Gear motor with rotary switch

The combination comprising:

• a reversible direct current electric motor,
• a reduction gear train in an enclosure having two opposing surfaces and an output shaft extending through one of said opposing surfaces, said shaft having a longitudinal axis, and said output shaft for conveying rotational power to a dispensing device of a vending machine.
• said electric motor drivingly connected to said gear train,
• two magnetically operated switches fixedly positioned adjacent said output shaft, said switches being radially spaced a given distant from said output shaft and having a given angular spaced relationship relative to said axis of said output shaft, and said switches being in a plane substantially perpendicular to said axis of said output shaft,
• carrier means mounted on said output shaft, said carrier for retaining a plurality of permanent magnets in a plane perpendicular to said axis of said output shaft,
• a plurality of permanent magnets mounted to said carrier means and spaced from said output shaft a distance equal to said given distance said switches are radially spaced from said output shaft,
• two of said permanent magnets being angularly spaced relative to said axis of said output shaft equal to said given angular spaced relationship of said switches, and
• means connected to said magnetically operated switches to reverse the polarity of current applied to said electric motor when one of said switches is actuated and to terminate said current applied to said electric motor when both of said switches are actuated whereby said output shaft will be caused to rotate through said given angular space in either of two directions, reverse and return to standby position.

The method of controlling a direct current motor and gear assembly having an output shaft comprising the steps of:

• fixedly mounting a pair of magnetically operated switches a given angle apart around said output shaft and in a plane perpendicular to said output shaft,
• mounting first and second permanent magnets to said output shaft in a plane perpendicular to said axis of said shaft and separated by an angle equal to said given angle separating said pair of switches,
• providing a source of DC power,
• attaching said motor, said source of DC power, and said switches to a computer such that actuation of one of said switches will cause said computer to reverse the polarity of said DC power applied to said motor and actuation of both of said switches will cause said computer to terminate the application of said DC power to said motor thereby reversing said motor after said output shaft has rotated through said given angle and turning off said motor after said output shaft has returned to a standby position.