Device for measuring the fuel level in a motor vehicle tank
AssigneeJaeger
InventorsChristian Baux, Simon Bach, Thierry Salaun
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device for measuring the level of fuel in a motor vehicle tank, the device being of the type comprising: a float suitable for following the level of the fuel; a lever hinged to a support and carrying the float; and an electrical transducer controlled by the lever so that the transducer supplies a signal representative of the level of fuel in the tank; wherein: the electrical transducer is placed in a fixed housing linked to a wall of the tank; the lever support is urged permanently against the bottom wall of the tank to follow any displacement thereof; and rotary link means are provided to provide a rotary connection between the float-carrying lever and a control shaft of the electrical transducer.
Claims13
A device for measuring the level of fuel in a motor vehicle tank, the device comprising:
- a float suitable for following the level of the fuel;
- a base fixedly attached to a wall of the tank;
- a housing fixedly attached to the base;
- an electrical transducer provided in said housing, the transducer comprising:
- a resistive track, and
- a slider;
- a shaft having a first end, a second end and a rotation axis, the first end of the shaft projecting in the tank, the second end of the shaft coupled to the slider of the transducer, the shaft being mounted to the base so that the rotation axis of the shaft intersects the wall of the tank that the base is fixedly attached to and the shaft can rotate about the rotation axis of the shaft,
- a support component having a longitudinal axis and top and bottom ends, the bottom end of the support component disposed inside the tank, the top end of the support component being attached to the base so that it can pivot about a horizontal axis perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of the support component and to said rotation axis of said shaft;
- urging means for permanently urging the bottom end of said support component against a bottom wall of the tank to follow any displacement thereof;
- a lever comprising
- a main member having a top end, a bottom end, and a longitudinal axis, the main member mounted on the support component so that the longitudinal axis of the main member is disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the support component, the bottom end of the main member being substantially adjacent to the bottom end of the support component, the main member mounted on the support component so that the main member can pivot about the main member's longitudinal axis, and
- at least an auxiliary member having a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal axis, the second end of the auxiliary member fixedly attached to the bottom end of said main member, the longitudinal axis of the auxiliary member disposed at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the main member,
- means for connecting the float to the first end of the auxiliary member of the lever;
- and
- a universal joint type structure substantially adjacent to the top end of the support component, the universal joint type structure coupling the first end of the shaft to the top end of the lever so that:
- when the float moves causing the main member of the lever to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the main member of the lever, the shaft is caused to rotate about the rotation axis of the shaft so that the transducer supplies a signal representative of the level of fuel in the tank, and
- the lever is allowed to pivot about said horizontal axis when the support component pivots about said horizontal axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.