SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FLEXIBLE REVERSAL OF

CONDENSER FANS IN VENDING MACHINES, APPLIANCES,

AND OTHER STORE OR DISPENSE EQUIPMENT

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

I. Field of the Invention

[0001] The invention relates generally to condenser fans, and more particularly, to the reverse mode of operation of condenser fans in vending machines, appliances, coolers, dispensers, and other electrical equipment for storing or dispensing food and/or beverages.

II. Description of Related Art

[0002] Vending machines, appliances, and other store or dispense equipment may have a refrigeration system to maintain or serve the beverages or other products at a dispensing temperature different from the ambient temperature. The refrigeration system typically includes a condenser to compress a refrigerant and an evaporator to evaporate the refrigerant, as is well-known to those of ordinary skill in art. The condenser may be made of metal tubing with condenser fins that increase the surface area for air to contact in order to improve the refrigerant efficiency of the condenser. Furthermore, a condenser fan may be provided to move a larger volume of air across the condenser.

[0003] However, because the refrigeration systems in the vending machines, appliances, and other store or dispense equipment are oftentimes mounted near the floor, the air being forced across the condenser fins by the condenser fan contains lint, dust, and dirt. Over time, the lint, dust, and dirt builds up on the condenser fins, especially in condensers with tight fins arrangements, thereby resulting in poor airflow across the condenser. Poor airflow across the condenser fins reduces the energy efficiency and performance of the entire refrigeration system, and may cause premature failures in refrigeration system components. Accordingly, there is a need in the industry for systems and methods for

flexibly reversing the condenser fan in order to dislodge the lint, dust, and dirt buildup on the condenser.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0004] According to an embodiment of the invention, there is a system for operating a condenser fan. The system includes a compressor and a condenser fan, where the condenser fan is operable in a forward mode and a reverse mode. The system further includes a programmable timer / microcontroller in communication with the compressor and the condenser fan, where the programmable timer / microcontroller operates the condenser fan between the forward mode and the reverse mode independently of a running cycle of the compressor.

[0005] According to another embodiment of the invention, there is a method for operating a condenser fan. The method includes providing a compressor, providing a condenser fan, where the condenser fan is operable in a forward mode and a reverse mode, and operating the condenser fan between the forward mode and reverse mode independently of a running cycle of the compressor.

[0006] According to yet another embodiment of the invention, there is a system for operating a condenser fan. The system includes a compressor and a condenser fan, where the condenser fan is operable in a forward mode and a reverse mode. The system further includes means for operating the condenser fan between the forward mode and reverse mode independently of a running cycle of the compressor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

[0007] Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

[0008] FIGs. IA and IB illustrate exemplary components of a vending machine, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0009] FIGs. 2 - 4 illustrate exemplary configurations of programmable timers / microcontrollers that enable reverse modes of operation for condenser fans, according to embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] Embodiments of the invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, these inventions may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein: rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

[0011] As will be described in further detail below, embodiments of the invention may provide systems and methods for reversing the condenser fan in vending machines, appliances, coolers, dispensers, and other like store or dispense equipment. Indeed, embodiments of the invention may provide flexibility to reverse the condenser fan at opportunistic times, perhaps independently of a compressor cycle. According to an embodiment of the invention, the condenser fan may be selectively reversed for only a portion of the time that the compressor is running, perhaps in accordance with a preset delay time. According to another embodiment of the invention, the condenser fan may be reversed during a portion of the time when the lights of the store or dispense equipment are turned off. According to still another embodiment of the invention, the condenser fan may be reversed for an amount of time based upon the occurrence of a particular triggering event. For example, the condenser fan may run in reverse before or after every compressor cycle, before or after every other compressor cycle, and the like.

System Overview

[0012] FIG. IA illustrates a system overview of components of an exemplary vending machine 100, according to an embodiment of the invention. The vending machine 100 may be illustrative of a wide range of store or dispense equipment that is encompassed within various embodiments of the invention.

[0013] The vending machine 100 of FlG. IA may include a vending machine controller (VMC) 102, where the vending machine controller 102 includes a VMC processor 104 in communication with a communications module 106 and a memory 108. The communications module 106 may include one or more modules for providing internal and/or external communications using wired and/or wireless technologies. According to an exemplary embodiment, the communications module 106 may provide a DEX/UCS link or other bus link, including a multi-drop bus (MDB) link, a parallel bus link, a universal serial bus (USB) link, and the like. According to another exemplary embodiment, the communications module 106 may also support communications according to a variety of protocols and a variety of public (e.g., Internet) and private networks, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, TCP/IP, and commercial carrier networks of any type or speed (e.g., dial-up, DSL, cable modem, fiber optic carrier, etc.).

