초록 ▼

A freezer chest for storing and displaying frozen foods such as packaged ice cream products for sale to retail customers includes a modular storage bin in which a product stack plate is mounted on a helical support spring. Packaged ice cream products are loaded onto the product stack plate. The prod

A freezer chest for storing and displaying frozen foods such as packaged ice cream products for sale to retail customers includes a modular storage bin in which a product stack plate is mounted on a helical support spring. Packaged ice cream products are loaded onto the product stack plate. The product stack plate, urged by the helical spring, advances the stack of frozen products to the top of the storage bin as products are removed by customers. A permanent magnet mounted on the product stack plate generates a magnetic field that couples with position sensors mounted in a vertical array along the storage bin. Each sensor produces an output signal in response to coupling alignment of the magnetic field with the sensor as the stack plate moves through the storage bin. The helical support spring extends the stack plate incrementally in proportion to the weight load removed as each packaged product is unloaded. A controller receives the output signal from each sensor, generates a digital data word corresponding with the product stack height in each bin, and stores the data word for retrieval by a central computer at a remote location.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.]1. Apparatus for remotely monitoring the inventory of stackable products contained within the holding compartment of a customer accessible, open bin storage chest comprising, n combination:a modular storage bin dimensioned for insertion into and withdrawal from the holding

[ What is claimed is:] [1.]1. Apparatus for remotely monitoring the inventory of stackable products contained within the holding compartment of a customer accessible, open bin storage chest comprising, n combination:a modular storage bin dimensioned for insertion into and withdrawal from the holding compartment of the storage chest, the storage bin including a base panel and sidewall panels forming boundaries of a product load space that is open at the top allowing customer access to products stacked therein;a coil spring disposed on the base panel, the coil spring having a total deflection length L as measured from an uncompressed (empty bin) no-load position to a compression limit position and being yieldably deflectable relative to the base panel within the product load space;a stack plate mounted on the coil spring, the stack plate providing a platform for supporting a stack of products and being movable through the product load space in response to extension and retraction of the coil spring;position sensors disposed at vertically spaced locations along one sidewall panel of the storage bin, the position sensors extending along at least the upper half of the storage bin from the no-load (empty bin) position to a loaded position corresponding with a deflection distance of from about one-half L to about two-thirds L, each sensor providing an output signal in true and complement logic states in response to being coupled with and decoupled from a magnetic flux field, respectively;a permanent magnet attached to the stack plate, the permanent magnet producing a magnetic flux field that magnetically links with individual position sensors as the stack plate moves vertically through the product load space;an analog-to-digital converter coupled to the sensors for generating a digital data word corresponding with the operating logic state conditions of the position sensors;a controller including a random access memory unit coupled to the analog-to-digital converter for storing in the random access memory digital data words generated by the position sensors; and,a communication interface circuit coupled to the controller for transmitting information stored in the memory unit to a remote monitoring station.