Systems and methods for reducing the overall current draw of a fluid mixture dispensing device are disclosed. A disclosed system includes a mixing area, a set of ingredient reservoirs, and a set of electromechanical valves. The set of electromechanical valves are in a one-to-one correspondence with the set of ingredient reservoirs, and fluidly connect the set of ingredient reservoirs and the mixing area during a respective set of dispense times. The system further includes a controller programmed to actuate at least two valves from the set of electromechanical valves to dispense, to the mixing area, at least two ingredients from the ingredient reservoirs associated with the at least two valves. The controller is programmed to actuate the at least two valves in sequence with partially overlapping dispense times and without overlapping opening times.

A flow sensor includes a fluid chamber configured to receive a fluid. A diaphragm assembly is configured to be displaced whenever the fluid within the fluid chamber is displaced. A transducer assembly is configured to monitor the displacement of the diaphragm assembly and generate a signal based, at least in part, upon the quantity of fluid displaced within the fluid chamber.

A system for controlling selection and distribution of a product in a product dispensing system. The system includes a user interface for prompting a selection and selecting the product, a machine control processor in communication with the user interface, a power distribution module connected to the machine control processor, and a power supply unit for supplying power to the system through the power distribution module.

A flow sensor includes a fluid chamber configured to receive a fluid. A diaphragm assembly is configured to be displaced whenever the fluid within the fluid chamber is displaced. A transducer assembly is configured to monitor the displacement of the diaphragm assembly and generate a signal based, at least in part, upon the quantity of fluid displaced within the fluid chamber.

A beverage dispensing unit includes a dispensing valve configured to be fluidly coupled to at least one beverage source, one or more ingredient pumps configured to be fluidly coupled to one or more ingredient sources, a dispensing manifold fluidly coupled to the dispensing valve and the one or more ingredient pumps, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive a recipe from a user, wherein the recipe indicates an amount of each ingredient of one or more ingredient sources. The controller is further configured to operate the one or more ingredient pumps to inject one or more of the ingredients into the dispensing manifold according to the recipe, and open the dispensing valve to allow a volume of beverage from the beverage source to flow through the dispensing manifold. The volume of beverage mixes with the one or more ingredients in the manifold and flushes the ingredients out of the manifold.

An example method comprises receiving a control signal to open a first valve of a compressible liquid container within an airtight pressurized container, retrieving a first dispensing profile, each dispensing profile indicating at least one valve and, for each valve, a predetermined period of time for keeping a particular valve open, each of the valves controlling transport of contents a different compressible liquid container contained within the airtight pressurized container to a dispensing system, for each of the one or more valves identified in the first dispensing profile: opening the particular valve identified in the first dispensing profile for the particular predetermined period of time to transport contents over a first liquid transport conduit that is coupled to a particular releasable coupling and the particular valve, and closing the particular valve after the particular predetermined period of time to dispense an amount of contents of the particular compressible liquid container.

A method and computer program product for defining a PWM drive signal having a defined voltage potential. The PWM drive signal has a plurality of “on” portions and a plurality of “off” portions that define a first duty cycle for regulating, at least in part, a flow rate of a pump assembly. At least a portion of the “on” portions of the PWM drive signal are pulse width modulated to define a second duty cycle for the at least a portion of the “on” portions of the PWM drive signal. The second duty cycle regulates, at least in part, the percentage of the defined voltage potential applied to the pump assembly.

A system for monitoring flow conditions of fluid flowing from a product container through a solenoid pump. The system includes at least one solenoid pump comprising a solenoid coil, which, when energized, produces a stroke of the solenoid pump, at least one product container connected to the at least one solenoid pump wherein the at least one solenoid pump pumps fluid from the at least one product container during each stroke, at least one PWM controller configured to energize the at least one solenoid pump, at least one current sensor for sensing the current flow through the solenoid coil and producing an output of the sensed current flow, and a control logic subsystem for controlling the flow of fluids through the solenoid pump by commanding the PWM controller and for monitoring the current through the solenoid pump by receiving the output from the current sensor, wherein the control logic subsystem uses the measured current flow through the solenoid coil to determine whether the stroke of the solenoid pump is functional.

A plant for dispensing a beverage of one or more fluids ingredients into a container, including one or more dispensing lines to dispense the fluid ingredients, a nozzle, fluid-dynamically connected to the dispensing lines for dispensing the beverage into the container, a control unit to associate values with the flow rate of fluid in the dispensing lines, the plant further including at least one calibration unit connected to the control unit for measuring a value associated with the quantity of fluids dispensed into the container and adjust the values associated with the flow rate of the fluid in each of the dispensing lines, so the difference between the measurement of the values associated with the quantity of fluids delivered in the container and the quantity of fluid associated with the flow rate of fluid in the dispensing lines is less than a threshold or in a confidence interval.

The present application provides a beverage dispenser for dispensing a beverage in a contactless fashion. The beverage dispenser may include a number of adjacent dispensing valves with each of the dispensing valves including a nozzle and a contactless dispensing valve system. The contactless dispensing valve system includes one or more proximity sensors positioned under the nozzle of each of the adjacent dispensing valves.