Liquid level detecting and indicating system with coil type measuring device

• US 4,799,047 A
• Filed: 12/08/1987
• Issued: 01/17/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippondenso Company Limited 1-1 Showa-Cho Kariya-Shi Aichi Japan, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha 1 Toyota-Cho Toyota-Shi Aichi-Ken Japan
• Original Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Saitoh, Mitsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Orsino, Joseph A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): JACKSON, JILL
• Application Number:
  US07/130,326
• Time in Patent Office: 406 Days
• Field of Search: 180/284, 73/290 R, 73/304 R, 340/52 R, 340/52 D, 340/59, 340/527, 340/529, 340/618, 340/620, 324/61 R, 364/431.1, 364/431.11, 364/432, 364/442, 364/509
• US Class Current: 340/618
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/24 by measuring variations of resistance of resistors due to contact with conductor fluid

Abstract

A liquid level detecting and indicating system for detecting a liquid level of a measured object such as fuel on the basis of a resistance changed in accordance with level variation of the measured object and indicating the liquid level in response to a magnetic field produced to correspond to the resistance. The system comprises a gauging circuit coupled through a switch to a battery and including a bridge circuit comprising at least a variable resistor and two groups of coils, the variable resistor being arranged such that its resistance is changed in accordance with the level variation of the measured object. Also included in the system is a disturbance detecting circuit coupled to one end of the variable resistor of the gauging circuit for comparing the voltage thereof with a reference to detect a abrupt variation of the voltage at the one end of the variable resistor and generating a control signal in accordance with the result of the detection. In response to the control signal therefrom, a potential control circuit controls the magnitude of the voltage at the end of the variable resistor in order to remove the abrupt variation of the voltage thereat, thus preventing level pointer from swinging severely due to vibration of the measured object.

Claims

1. A level detecting and indicating system for detecting a level of a measured object on the basis of a resistance changed in accordance with variation of the position of said measured object and indicating the level in response to a magnetic field produced to correspond to the resistance, comprising:

power supply means with switching means for supplying an electric power and stopping the power supply;

gauging circuit means coupled through said switching means to said power supply means and including a bridge circuit comprising at least variable resistor means and coil means, said variable resistor means being arranged such that its resistance is changed in accordance with the variation of the position of said measured object;

potential followup circuit means for detecting the voltage at one end of said variable resistor of said gauging circuit means, said potential followup circuit means including a capacitor which is coupled through said switching means to said power supply means and charged with first and second time constants so that its voltage becomes equal to the detected voltage at the one end of said variable resistor means, said first and second time constants being switched from each other in response to first and second charging signals;

timer circuit means including time measuring means for measuring a time period elapsed from a turning-on of said switching means, said timer circuit means generating said first charging signal to said potential followup circuit means before elapse of a predetermined time period from the turning-on of said switching means so that said capacitor is charged rapidly with said first time constant and generating said second charging signal thereto after the elapse of said predetermined time period so that it is charged slowly with second time constant;

disturbance detecting circuit means coupled to one end of said capacitor of said potential followup circuit means and the one end of said variable resistor means of said gauging circuit means for comparing the voltages thereof with each other to detect a abrupt variation of the voltage at the one end of said variable resistor means and generating a control signal in accordance with the result of the detection; and

potential control circuit means coupled to said disturbance detecting circuit means for controlling magnitude of the voltage at the end of said variable resistor means in response to said control signal from said disturbance detecting circuit to remove the abrupt variation of the voltage thereat.

2. A level detecting and indicating system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said measured object is a fuel within a fuel tank of a motor vehicle.

3. A level detecting and indicating system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bridge circuit of said gauging circuit means comprises said variable resistor means, resistor means, first coil means and second coil means which are connected in series, a first junction between said resistor means and said first coil means being coupled to one polarity of said power supply means and a second junction between said variable resistor means and said second coil means being coupled to the other polarity of said power supply means, a third junction between said variable resistor means and said resistor means having coupled to the one end of said variable resistor means and coupled to a fourth junction between said first and second coil means.

4. A level detecting and indicating system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said potential control circuit means is coupled to said third and fourth junctions for preventing the voltage thereat from being greatly varied.

5. A level detecting and indicating system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said disturbance detecting circuit means includes means for developing first and second reference voltages by amplifying and dividing the voltage of said capacitor of said potential followup circuit means, said disturbance detecting circuit means determining no abrupt variation of the voltage at the one end of said variable resistor means when the voltage at the one end of said variable resistor means is kept between said first and second reference voltages and generating said control signal when it is out of the range between said first and second reference voltages.

6. A level detecting and indicating system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said potential control circuit means includes first and second transistors used for controlling the voltage at the one end of said variable resistor means, said first transistor being provided between one polarity of said power supply means and the one end of said variable resistor means and second transistor being provided between the other polarity of said power supply means and the one end of said variable resistor means, one of said first and second transistors being operated in response to said control signal from said disturbance detecting circuit means so that a current enters or leaves the one end of said variable resistor means.