Apparatus for ascertaining the alcohol content or calorific value of a mixture by capacitance measurement
First Claim
1. An apparatus for ascertaining the alcohol content or the calorific value of a fuel containing a mixture of alcohol and gasoline, comprising:
- an electrically conductive housing having inside walls;
a removable plate disposed in said housing, said plate having a fuel side and an exterior side;
said inside walls of said housing and said fuel side of said plate defining a fuel conduit in said housing;
an electronic measuring circuit disposed in said housing apart from said fuel conduit;
an electrically conductive sensor element extending from said plate into said fuel conduit, said sensor element being secured in said plate in an electrically insulated and hermetically sealed manner;
wherein a part of said inside walls forms a first electrode and said sensor element forms a second electrode, said electrodes having a fixed geometric relationship with respect to one another to form a capacitor and being electrically connected with said measuring circuit, the fuel in said fuel conduit serving as a dielectric of said capacitor.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for ascertaining the alcohol content or the calorific value of a mixture containing alcohol and gasoline includes an electrically conductive housing through which the mixture flows and in which at least one physical parameter of the mixture is measured to produce a measurement. An electronic measuring circuit is disposed in the housing for evaluating the measurement. The housing has a wall with a part of the wall forming a first electrode of a capacitor. An intermediate plate is associated with the housing. An electrically conductive sensor element is secured in the intermediate plate and partly surrounded by the mixture. The electrically conductive sensor element forms a second electrode of the capacitor and forms an electrical connection between the second electrode and the measuring circuit.
34 Citations
9 Claims
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1. An apparatus for ascertaining the alcohol content or the calorific value of a fuel containing a mixture of alcohol and gasoline, comprising:
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an electrically conductive housing having inside walls; a removable plate disposed in said housing, said plate having a fuel side and an exterior side; said inside walls of said housing and said fuel side of said plate defining a fuel conduit in said housing; an electronic measuring circuit disposed in said housing apart from said fuel conduit; an electrically conductive sensor element extending from said plate into said fuel conduit, said sensor element being secured in said plate in an electrically insulated and hermetically sealed manner; wherein a part of said inside walls forms a first electrode and said sensor element forms a second electrode, said electrodes having a fixed geometric relationship with respect to one another to form a capacitor and being electrically connected with said measuring circuit, the fuel in said fuel conduit serving as a dielectric of said capacitor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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Specification