WIRING INTERFACE FOR FLUID SENSORS

• US 20200132532A1
• Filed: 09/30/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scully Signal Company
• Original Assignee: Scully Signal Company
• Inventors: Squires, Charles F.
• Granted Patent: US 11,067,425 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03203 during refuelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/228 Measuring or indicating means, e.g. of level, volume, weight
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/362 combined with over-fill preventing means indicating or measuring liquid level G01F23/00; level control G05D9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/78 Arrangements of storage tanks, reservoirs or pipe-lines
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/26 by measuring variations of capacity or inductance of capacitors or inductors arising from the presence of liquid or fluent solid material in the electric or electromagnetic fields
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/80 Arrangements for signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6658 on printed circuit board H01R13/6666 - H01R13/6691 take precedence

Abstract

A cap for a fluid sensor is provided. The cap comprises a cap input port including a first toolless connector configured to removably couple to a cable; and a cap output port including a second toolless connector configured to removably couple to a cable. The cap may further comprise an interface circuit including a circuit input port, a circuit output port, and a sensor port configured to couple to the fluid sensor. The first toolless connector may be configured to removably couple the circuit input port to a cable and the second toolless connector may be configured to removably couple the circuit output port to a cable. The circuit will automatically sequence the signals on the cable, so standard one-to-one wired cables can be used.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A cap for a fluid sensor, the cap comprising:

a cap input port including a first toolless connector configured to removably couple to a first cable, the input port comprising a plurality of input terminals;

a cap output port including a second toolless connector configured to removably couple to a second cable, the cap output port comprising a plurality of output terminals;

a sensor port including a third toolless connector configured to removably couple to the fluid sensor, the sensor port comprising a plurality of sensor terminals; and

a printed circuit board comprising a plurality of connections coupling each of the plurality of sensor terminals to at least one of the plurality of input terminals or the plurality of output terminals.

26. The cap of claim 25, further comprising an interface circuit including a circuit input port coupled to the cap input port and a circuit output port coupled to the cap output port, wherein the first toolless connector is configured to removably couple the circuit input port to the first cable and the second toolless connector is configured to removably couple the circuit output port to the second cable.

27. The cap of claim 26, wherein the interface circuit comprises the printed circuit board.

28. The cap of claim 26, wherein the circuit input port includes the plurality of input terminals and the circuit output port includes the plurality of output terminals.

29. The cap of claim 25, wherein the plurality of sensor terminals comprises at least one of two-wire sensor terminals and five-wire sensor terminals.

30. The cap of claim 25, wherein the plurality of input terminals includes seven-wire input terminals and the plurality of output terminals includes seven-wire output terminals.

31. The cap of claim 26, wherein the plurality of sensor terminals includes a sensor signal terminal, the interface circuit couples the sensor signal terminal to a first output terminal of the plurality of output terminals and the interface circuit couples a first input terminal of the plurality of input terminals to a second output terminal of the plurality of output terminals.

32. The cap of claim 25, wherein the plurality of output terminals includes a first pulse out terminal and a return pulse terminal directly coupled to the first pulse out terminal.

33. The cap of claim 32, further comprising a dummy plug configured to couple the first pulse out terminal to return pulse terminal.

34. A fluid sensor and cap assembly comprising:

a fluid sensor comprising at least one of a two-wire fluid sensor and a five-wire fluid sensor;

a sensor mounting member housing the fluid sensor; and

a cap comprising;

a cap input port including a first toolless connector configured to removably couple to a first cable, the input port comprising a plurality of input terminals,

a cap output port including a second toolless connector configured to removably couple to a second cable, the cap output port comprising a plurality of output terminals,

a sensor port including a third toolless connector configured to removably couple to the fluid sensor, the sensor port comprising a plurality of sensor terminals, and

a printed circuit board comprising a plurality of connections coupling each of the plurality of sensor terminals to at least one of the plurality of input terminals or the plurality of output terminals.

35. The fluid sensor and cap assembly of claim 34, further comprising an interface circuit including a circuit input port, a circuit output port, and a sensor port configured to couple to the fluid sensor, wherein the first toolless connector is configured to removably couple the circuit input port to the first cable and the second toolless connector is configured to removably couple the circuit output port to the second cable.

36. The fluid sensor and cap assembly of claim 35, wherein the interface circuit comprises the printed circuit board.

37. The fluid sensor and cap assembly of claim 34, further comprising:

the first cable; and

the second cable.

38. A fluid sensor wiring system comprising:

a plurality of fluid sensor assemblies, each of the plurality of fluid sensor assemblies comprising

a fluid sensor comprising at least one of a two-wire fluid sensor and a five-wire fluid sensor,

a sensor mounting member housing the fluid sensor, and

a cap comprising

a cap input port including a first toolless connector configured to removably couple to at least one of a plurality of first cables, the input port comprising a plurality of input terminals,

a cap output port including a second toolless connector configured to removably couple to at least one of at least one of the plurality of first cables and a second cable, the cap output port comprising a plurality of output terminals,

a sensor port including a third toolless connector configured to removably couple to the fluid sensor, the sensor port comprising a plurality of sensor terminals, and

a printed circuit board comprising a plurality of connections coupling each of the plurality of sensor terminals to at least one of the plurality of input terminals or the plurality of output terminals; and

the plurality of first cables.

39. The fluid sensor wiring system of claim 38, further comprising:

the second cable; and

a monitor coupled to the at least one of the plurality of fluid sensor assemblies via the second cable.

40. The fluid sensor wiring system of claim 38, the cap further comprising an interface circuit including a circuit input port coupled to the cap input port and a circuit output port coupled to the cap output port, wherein the first toolless connector is configured to removably couple the circuit input port to the first cable and the second toolless connector is configured to removably couple the circuit output port to the second cable.

41. The fluid sensor wiring system of claim 40, wherein the interface circuit comprises the printed circuit board.

42. The fluid sensor wiring system of claim 38, wherein the each of the plurality of fluid sensor assemblies includes a pulse out terminal and a return pulse terminal directly coupled to the pulse out terminal.

43. The cap of claim 42, further comprising a dummy plug configured to couple the pulse out terminal to the return pulse terminal.