. Consequently, reliability is also inherently increased by the described system. When it is necessary to provide a certain absolute sheet length, encoders can be used in conjunction with the above method. Additionally, the use of a stepper type motor that operates only in discrete increments of rotation is also possible.

Hand sensor and sensor backup algorithms

In certain examples, the paper sensor 210 or the hand sensor 212 can be locked so that the paper towel 32 may not be dispensed. If the paper sensor 210 or the hand sensor 212 becomes blocked for a certain period of time so that the functionality of the paper or the hand sensor fails

210, 212, one sensor can act as a backup for the other sensor. In other words, if the paper sensor 210 becomes blocked, the hand sensor 212 can be activated to dispense the paper towel 32. In one example, the paper sensor 210 can become blocked by, for example, the paper resulting from a bad tear. If the paper sensor 210 is locked continuously or for a specified period of time or number of cycles, a user can activate the hand sensor 212 which allows the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 to reset and dispense paper towel 32 using hand sensor 212. Resetting, then can restore paper sensor 210 to normal operation. The paper sensor 210 can act as a backup for the hand sensor 212, for example, if the hand sensor 212 is out of service, the dispenser 10 could initiate a dispense cycle if the paper sensor 210 changes its state which means that a person can reach a sheet 32 ​​inside the gutter. Dispenser 10 could also be configured to change operating modes based on the operating states of sensors 210,

212. For example, dispenser 10 could automatically switch to service mode if hand sensor 212 is determined to be non-functional.

In certain examples, the dispense mode switch 224 can be used to change the mode of the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 between a hand request or detection mode to a service mode. In the hand request mode, the paper towels 32 are dispensed when the hand sensor 212 detects a person's hand in front of the sensor. In service mode, a paper towel 32 is automatically dispensed as soon as the paper sensor 210 detects that a paper towel 32 has been removed. In one example, LED 228, 232 can be used to indicate the dispenser mode of electronic double roll paper towels 10 when the front cover 22 is opened. The LEDs 228, 232 may blink momentarily when the Dispense Mode Switch 224 is pressed. LED 228 can be used to indicate that the status mode is in the hand detection mode. LED 232 can be used to indicate that the mode status of the electronic double roll paper towel dispenser 10 is in service mode.

An improvement to the service mode is allowing the hand sensor 212 to signal a dispense after a predetermined time has elapsed with the paper blocking the paper sensor 210. This is advantageous in the case where the end user removes the paper 32 before completing the dispensing cycle. This is known as a mid-cycle tear. When a mid-cycle tear occurs, a short portion of the towel will remain below the paper sensor 210. To address this issue, microcontroller 304 can be configured to allow hand sensor 212 to trigger the next dispense after a predetermined period of time. In service mode, dispensing can be initiated either by paper removal or hand detection (after a predetermined time). Adding the use of hand sensor 212 in service mode acts as a backup signal to paper sensor 210. If the paper sensor 210 fails to detect paper removal 32, the hand sensor 212 will abort and activate a dispense cycle. In one aspect, the override operation can be limited by the control circuit. For example, the number of dispensing operations that occur with the hand sensor 212 that override the paper sensor may be limited to a predefined number when the paper sensor 210 is locked and the override function is then restored. Another example could be allowing a predetermined number of dispensing cycles to occur without removing the sheet 32 ​​and allowing the override operation to occur again only after the sheet has been removed. These approaches could help limit accidental or involuntary dispensing.

Paper detection calibration algorithms

Control circuit 208 can also be configured to automatically calibrate paper sensor 210 while dispenser 10 is under maintenance. As mentioned above, the paper sensor 210 may include an IR emitter 214 that projects light into the outlet chute area 126, 144 and the light is reflected from the paper 32 back to an IR receiver 216. In this mode, the paper sensor 210 must detect the paper 32 coming from the roll 50 or roll 52, but it does not erroneously detect the exit chute 126, 144 as the paper.

Variations of IR emitters and IR receivers require calibration of paper sensor 210. As shown in Figure 61, a control algorithm 1300 is presented to calibrate paper sensor 210. In one aspect, the intensity of the Light emitted increases until the exit chute is detected. This is accomplished by increasing the current supplied to emitter 214 by reducing the resistance of the circuit. Once the gutter 126 is detected,

144, a reflection value is set. The reflection value is then used to select a higher resistance value that will reduce the intensity of the light emitted so that the outlet chute 126, 144 is not detected by the paper sensor system 210. This method allows detection of paper without detecting the outlet chute and allows the variation of components. In one example, the lower roll 52 is selected as the roll to feed from calibration, since it is the roll furthest from sensor 210.

Although the initial calibration of the paper sensor by using the calibration routine described above can be carried out during the manufacturing process of the printed circuit boards (for example against a fixed target that emulates the output chute that is placed in front transmitter and receiver), additional calibration may be required during use due to changing conditions. For example, dust can accumulate in the outlet chute 126, 144 or in the sensor window, which can affect the function of the paper sensor. To alleviate this circumstance, the previously described calibration routine 1300 can be executed based on the parameters established within the microcontroller 304 of the control circuit 208.