[0014] Now referring to the memory 108 of the vending machine 100, the memory 108 may store computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the VMC processor 104, performs one or more of the steps or functions described herein, including providing instructions to the programmable timer / microcontroller 1 16 described below. The memory 108 may also store historical data, scheduling or configuration data, and/or energy management data for one or more components of the vending machine 100. These vending machine 100 components may include the light output 1 10, the compressor 1 12, and the condenser fan 114. Yet other vending machine 100 components may include a condenser, an evaporator, an evaporator fan, patron sensors, vending sensors, payment sensors, energy management agents, event schedulers, and the like. It will be appreciated that variations in the vending machine 100 components described above may be available without departing from embodiments of the invention,

[0015] While the memory 108 may be illustrated as a separate module in FIG. IA, the memory 108 may also be integrated with the VMC processor 104 and/or programmable timer / microcontroller 116 without departing from embodiments of the invention. Indeed, according to another embodiment of the invention, the memory 108 or a portion thereof may be external to the vending machine controller 102, the programmable timer / microcontroller 1 16, or the entire machine 100, and may include a database, network

storage, flash memory drive, removable hard drive or other removable storage media, and other external memory means,

[0016] Still referring to FIG. IA, the vending machine controller 102 may control the operation of the light output 110, the compressor 1 12, and/or the condenser fan 114, either directly or by providing instructions to a programmable timer / microcontroller 116 that operates in accordance with the instructions. According to an embodiment of the invention, the vending machine controller 102 may retrieve scheduling or configuration data from memory 108 and transmit instructions to the programmable timer / microcontroller 1 16 in accordance with the scheduling or configuration data. The scheduling or configuration data may instruct the programmable timer / microcontroller 1 16 to configure or reset time delays for its component relays or other switches that directly control one or more components of the vending machine 100. This scheduling or configuration data may be determined by a learning algorithm executed by the vending machine controller 102 or preprogrammed, perhaps by a back office. The scheduling or configuration data may also be determined and preprogrammed by a merchant-owner, a route supervisor, or a bottler associated with the vending machine 100.

[0017] The vending machine controller 102 may also transmit updates or new instructions to the programmable timer / microcontroller 1 16 if the operating specifications of the light output 1 10, compressor 112, condenser fan 114, or other vending machine 100 components have changed. Although not illustrated in FIG. IA, the vending machine controller 102 and/or programmable timer / microcontroller 1 16 may also operate other components of the vending machine 100 as well, including an evaporator, an evaporator fan, and a condenser.

[0018] Many other variations of FIG. IA are possible without departing from embodiments of the invention. For example, in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, FIG. IB illustrates a variation of FIG. IA where both of the VMC processor

104 and the programmable timer / microcontroller 116 may be in direct communication with the light output 110, the compressor 112, and the condenser fan 1 14. In addition, the

VMC processor 104 may communicate with the programmable timer / microcontroller 1 16 via the communications module 106, However, according to another embodiment of the

invention, the VMC processor 104 may communicate with the programmable timer / microcontroller 1 16 directly without using the communications module 106.

[0019] Still referring to FIG. IB, the programmable timer / microcontroller 116 may generally operate the light output 1 10, the compressor 112, and/or the condenser fan 1 14. The programmable timer / microcontroller 116 may also operate other components of the vending machine 100 as well. According to an embodiment of the invention, the programmable timer / microcontroller 1 16 may also include a memory for storing scheduling or configuration data for operation of the light output 110, the compressor 1 12, and/or the condenser fan 1 14. Like the scheduling or configuration data described above, this data may be determined by a learning algorithm executed by the programmable timer / microcontroller 116 or preprogrammed, perhaps by a back office. The scheduling or configuration data may also be preprogrammed by a merchant-owner, a route supervisor, or a bottler associated with the vending machine 100. Thus, in accordance with the scheduling data, the programmable timer / microcontroller 1 16 may configure or reset time delays for its component relays or other switches that control the light output 1 10, the compressor 1 12, and/or the condenser fan 1 14. However, according to an embodiment of the invention, the VMC processor 104 may override the operations of the programmable timer / microcontroller 1 16, and instead directly control the light output 1 10, the compressor 1 12, and/or the condenser fan 1 14.

