Viscous material dispensing system and method with feedback control

• Main Authors: SURIAWIDJAJA, FLORIANA, ZAKRAJSEK, RICK
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 21.02.2007
• Subjects: APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TOSURFACES, IN GENERAL; APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL; CONTROLLING; MEASURING; MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUIDLEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; PROCESSES FOR APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TOSURFACES, IN GENERAL; REGULATING; SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES; TESTING; TRANSPORTING

A system (10) for accurately dispensing controlled amounts of viscous material. The system includes a pressurized supply (14) of the viscous material, a dispenser (12) connected with the pressurized supply (14) and a feedback control (26) for ensuring that a discrete dispensed amount (20) corresponds closely to the desired dispensed amount for a particular application. The different methods of feedback control include changing pressure of the pressurized supply (14) after measuring a dispensed amount (20) and comparing the dispensed amount (20) with a stored value representing the desired amount. Another manner of feedback control includes changing an air operating pressure associated with the dispenser (12). A third type of feedback control includes adjusting the duration that the dispenser (12) is maintained on to dispense the viscous material (20). Each of these types of feedback control are preferably used in succession, as necessary, to ensure that the desired amount of viscous material is discharged from the dispenser (12). Methods of controlling an amount of viscous material (20) discharged from a dispenser (12) further include using one or more of the feedback controls described above.