In one example, the start parameter of calibration routine 1300 is after dispenser 10 has dispensed a predetermined number of towels 32. Routine 1300 requires the state of the paper sensor to change to ensure that paper 32 is not under the sensor when the 1300 routine starts. To improve accuracy, the 1300 calibration routine can

<td>take place in</td><td>a</td><td>number</td><td>predetermined</td><td>dispensed</td>

<td>in a row.</td><td>The</td><td>advantage</td><td>of this type</td><td>calibration</td>

<td>automatic is</td><td>than</td><td>compensates</td><td>automatically</td><td>the conditions</td>

<td>changing.</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>

<td>In</td><td>a</td><td>example,</td><td>the parameter</td><td>may be the</td>

<td>activation of</td><td>one</td><td>- or more</td><td>switches</td><td>touch by a</td>

user so routine 1300 is started manually.

In this approach, the microcontroller

304 can be configured to turn circuit board 207 on and off to verify that a zero exists on the motor run counter and that paper is not present in the outlet chute

126, 144. The advantage of this type of manually initiated calibration is a provision to address problems with paper detection.

Reduction algorithm of hand detection interval

Control circuit 208 can be configured to initiate different detection intervals associated with hand sensor 212 to minimize and / or prevent

<td>appearance of actions</td><td colspan="2">involuntary</td><td>gue</td><td>cause that</td><td>a</td>

<td>paper towel 32</td><td>I know</td><td>dispense.</td><td>In</td><td>An example,</td><td>the</td>

<td>microcontroller 304</td><td>I know</td><td>configure</td><td>with</td><td>a routine</td><td>of</td>

hand detection range reduction 1400 as shown in Figure 62. The hand detection range reduction routine 1400 configures the hand sensor 212 to operate in both a normal detection range area Al and DI distance, as shown in Figure 63 or a detection range area under A2 and distance D2, as shown in Figure 64.

The detection range of the DI normal hand is approximately 3-4 from the face of the dispenser 10. The dispenser 10 controls the use of the DI normal interval unless a towel 32 has been dispensed and is detected by the paper sensor 210. If the towel 32 is not removed, after a predetermined time, then the microcontroller 304 changes to a detection interval under D2. The distance of the low detection interval D2 is approximately 50% of the distance of the normal interval DI. Dispenser 10 will remain in the detection range under D2 until towel 32 is removed and the paper sensor is cleaned.

As mentioned above, the hand sensor 212 can be configured to include an IR emitter 218 and an IR receiver 220. In one aspect, the resistors in the hand sensor emitter circuit are selectively used to control the amount of current to emitter 218 and therefore control the detection interval. Selective control of resistance can be accomplished by using multiple resistors or by using an adjustable resistance. The resistors can be used individually, in series or parallel combinations to selectively control the current and light emitted from the emitter.

Microcontroller 304 logically controls emitter 218 based on the status of the paper sensor, the time elapsed since the last dispensing, and the voltage of the power supply. As the voltage decreases, the lower range resistance setting decreases; this offset allows the hand sensor to continue detecting hands at a low

<td>voltage.</td><td>The</td><td>method of</td><td colspan="2">reduction</td><td>of</td><td>voltage 1400 can</td>

<td colspan="2">be used in</td><td>i multiple</td><td>mode</td><td>s of</td><td colspan="2">dispensed for example</td>

<td>The mode</td><td>of</td><td>demand and</td><td>the</td><td>mode</td><td>of</td><td>service described</td>

<td colspan="2">previously</td><td> •</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>

<td></td><td>The</td><td>advantage</td><td>of the</td><td colspan="2">algorithm</td><td>reduction</td>

<td>interval</td><td>of</td><td colspan="2">detection of</td><td>hand</td><td colspan="2">electronic 1400 are that</td>

the detection interval occurs automatically without the need for additional hardware, unsightly cleaning problems are minimized or eliminated, and residues of involuntary dispensing activations are minimized or eliminated.

Battery condition monitoring algorithm

In one example, the electronics can light LEDs 226, 230 to indicate the condition of the battery. LEDs 226, 230 can indicate a low battery or good battery status when front cover 22 is closed. LED 226 is the status indicator for a good battery. LED 226 may flash at a predetermined frequency when the battery is good. LED 230 is the status indicator for a low battery. LED 230 may flash at a predetermined frequency when the battery is low. A low battery may be indicated by determining the cycle time between starting engine 114 and receiving input from switch 19. In one example, if the cycle time is greater than a predetermined time, such as between 1-2 seconds, or .2 seconds, the low battery LED illuminates, thereby providing an indication that the battery needs replacement.

In certain examples, the electronics may light LEDs 228, 232 to indicate if maintenance is needed. LED 228 can light and flash at the same frequency when maintenance is not needed (for example, when a roll is not empty). LED 232 can light and flash at the same frequency when maintenance is needed (for example, when a roll is empty). Illustrative switches are described in US Patent No. 5. 7,325,767 B2, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

From the detailed description above, it will be apparent that modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the description.