US 6,658,934 B1Granted

Liquid level sender assembly

AssigneeRochester Gauges, Inc.

InventorsRandal L. Housey, Will Pattison, Herbert G. Ross, Jr.

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Abstract

A liquid level sender assembly constructed to minimize contact distortion and dither. A housing supports a resistive track and a pivot arm is connected to the housing. The pivot arm has a force transmitting member attached which interacts with a boss on a contact carrier which is also pivotably attached to the case. A space is provided in the fit of boss within the force transmitting member which allows the boss to remain in one position when the pivot arm vibrates in small oscillations, but causes the boss to move in response to larger movements of the pivot arm. Contacts on the contact assembly electrically cooperate with the resistive track to provide a variable resistor. The contact carrier receives only force components directed circumferentially about the axis.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A liquid level sender assembly comprising:

a housing;
a resistive track mounted to said housing;
a pivot arm pivotally connected to said housing for rotation about a pivot axis and having a rotational force transmitting member;
a contact carrier pivotally connected to said housing for rotation about said pivot axis and having a rotational force receiving member and a contact assembly, said contact carrier, except for said rotational force receiving member, being isolated from touching said pivot arm;
said rotational force receiving member cooperating with said rotational force transmitting member to receive from said pivot arm only force components directed circumferentially about said pivot axis;
said rotational force transmitting member and said rotational force receiving member dimensioned such that there is a predetermined arc of travel of said rotational force transmitting member which does not result in contact between said rotational force transmitting member and said rotational force receiving member and;
said contact assembly electrically cooperating with said resistive track to generate a variable resistance, said variable resistance varying according to an angular position between said housing and said contact carrier.

4 more elements

A liquid level sender assembly comprising:

a housing defining an annular boss about a pivot axis and having inside and outside surfaces;
a resistive track mounted to said housing;
a pivot arm pivotally mounted for rotation about the said pivot axis and having a portion thereof rotationally associated with either said inside surface or said outside surface of said annular boss and having a rotational force transmitting member;
a contact carrier pivotally mounted for rotation about said pivot axis and having a portion thereof rotationally associated with the side of said annular boss opposite the side of said annular boss rotationally associated with said pivot arm, said contact carrier having a rotational force receiving member and a contact assembly, said contact carrier, except for said rotational force receiving member, being isolated from touching said pivot arm;
said rotational force receiving member cooperating with said rotational force transmitting member to receive from said pivot arm only force components directed circumferentially about said pivot axis;
said contact assembly electrically cooperating with said resistive track to generate a variable resistance, said variable resistance varying according to an angular position between said housing and said contact carrier.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.