[0020] Having discussed a system overview for the vending machine 100, several embodiments of programmable timers / microcontrollers 116 for reversing the condenser fan 114 will now be discussed with reference to FIGs. 2 - 5. It will be appreciated that these programmable timers / microcontrollers may alternatively include programmable logic arrays (PLAs) and integrated circuits in accordance with other embodiments of the invention. It will be appreciated that according to another embodiment of the invention, the programmable timer / microcontroller 1 16 may operate independently of the vending machine controller 102.

Programmable Timers / Microcontrollers

[0021] Embodiment #1. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a programmable timer / microcontroller 202 that enables a reverse mode of operation for the condenser fan 1 14. In FlG. 2, the condenser fan 1 14 is engaged in either a forward or reverse mode of operation when the compressor 1 12 is running. As will be described beiow, the condenser fan 1 14 may be selectively reversed for only a portion of the time that the condenser fan is running, perhaps according to a preset delay time that is preprogrammed as described above. The configuration of FIG. 2 may be utilized for an electronically commutated blower (ECM), a PSC (permanent split capacitor) motor, or a scroll motor that is provided for the condenser fan 1 14, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. With an ECM, PSC, or a scroll motor, the condenser fan 1 14 may be able to change rotational direction (e.g., forward, reverse) without first waiting for the condenser fan 1 14 to come to a complete stop or to a near zero speed.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, the programmable timer / microcontroller 202 may include three relays 204, 206, 208. Relay 204 may be an electrical switch with an OFF position 204a (e.g., open, disengaged, deactivated, etc.) and an ON position 204b (e.g., closed, engaged, activated, etc.). According to an embodiment of the invention, relay 204 may also be a time delay relay in which the OFF position 204a or ON position 204b is toggled according to a preset time delay. Relay 206 may be an electrical switch with a forward position 206a or a reverse position 206b. According to an embodiment of the invention, relay 206 may be a time delay relay in which the forward position 206a or the reverse position 206b is toggled according to a preset time. Likewise, relay 208 may be an electrical switch with an OFF position 208a (open, disengaged, etc.) and an ON position 208b (closed, engaged, etc.). According to an embodiment of the invention, relay 208 may be a time delay relay in which the OFF position 208a or the ON position 208b is toggled according to a preset time delay. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other switches or timers besides time-deiay relays may be utilized without departing from embodiments of the invention.

[0023] As illustrated in FIG. 2, both the compressor 112 and the condenser fan 114 are always connected to the first power source (e.g., Ll) 212a. With reference to the

compressor 112, when relay 204 is in the OFF position 204a, there is an open circuit at relay 204, and the second power source (e.g., L2) 212b is not provided to the compressor 1 12. On the other hand, when relay 204 is in the ON position 204b, compressor 112 is connected to the second power source 212b, thereby completing an electrical circuit and allowing the compressor 1 12 to run. According to an embodiment of the invention, the relay 204 may include a preset time delay for switching the compressor 112 between the OFF position 204a and the ON position 204b.

[0024] Referring now to condenser fan 1 14, there is a forward connection 210a and a reverse connection 210b for operating the condenser fan 114 in a forward mode or a reverse mode, respectively. When relay 204 is in the ON position 204b (i.e., compressor 1 12 is running) and relay 206 is in the OFF position 206a, then the second power source 212b is provided to the forward connection 210a of the condenser fan 1 14. In this configuration, the condenser fan 114 is connected to the first power source 212a and the second power source 212b according to a forward mode of operation, and thus, the condenser fan 114 runs forward. On the other hand, when relay 204 is in the ON position 204b, then the second power source 212b is provided to the reverse connection 210b of the condenser fan 1 14. In this configuration, the condenser fan 1 14 is connected to the first power source 212a and the second power source 212b according to a reverse mode of operation, and thus, the condenser fan 114 runs in reverse. According to an embodiment of the invention, the preset delay time on the relay 206 may be configured such that the condenser fan runs forward for a first portion of time (e.g.. 90%) that the compressor 1 12 is running while the condenser fan 1 14 runs in reverse for a second portion of the time that the compressor 1 12 is running (e.g., 10%).

