Liquid level sensing apparatus

• US 6,993,968 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2004
• Issued: 02/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kogure, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): West, Paul M.
• Application Number:
  US11/014,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20050166674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 733/14
• US Class Current: 73/317
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/38 using magnetically actuated indicating means

Abstract

In a liquid level sensing apparatus, a rotating part is fixed with an arm. The arm is arranged to rotate in accordance with a liquid level. The rotating part is supported rotatably on a bearing portion of a housing. A magnet is housed in the rotating part. A magnetoelectric transducer element fixed to the housing is arranged to perform a magnetic detection to convert an intensity of a magnetic field produced by the magnet to an electric signal. The rotating part is formed with an exposure hole exposing a surface of the magnet. The exposed surface of the magnet is located out of a magnetic circuit subjected to the magnetic detection of the magnetoelectric transducer element.

Claims

1. A liquid level sensing apparatus comprising:

a housing including a bearing portion;

a magnet producing a magnetic field;

a magnetoelectric transducer element fixed to the housing and arranged to perform a magnetic detection to convert an intensity of the magnetic field to an electric signal; and

a rotating part supported rotatably on the bearing portion, fixed with an arm arranged to rotate in accordance with a liquid level, housing the magnet, and formed with an exposure hole exposing a surface of the magnet, the surface being located out of a magnetic circuit subjected to the magnetic detection of the magnetoelectric transducer element.

2. The liquid level sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnet is formed in a cylindrical form including an outer cylindrical surface and side surfaces extending radially inward from both edges of the outer cylindrical surface, and is polarized in a radial direction of the cylindrical form;

the magnetoelectric transducer element is positioned opposite the outer cylindrical surface; and

the surface of the magnet exposed by the exposure hole is a part of the side surfaces, the part being spaced radially inward from one of the edges of the cylindrical surface and facing in a direction perpendicular to the radial direction.

3. The liquid level sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the exposure hole is so formed as to have a depth from a surface of the rotating part.

4. The liquid level sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotating part is formed with a plurality of the exposure holes exposing both side surfaces of the magnet, the side surfaces being located out of the magnetic circuit.

5. The liquid level sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnetoelectric transducer element is a hall element.

6. A liquid level sensing apparatus comprising:

a housing including a bearing portion;

a magnet including a first magnet surface extending in a first direction and a second magnet surface extending in a second direction crossing the first direction;

a magnetoelectric transducer element fixed to the housing, and located at a position confronting the first magnet surface of the magnet to perform magnetic detection to convert an intensity of a magnetic field produced by the magnet, to an electric signal; and

a rotating member arranged to rotate the magnet in accordance with a liquid level, the rotating member being supported rotatably by the bearing portion of the housing, and the rotating member including a wall portion formed with an exposure hole exposing a region of the second magnet surface of the magnet.

7. The liquid level sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the exposure hole of the rotating member extends in the first direction through the wall portion to the second magnet surface extending in the second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction.

8. The liquid level sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the magnet is a radially magnetized cylindrical magnet having an outer cylindrical surface and two side surfaces bounding the cylindrical surface, the first magnet surface of the magnet being the outer cylindrical surface and the second magnet surface of the magnet being one of the side surfaces;

the magnetoelectric transducer element confronts the outer cylindrical surface of the magnet; and

the wall portion of the rotating member conceals a peripheral region of the second surface; and

the exposure hole extends axially to the second magnetic surface and exposes the region of the second magnet surface surrounded by the peripheral region of the second magnet surface which is concealed by the wall portion of the rotating member.

9. The liquid level sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the outer cylindrical surface of the magnet is buried in the rotating member and concealed by the rotating member.