Fluid Dispensing Apparatus and Method

Abstract

An example apparatus includes a housing including an inlet and an outlet. The example apparatus also includes a rotor defining a bore. The rotor is disposed in the housing. The example apparatus further includes a piston disposed in the bore. A motor is operatively coupled to the rotor to rotate the rotor from a first position to a second position. The bore is to be in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet when the rotor is in the second position.

1 . A fluid dispensing apparatus, comprising:
 a housing including an inlet conduit and an outlet conduit;   a rotor defining a bore, the rotor disposed in the housing;   a piston disposed in the bore; and   a motor operatively coupled to the rotor to rotate the rotor from a first position to a second position, the bore in fluid communication with the inlet conduit and the outlet conduit when the rotor is in the second position.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the inlet conduit is in communication with a fluid supply disposed upstream from the inlet conduit. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the fluid supply is one of a syrup or a carbonated water. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the bore includes a first port disposed at a first end of the bore and second port disposed at an opposing end of the bore. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the first port is aligned with the inlet conduit and the second port is aligned with the outlet conduit when the apparatus is in a first dispensing position. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the first port is aligned with the outlet conduit and the second port is aligned with the inlet conduit when the apparatus is in a second dispensing position. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the piston further includes a piston seal provided in the form of an O-ring. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the piston seal forms a fluid-tight seal between the rotor and the housing to fluidly seal the bore. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the motor is coupled to the rotor via a first shaft and the rotor is coupled to the housing via a second shaft. 
     
     
         10 . A fluid dispensing system, comprising:
 a piston drum having a first bore and a second bore, the first bore and the second bore each being oriented substantially parallel with respect to each other;   a first piston disposed in the first bore and a second piston disposed in the second bore, the first bore designed to receive a first fluid and the second bore designed to receive a second fluid different from the first fluid;   a plate attached to the piston drum, the plate having a first and second aperture that correspond to the first bore and to the second bore, respectively; and   a motor that rotates the piston drum with respect to the plate to dispense both the first and second fluids.   
     
     
         11 . The fluid dispensing system of  claim 10 , wherein the first piston and the second piston each slidingly and sealingly engage the first bore and the second bore, respectively. 
     
     
         12 . The fluid dispensing system of  claim 10 , wherein the first fluid is water and the second fluid is syrup. 
     
     
         13 . The fluid dispensing system of  claim 10 , wherein the piston drum is in communication with a fluid reservoir that contains the first fluid. 
     
     
         14 . The fluid dispensing system of  claim 10 , wherein the piston drum is rotated by the motor about 90 degrees. 
     
     
         15 . A method of distributing a precise amount of a fluid, comprising:
 providing a housing having an inlet conduit and an outlet conduit;   providing a rotor defining a bore, the rotor disposed in the housing;   providing a piston disposed in the bore and a motor coupled to the rotor;   rotating the rotor from a first dispensing position in which a first end of the piston abuts a first stop adjacent the inlet conduit, to a second dispensing position in which the piston abuts a second stop and is adjacent the outlet conduit; and   dispensing fluid from the bore through the outlet conduit.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  further including the step of providing the bore and piston that are dimensioned larger than both the inlet conduit and outlet conduit. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15  further including the step of rotating the rotor along an axis of rotation that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the bore. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  further including the step of rotating the rotor about 180 degrees from the first dispensing position to the second dispensing position. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15  further including the step of generating a pressure differential across the piston between the inlet conduit and the outlet conduit to cause the piston to move from the inlet conduit to the outlet conduit. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  further including the step of displacing fluid through the outlet conduit when the piston moves between the inlet conduit and the outlet conduit.