[0025J ϊn addition to controlling the operations of the compressor 112 and the condenser fan 114, the programmable timer / microcontroller 202 may also control the operation of the light output 110. In particular, when relay 208 is in the OFF position 206a (e.g., open, disengaged, etc.), there is an open circuit at relay 208, and the light output 110 is not operative. On the other hand, when relay 208 is in the ON position 206a (e.g., closed, engaged, etc.), light output 1 10 is connected to the second power source 212b, thereby operating the light output 1 10. Accordingly, relay 208 may be operated by the programmable timer / microcontroller 202 to enable or disable the light output 1 10,

perhaps using a preset time delay. For example, during a power saving or standby mode, the programmable timer / microcontroller may disable the light output 1 IO by placing relay 208 in the OFF position 206a. However, during a normal mode, the programmable timer / microcontroller 202 may enable the light output 1 10 by placing relay 208 in the ON position 206a. These different energy management modes (e.g., standby, normal, etc.) may be associated with certain preset time delays for the relay, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0026] Embodiment #2. FIG, 3 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a programmable timer / microcontroller 302 that enables a reverse mode of operation for the condenser fan 1 14, generally when the light output 110 is disabled. In particular, the forward operation of the condenser fan 1 14 may be operable when the light output 1 10 is enabled. On the other hand, the reverse operation of the condenser fan 1 14 may be selectively operable when the light output 1 10 is disabled (e.g., off or in standby mode).

[0027] As shown in FIG. 3, the programmable timer / microcontroller 302 may include two relays 304, 308. Relay 304 may be an electrical switch with an OFF position 304a (e.g., open, disengaged, etc.) and an ON position 304b (e.g., closed, engaged, etc.). According to an embodiment of the invention, relay 304 may also be a time delay relay in which the OFF position 304a or ON position 304b is toggled according to a preset time delay. Likewise, relay 308 may be an electrical switch with an OFF position 308a (open, disengaged, etc.) and an ON position 308b (closed, engaged, etc.). According to an embodiment of the invention, relay 308 may be a time delay relay in which the OFF position 308a or the ON position 308b is toggled according to a preset time delay, In addition to the relays provided by the programmable timer / microcontroller 302, there is also an AC relay 306. The AC relay 306 is in the reverse position 306a when the light output 110 is not enabled (e.g., relay 308 is in the OFF position 308a); likewise, the AC relay 306 is in the forward position 306b with the light output 1 10 is enabled (e.g., relay 308 is in the ON position 308b). One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other switches besides the relays described above may be utilized without departing from embodiments of the invention.

[0028] Still referring to FIG, 3, both compressor 1 12 and condenser fan 114 are always connected to the first power source (e.g., Ll) 312a. With reference to the compressor 1 12, when relay 304 is in the OFF position 304a, there is an open circuit at relay 304, and the second power source (e.g., L2) 312b is not provided to the compressor 1 12. On the other hand, when relay 304 is in the ON position 304b, compressor 1 12 is connected to the second power source 312b, thereby completing an electrical circuit and allowing the compressor 1 12 to run. According to an embodiment of the invention, relay 304 may include a preset time delay for switching the compressor 1 12 between the OFF position 304a and the ON position 304b.

[0029] Referring now to condenser fan 1 14, there is a forward connection 310a and a reverse connection 310b for operating the condenser fan 114 in a forward mode or a reverse mode, respectively. When relay 304 is in the ON position 304b (i.e., compressor 1 12 is running) and AC relay 306 is in the reverse position 306a, then the second power source 312b is provided to the reverse connection 310a of the condenser fan 1 14. Recall that the AC relay 306 is in the reverse position 306a when the light output 1 10 is not enabled, ϊn this configuration, the condenser fan 1 14 is connected to the first power source 312a and the second power source 312b according to a reverse mode of operation, and thus, the condenser fan 1 14 runs in reverse.

[0030] On the other hand, when relay 304 is in the ON position 304b, then the second power source 312b is provided to the reverse connection 310b of the condenser fan 1 14. Recall that the AC relay 306 is in the forward position 306b when the light output 110 is enabled. In this configuration, the condenser fan 1 14 is connected to the first power source 212a and the second power source 212b according to a forward mode of operation, and thus, the condenser fan 1 14 runs forward.

