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 and the bore including a first port disposed at a first end of the bore and a second port disposed at a second end of the bore;   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 first port aligned with the inlet conduit and the second port aligned with the outlet conduit when the apparatus is in a first dispensing position, and the first port aligned with the outlet conduit and the second port aligned with the inlet conduit when the apparatus is in a second dispensing 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 , further comprising a first stop adjacent to the first port and disposed within the bore on an inner surface of the bore. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , further comprising a second stop adjacent to the second port and disposed within the bore on the inner surface of the bore. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one seal disposed between one or more of the rotor and the housing, or the piston and the bore. 
     
     
         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 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the motor rotates the rotor about 180 degrees from the first position to the second position. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the piston is substantially spherical in shape. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the motor is a stepper motor. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a fulcrum and the rotor is rotatably coupled to the housing via a shaft rotatably received in the fulcrum. 
     
     
         14 . 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 that is disposed within the bore on an inner surface of the bore and adjacent the inlet conduit, to a second dispensing position in which the piston abuts a second stop disposed within the bore on the inner surface of the bore and is adjacent the outlet conduit; and   dispensing fluid from the bore through the outlet conduit.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further including the step of providing a fluid seal between the piston and the bore. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14  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 14  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 14  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.