A beverage dispensing machine includes a countertop for a conveyor that carries a plurality of cup holders around a track. A front side of the beverage dispenser machine is accessible by an operator to remove cups from the plurality of cup holders. A cup tower has a plurality of cup dispenser tubes that are each configured to hold a respective stack of cups. A cup grabber is movable up and down into and between a raised position in which the cup grabber is positioned to grab a cup from one of the stacks of cups and place a cup into one of the plurality of cup holders.

A beer dispenser having a nozzle for positioning above a container and dispensing beer into the container. The dispenser includes at least one imaging device for generating at least one image of the dispensed beer, and a processor. The processor determines a measured foam height and a liquid upper surface from the at least one image of the dispensed beer, and adjusts a distance between the nozzle and the liquid upper surface as the beer is dispensed to control the measured foam height.

A refrigerator appliance having a dispensing system, a dispensing system, and a method for dispensing liquid into a container are provided. The dispensing system can be an autofill dispensing system. In one example aspect, the dispensing system includes a vibration generator and a measurement device. When a container is present in a preselected position, liquid is delivered to the container. As liquid fills into the container, the vibration generator propagates vibrations through the container. The measurement device detects one or more characteristics of the vibration and routes one more signals indicative of the characteristics to a controller of the system. The controller determines a liquid fill level of liquid within the container based at least in part on the signals received from the measurement device.

A dispense control system for a dispensing assembly of a refrigerator appliance and a method for operating the same are provided. The dispensing assembly defines a base plane for receiving a container. A dispense control system includes an emitter for directing a beam of energy toward the container and the base plane and a receiver for detecting a projection of the beam of energy in an image plane of the receiver. The dispense control system may be configured to obtain a measured displacement of the projection when the container is positioned on the base plane, and an actual height of the container or a liquid level within the container may be determined from the measured displacement of the projection.

A beverage dispensing machine includes a countertop for a conveyor that carries a plurality of cup holders around a track. A front side of the beverage dispenser machine is accessible by an operator to remove cups from the plurality of cup holders. A cup tower has a plurality of cup dispenser tubes that are each configured to hold a respective stack of cups. A cup grabber is movable up and down into and between a raised position in which the cup grabber is positioned to grab a cup from one of the stacks of cups and place a cup into one of the plurality of cup holders.

A beverage apparatus, the beverage apparatus being hand-holdable by a user of the beverage apparatus to be portable, can include a beverage chamber housing that includes a chamber for storing a consumable liquid. The beverage apparatus can include a dispensing assembly that includes a receptacle. The receptacle can retain a vessel. The vessel can include an electronic tag and can contain an additive. The dispensing assembly can be operatively controllable by a controller to output the additive from the vessel into the consumable liquid. The beverage apparatus can include one or more sensors, devices, or assemblies that can be used to detect a volume of liquid in the chamber or a liquid level in the chamber. The beverage apparatus can include an apparatus processing portion (ACP) and an apparatus database portion.

A portable, self-contained beverage apparatus includes a container assembly having a known storage capacity for storing a consumable liquid, and a dispensing assembly disposed within the container assembly that dispenses variable, non-zero quantities of additives into the consumable liquid. The dispensing assembly includes multiple apertures structured and arranged to retain vessels containing the additives to be dispensed into the consumable liquid. The beverage apparatus also includes a level sensor disposed within the container assembly that determines a consumable liquid level of the consumable liquid stored in the container assembly. In certain embodiments, one or more positive displacement pumping mechanisms are configured to pump additive liquid from additive containers into a beverage chamber.

A foam and liquid fill level detection system includes a first signal emitter operable to emit a signal at a first wavelength towards a dispensing area, a second signal emitter operable to emit a signal at a second wavelength towards the dispensing area, and one or more signal receivers operable to detect the signal at the first wavelength and the signal at the second wavelength from the dispensing area. The first wavelength is selected such the signal at the first wavelength reflects from liquid, and the second wavelength is selected such the signal at the second wavelength reflects from foam.

The present invention relates to a system (1) for automatic filling of a beverage container (2), comprising a beverage dispensing device (3), adapted, in a use configuration, for dispensing a beverage into a container (2) positioned below said dispensing device (3).

According to the invetion, such system (1) comprises at least one optical or ultrasound or radar sensor (4), said sensor (4) being placed in proximity to said dispensing device (3) and presenting a visual field (40); in said use configuration of said system (1), at least a portion of the internal volume (20) of said container (2) and at least a portion of the upper edge (21) of the container (2) fall within said visual field (40) of said sensor (4); said sensor (4) being configured to generate at least a first signal indicative of the distance (Dp) of the free surface (5) of the beverage dispensed by said dispensing device (3) in said internal volume (20) of said container (2) with respect to said sensor (4) and at least a second signal indicative of the distance (Db) of the upper edge (21) of the container (2), said dispensing device (3) being configured to interrupt the dispensing of said beverage on the basis of said at least at least a first signal and/or said at least a second signal.

An autofill system for a container where the liquid fill level is adjustable. A proximity sensor is used in conjunction with an adjustable displacement caused by the weight of the liquid to provide for an autofill system with a user selectable liquid fill level.