[0031] According to an embodiment of the invention, relay 308 may include a preset time delay for determining whether the light output 1 10 is in the OFF position 308a or the ON position 308b. Therefore, when the preset time delay results in the relay 308 switching to the OFF position 308b, then the AC relay 306 is automatically switched to the reverse position 306b. On the other hand, when, the preset time delay of the relay 308 results in the relay 308 switching to the ON position 308a, then the AC relay is automatically

switched to the forward position 306a. Other variations of preset time delays for relays 304, 308 are available according to other embodiments of the invention.

[0032] Embodiment #3. FIG. 4 illustrates yet another exemplary embodiment of a programmable timer / microcontroller 402 main board and daughter board 403 combination that enables a reverse mode of operation for the condenser fan 1 14, perhaps in accordance with the occurrence of a particular triggering event. For example, the triggering event may be the beginning of a compressor 1 12 cycle, the end of a compressor cycle, before and after every other compressor cycle, and the like.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 4, the daughter board 403 typically couples electrically to the programmable timer / microcontroller 402. According to one embodiment, there may be a wired connection between the programmable timer / microcontroller 402 main board and the daughter board 403. According to another embodiment of the invention, the programmable timer / microcontroller 402 and the daughter board 403 may be integrated into a single package or board.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 4, the programmable timer / microcontroller 402 may include three relays 404, 406, 408. Relay 404 may be an electrical switch with an OFF position 404a (e.g., open, disengaged, etc.) and an ON position 404b (e.g., closed, engaged, etc.). According to an embodiment of the invention, relay 404 may also be a time delay relay in which the OFF position 404a or ON position 404b is toggled according to a preset time delay. Relay 406 may also be an electrical switch with an OFF position 406a (e.g., open, disengaged, etc.) and an OFF position 406b (e.g., closed, engaged, etc.). According to an embodiment of the invention, relay 406 may be a time delay relay in which the OFF position 406a or the ON position 406b is toggled according to a preset time, perhaps associated with one of the particular triggering events described above (e.g., before a compressor 112 cycle, after a compressor 112 cycle, etc.). Likewise, relay 408 may be an electrical switch with an OFF position 408a (open, disengaged, etc.) and an ON position 408b (closed, engaged, etc.). According to an embodiment of the invention, relay 408 may be a time delay relay in which the OFF position 408a or the ON position 408b is toggled according to a preset time delay. In addition to the relays provided by the programmable timer / microcontroller 402, there is also a relay 410 included with the

daughter board 403. Relay 410 may be an electrical switch with a forward position 410a and a reverse position 410b. According to an embodiment of the invention, According to an embodiment of the invention, relay 410 may be a time delay relay in which the forward position 410a or the reverse position 410b is toggled according to a preset time, perhaps also associated with one of the particular triggering events described above (e.g., before a compressor 1 12 cycle, after a compressor 112 cycle, etc.). One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other switches besides the relays described above may be utilized without departing from embodiments of the invention.

[0035] In FIG. 4, both the compressor 1 12 and the condenser fan 1 14 are connected to the first power source 412a (e.g., Ll). The compressor 112 is also connected to the second power source 412b (e.g., L2), and therefore operable, when the relay 404 is in the ON position 404b. According to an embodiment of the invention, the relay 404 may include a preset time delay for switching the compressor 1 12 between the OFF position 404a and the ON position 404b.

[0036J Likewise, the condenser fan 114 is also connected to the second power source 412b, and therefore operable, when the relay 406 is in the ON position 406b. More specifically, when relay 406 in the ON position 406b, the condenser fan 1 14 is operable in the forward mode when relay 410 of the daughter board 403 is in the forward position 410a. On the other hand, the condenser fan 114 would be operable in the reverse mode if relay 410 were in the reverse position 410b. According to an embodiment of the invention, either or both of the relay 406 and the relay 410 may also include a preset time delay that is operative based upon the occurrence of a predetermined event. As described above, this predetermined event may be the beginning or end of a compressor 112 cycle, the beginning or end of every other compressor 112 cycle, and the like. Therefore, upon the occurrence of a particular triggering event, relay 406 may be placed in the ON position 406b for a preset amount of time and similarly, relay 410 may be placed in the forward position 410b for a predetermined amount of time. Accordingly, the condenser fan 1 14 may operate in a reverse mode of operation for a predetermined amount of time that is independent of the compressor 1 12 cycle. Other variations of the reversal of the condenser fan 1 14 may be provided without departing from embodiments of the invention.