# US 10,913,648 B2 · Motor and pump system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,913,648 B2 - Document ID: US10913648B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/370,745 - Filed: 2016-12-06 - Published: 2017-07-06 - Granted: 2021-02-09 - Earliest claimed: 2016-01-04 - Assignees: Micro Infinity Flow, LLC - Applicants: Fernando A. Ubidia - Inventors: Fernando A. Ubidia - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10913648B2 ## CPC - B67D 1/1202: {Flow control, e.g. for controlling total amount or mixture ratio of liquids to be dispensed} - B67D 1/0037: {based on volumetric dosing} - B67D 1/0888: {Means comprising electronic circuitry (e.g. control panels, switching or controlling means)} - B67D 1/0892: {the beverage container being stored in a rack or shelf} - B67D 1/10: Pump mechanism (in general F04) - B67D 1/1231: {Metering pumps} - F04B 17/03: driven by electric motors - F04B 49/065: {and making use of computers} - F04B 49/22: by means of valves (F04B49/03 takes precedence) - G05D 7/0682: {using a plurality of flow sources} - B67D 1/0855: {concerning the used flowmeter (flowmeter per se G01F1/00, G01F3/00)} - B67D 2001/0827: {Bags in box} - B67D 2210/00091: Bar management means - B67D 2210/00099: Temperature control - B67D: DISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (cleaning pipes or tubes or systems of pipes or tubes B08B9/02; emptying or filling of bottles, jars, cans, casks, barrels, or similar containers, not otherwise provided for B67C; water supply E03; pipe systems F17D; domestic hot-water supply systems F24D; measuring volume, volume flow, mass flow or liquid level, metering by volume G01F; coin-freed or like apparatus G07F) - F04B: POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS (machines for liquids, or pumps, of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type F04C; non-positive-displacement pumps F04D; pumping of fluid by direct contact of another fluid or by using inertia of fluid to be pumped F04F) - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES ## Abstract The present system generally relates to a fluid flow system where a controller and motor pump assemblies are used to optimize the control of fluid flow through the system. The controller samples the back electromotive force of the motor and pump assemblies and is able to utilize the sampled back electromotive force in conjunction with predefined target back electromotive force values, preferably empirically determined and tuned to an individual motor and for a select fluid, to tune the voltage applied to the system, control the back electromotive force of the system and, by extension, control the flow of fluid. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A motorized system comprising: A motor and pump assembly having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, a controller electrically connected to said assembly, and a memory storing a target back electromotive force value for said assembly, wherein said controller is configured to control the flowrate of fluid traveling through the fluid outlet by sampling a back electromotive force of the motor, comparing the sampled back electromotive force of the motor to the target back electromotive force value and, based on the comparison, adjust a voltage provided to said motor to adjust the back electromotive force of the assembly such that an average voltage provided to said motor over successive cycles deviates from an initial run voltage while the back electromotive force of the assembly remains convergent on the target back electromotive force over the successive cycles; and wherein the controller is configured to drive the motor intermittently such that each cycle is comprised of a portion of time where the controller applies voltage to the motor so as to drive the motor and a portion of time where the controller applies no voltage to the motor and the motor is stopped. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The motorized system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the flow of fluid through the motor and pump assembly without utilizing an input from a sensor that senses the flowrate of fluid. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The motorized system of claim 1, further comprising a fluid container having fluid therein operatively connected to the fluid inlet and a target volume stored in the memory, wherein by ensuring that the back electromotive force of the assembly remains convergent on the target back electromotive force, for successive cycles, the pump assembly provides a dispense volume of fluid that is within 5% of a target volume. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The motorized system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to sample the back electromotive force of the motor at a time when voltage is not being applied to the motor and after any negative voltage spike associated with the motor due to voltage applied prior to the time the controller samples the back electromotive force has substantially dissipated. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The motorized system of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to sample the back electromotive force of the motor at a midpoint between consecutive applications of voltage to the motor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The motorized system of claim 1 further comprising: a fluid storage container containing a fluid, a supply line, a temperature sensor operably connected to said controller, and at least one temperature offset value stored in the memory, wherein said fluid supply line is connected to said fluid storage container and said fluid inlet such that the fluid may flow from the fluid storage container to said fluid inlet, wherein said temperature sensor is configured to sense the temperature of the fluid and transmit the sensed temperature to said controller, and wherein said controller is configured to utilize the sensed temperature to select at least one temperature offset value and adjust the target back electromotive force value based on the selected temperature offset value. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The motorized system of claim 1 further comprising a fluid container containing fluid operatively connected to the fluid inlet, wherein the initial run voltage is the voltage applied when the fluid container is full or near full, and the average voltage is calculated based on the all of the voltages applied to the motor over successive cycles from the initial run voltage to a final run voltage where the final run voltage is a voltage applied when the fluid container is empty or near empty. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The motorized system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured such that when the back electromotive force sampled rises a first time, the controller decreases the voltage applied, and when the next consecutive sample of the back electromotive force is greater than the first time sampled back electromotive force, the controller decreases the voltage applied further, and when the third consecutive sample of the back electromotive force is greater than-the previous two consecutive samples of the back electromotive force, the controller will stop applying voltage to the assembly. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The motorized system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to store a threshold back electromotive force value, and wherein the controller is configured to compare one or more sampled back electromotive force values to the threshold back electromotive force value and stop applying voltage to the assembly when the one or more sampled back electromotive force values is greater than the threshold back electromotive force value. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The motorized system of claim 9 further comprising: a sold-out indicator connected to the controller and wherein the controller is configured such that after the controller determines that the one or more sampled back electromotive force values is greater than the threshold back electromotive force value, the controller activates the sold-out indicator. ### Claim 11 A motorized system comprising: A plurality of motor and pump assemblies, each having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, a controller electrically connected to said assemblies, a memory storing a plurality target back electromotive force values corresponding to said plurality of assemblies, a plurality of inputs connected to said controller wherein said controller is configured to control the flowrate of fluid traveling through the fluid outlets by sampling back electromotive forces of the plurality of motors, comparing the sampled back electromotive forces of the plurality of motors to one or more of the target back electromotive force values corresponding to the motors, and, based on the comparisons, adjust voltages provided to said motors to adjust the back electromotive forces of the assemblies such that average voltages provided to each of said motors over successive cycles of each of said motors each deviate from an initial run voltage provided to each of said motors such that the back electromotive forces of the assemblies remain convergent on the target back electromotive force over successive cycles; wherein the controller is configured to drive each motor intermittently such that each cycle is comprised of a portion of time where the controller applies voltage to the motor so as to drive the motor and a portion of time where the controller applies no voltage to the motor and the motor is stopped; and wherein the controller is configured to control the flow of fluid through the assemblies without utilizing an input from a sensor that senses the flowrate of fluid. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The motorized system of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the voltages provided to said motors by adjusting the pulse widths of a base voltage applied to said motors. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The motorized system of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to sample the back electromotive force of an individual motor at a time when voltage is not being applied to the individual motor and after any negative voltage spike associated with the individual motor due to voltage applied prior to the time the controller samples the back electromotive force has substantially dissipated. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The motorized system of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to sample the back electromotive force of the individual motor at a midpoint between consecutive applications of voltage to the individual motor. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The motorized system of claim 13 further comprising: a temperature offset value stored in memory and wherein the controller is configured to adjust at least one target back electromotive force value based on the temperature offset value. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The motorized system of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to further adjust the voltage applied to the motor when adjusting the voltage applied to the motor does not produce an expected adjustment in back electromotive force. ### Claim 17 A fluid dispensing system comprising: a plurality of motor and pump assemblies, each having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, a controller electrically connected to said assemblies, a memory storing a plurality target back electromotive force values corresponding to said plurality of assemblies, a plurality of inputs connected to said controller, a plurality of fluid storage containers, a nozzle, and hoses connecting the fluid outlets to the nozzle and connecting the fluid storage containers to the fluid inlets wherein said controller is configured to simultaneously control the flowrate of fluid traveling through the fluid outlets of at least two assemblies by sampling back electromotive forces of at least two of the motors, comparing the sampled back electromotive forces of the motors to the target back electromotive force values corresponding to the motors, and independently adjusting voltages provided to the motors to adjust the back electromotive forces of the assemblies such that an average voltage provided to at least one of the two motors over successive cycles deviates from an initial run voltage applied to the at least one of the two motors such that the back electromotive force of one of the at least two assemblies remains convergent on a first one of the plurality of target back electromotive forces over successive cycles and the back electromotive force of at least one other of the at least two assemblies remains convergent on a second one of the plurality of target back electromotive forces over successive cycles, and wherein the controller is configured to drive the at least two motors intermittently such that each cycle is comprised of a portion of time where the controller applies voltage to the motors so as to drive the motors and a portion of time where the controller applies no voltage to the motors and the motors are stopped. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The fluid dispensing system of claim 17, wherein said controller is configured to store data corresponding to physical characteristics of different fluids, associate a first fluid having first physical characteristics with a first motor, and associate a second fluid having second physical characteristics that are different from said first physical characteristics with a second motor, and wherein said at least two assemblies includes the first motor and the second motor. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The fluid dispensing system of claim 18, wherein said controller is configured to simultaneously control the flowrate of fluid traveling through the fluid outlets of at least two assemblies in response to the receipt of a signal transmitted from a single input such that the first fluid flows continuously through the assembly associated with the first motor and the second fluid flows continuously through the assembly associated with the second motor while the control system receives signals associated with a single input. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The fluid dispensing system of claim 18, wherein said controller is configured to control the flowrate of said first fluid based on said first physical characteristics and control the flowrate of said second fluid based on said second physical characteristics such that the volume of said first fluid pumped through said first assembly is different than the volume of said second fluid pumped through said second assembly over the same length of time. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The motorized system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured determine a theoretical voltage value by dividing a value corresponding to the target back electromotive force by a value corresponding to the sampled back electromotive force and multiplying a resulting value by a value corresponding to the motor voltage applied at approximately the time of the sampling of the back electromotive force, wherein the controller is configured to determine an adjustment voltage value by subtracting the theoretical voltage value from the value corresponding to the motor voltage being applied at approximately the time of the sampling, wherein the controller is configured to determine a new motor voltage value by adding an adjustment percentage of the theoretical voltage value to the value corresponding to the motor voltage being applied at approximately the time of the sampling, and wherein the controller is configured to adjust a voltage provided to said motor to adjust the back electromotive force of the assembly such that the back electromotive force of the assembly remains convergent on the target back electromotive force by applying a voltage corresponding to the new motor voltage value by utilizing an adjustment percentage is approximately 30%.