Digital indicating system for fuel quantity of a vehicle or the like

A system for indicating the quantity of fuel in a vehicle comprising:

• a float located in a fuel tank of a vehicle;
• a shaft cooperatively connected to said float so that movement of said float causes rotation of said shaft;
• a fixed base surrounding said shaft;
• a spring assembly fixed to said shaft for rotation therewith;
• a digital readout system which includes a pair of electrical contacting elements mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, a circular insulating plate surrounding said shaft and fixed to said base plate so that said shaft and said electrical contacting elements rotate relative to said insulating plate, a plurality of unit indicating contact plates fixed on said circular insulating plate in a circular configuration at a first radial location on said insulating plate, a plurality of decimal indicating contact plates fixed on said circular insulating plate in a circular configuration at a second radial location on said insulating plate, each one of said decimal indicating contact plates having an arcuate length corresponding to a plurality of said unit indicating contact plates, said pair of electrical contacting elements including a unit indicating contacting element located at said first radial location and in electrical contact with said unit indicating contact plates and a decimal indicating contacting element located at said second radial location and in electrical contact with said decimal indicating contact plates so that as said shaft and electrical contacting elements rotate relative to said insulating plate, said electrical contacting elements contact different ones of said unit and decimal indicating plates, and a digital display device connected to said unit and decimal indicating contact plates to display numbers having a unit component corresponding to a unit indicating plate which is in contact with said unit indicating contacting element and a decimal component corresponding to a decimal indicating plate which is in contact with said decimal indicating contacting element whereby radial position of said shaft is translated into a number so that location of said float in the vehicle fuel tank is translated into the number displayed by said display device;
• and
• error preventing means including a circular disc surrounding said shaft and fixed to said base and insulating plates so that said shaft rotates relative to said circular disc, said circular disc having a plurality of holes defined therein in a circular configuration at said first radial location, each hole being aligned with and having an arcuate length equal to that of one of said unit indicating contact plates so that each unit indicating contact plate is coincident with a hole in said error preventing means circular disc, a roller element mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, said roller element being located at said first radial location to contact said holes, and biasing means on said spring assembly forcing said roller toward said holes so that as said shaft rotates said roller moves step-by-step with each step corresponding to a unit indicating contact plate whereby at any static location of said shaft said roller is entrapped in a hole thereby preventing a non-unitary location of said unit indicating contacting element and ensuring step-by-step movement of said digital readout system.