Jam detection system for a warewasher
AssigneePremark FEG L.L.C.
InventorsMichael Thomas Watson, David Charles Edelmann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A warewasher jam detection system includes a conveyor drive arrangement having a drive motor assembly including a drive motor and an output shaft, and a slip clutch including an input side moved via the output shaft and an output side operatively connected for driving a conveyor. At least one sensor is provided for producing an output indicative of movement/non-movement of the output side of the clutch. Preferably the sensor is a non-contact type sensor such as a magnetic sensor, optical sensor or proximity sensor. A controller may be provided for receiving the sensor output signals and identifying a jam condition based upon the same, such that the controller can responsively stop the drive motor.
Claims28
A warewasher jam detection system, comprising:
- a conveyor drive arrangement including:
- a drive motor assembly including a drive motor and an output shaft;
- a rotatable slip clutch including an input side operatively connected for rotation by the drive motor assembly output shaft, an output side of the rotatable slip clutch operatively connected for driving a conveyor;
- at least one sensor for producing an output indicative of rotation/non-rotation of the output side of the rotatable slip clutch;
- wherein non-rotation of the output side during rotation of the input side indicates a jam condition.
A warewasher jam detection system, comprising:
- a conveyor drive arrangement including:
- a drive motor assembly including a drive motor and an output shaft;
- a rotatable slip clutch including an input side operatively connected for rotation by the drive motor assembly output shaft, an output side of the rotatable slip clutch operatively connected for driving a conveyor;
- at least a first sensor and a second sensor each producing an output indicative of rotation/non-rotation of the output side of the rotatable slip clutch, with a defined spacing between the first and second sensors;
- wherein the system includes first and second sensor tripping elements positioned to the output side of the rotatable slip clutch, each positioned for tripping the first and second sensor when aligned therewith respectively, a spacing between the first and second sensor tripping elements being different than the defined spacing of the first and second sensors for preventing simultaneous tripping of the first and second sensors.
A warewasher jam detection system installable in a warewasher including a drive motor for driving a conveyor, the system comprising:
- a slip clutch for positioning between the drive motor and the conveyor, the slip clutch including an input side and an output side;
- at least one sensor for producing an output indicative of movement/non-movement of the output side of the slip clutch;
- and
- at least one sensor tripping element for tripping the sensor.
A method of detecting a jam condition in a warewasher including a drive motor for driving a conveyor, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a slip clutch between the drive motor and the conveyor, including an input side and an output side,
- (b) setting a slip threshold of the slip clutch at a level to identify jam conditions;
- (c) providing a sensor arrangement for producing an output indicative of a movement state of the output side of the slip clutch;
- and
- (d) identifying a jam condition based upon the output produced in step (c).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.