GB2316176A - A motor vehicle fuel load measuring system - Google Patents

A motor vehicle fuel load measuring system Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2316176A
GB2316176A GB9616776A GB9616776A GB2316176A GB 2316176 A GB2316176 A GB 2316176A GB 9616776 A GB9616776 A GB 9616776A GB 9616776 A GB9616776 A GB 9616776A GB 2316176 A GB2316176 A GB 2316176A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
fuel
fuel tank
motor vehicle
load
vehicle
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB9616776A
Other versions
GB9616776D0 (en
Inventor
Christopher John Devane
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
MG Rover Group Ltd
Original Assignee
MG Rover Group Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by MG Rover Group Ltd filed Critical MG Rover Group Ltd
Priority to GB9616776A priority Critical patent/GB2316176A/en
Publication of GB9616776D0 publication Critical patent/GB9616776D0/en
Publication of GB2316176A publication Critical patent/GB2316176A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
    • G01F23/00—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm
    • G01F23/20—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm by measurement of weight, e.g. to determine the level of stored liquefied gas
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01G—WEIGHING
    • G01G17/00—Apparatus for or methods of weighing material of special form or property
    • G01G17/04—Apparatus for or methods of weighing material of special form or property for weighing fluids, e.g. gases, pastes

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • Cooling, Air Intake And Gas Exhaust, And Fuel Tank Arrangements In Propulsion Units (AREA)

Abstract

The amount of fuel remaining in a fuel tank 10 of a motor vehicle is measured by means of a load sensor 20 associated with a bracket 13 used to attach the fuel tank to the floor 11 or other part of the body structure of the vehicle. As shown the tank is pivotally connected at a point 12 to the body structure, and the load sensor 20 is a strain gauge which provides a signal to a microprocessor 21 to drive a display gauge 22. An arrangement using a load cell in compression between the floor bracket (113, Fig. 2) and a lug (114) attached to the tank is also described.

Description

A Motor Vehicle and a Fuel Load Measuring System Therefor This invention relates to motor vehicles and in particular to a system for measuring the fuel remaining in a fuel tank.
It is known to provide a system for measuring the fuel remaining in a fuel tank comprising of a fuel level sensor located within the fuel tank to measure the level of the fuel contained therein, signal processing means to process the signal from said sensor and to supply an output signal to a fuel gauge.
It is a problem with such prior art systems that the fuel level sensor occupies a significant volume of the fuel tank which could otherwise be occupied by fuel. The increasing need to improve passenger compartment accommodation without increasing vehicle size often results in a conflict between fuel tank size and interior space.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved means of measuring the fuel remaining in a fuel tank.
According to the invention there is provided a motor vehicle having a fuel tank and a system for measuring the fuel contained within the fuel tank wherein the system includes means to measure the mass of the fuel contained in the fuel tank.
The means to measure the mass of the fuel in the fuel tank may include one or more load sensors associated with the means used to attach the fuel tank to a structural part of the vehicle.
The or each load sensor may be a strain gauge affixed to part of the means used to attach the fuel tank to the structural part of the vehicle.
The or each strain gauge may be affixed to a bracket attached at one end to the structural part of the vehicle and attached at the other end to a fixing means on the fuel tank.
The system may further comprise a signal processing unit to receive an input from the or each load sensor and to provide a signal indicative of fuel load to an indicator means.
The load sensor may be a load cell interposed between a bracket attached to a structural part of the vehicle and a fixing means on the fuel tank such that a compressive force is applied to the load cell by the mass of the fuel contained within the fuel tank.
The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a system according to a first embodiment of the inventLion; and Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a system according to a second embodiment of the invention.
With reference to Figure 1 there is shown a fuel tank 10 pivotally connected at one end by means of a bracket 12 to part of the floor structure 11 of a motor vehicle and connected to the floor structure 11 at its other end by means of a bracket 13 and a flange 14 attached to the outer wall of the fuel tank 10. The flange 14 is releasably connected to the bracket 13 by means of a bolt 15 and nut 16.
A strain gauge 20 is affixed to the bracket 13 thereby to measure strain in the bracket 13. A lead 23 connects the strain gauge 20 to a signal processing unit in the form of a microprocessor 21. The microprocessor 21 is operable to convert the signal received from the strain gauge into an electrical signal indicative of the fuel remaining in the fuel tank 10. A fuel gauge 22 is connected by means of a cable 24 to the microprocessor 21. The microprocessor supplies a signal to the fuel gauge 22 indicative of the fuel remaining in the fuel tank 10.
With reference to Figure 2 there is shown a second embodiment of the invention which in many respects is the same as that previously described.
A fuel tank 100 is attached at one end to part of the floor structure 110 of the vehicle by means of a bracket 113 and a flange 114 extending from the outer surface of the fuel tank 100.
The flange 114 is releasably connected to the bracket 113 by means of a bolt 115 and nut 116. A load cell 120 is interposed between the bracket 113 and the flange 114 to provide an indication of the mass of fuel remaining within the fuel tank 100. A spacer 117 is interposed between two washers 118, 119 so as to allow the nut 116 and bolt 115 to be tightened to a predetermined torque. The action of tightening the nut and bolt 116 and 115 provides a pre-load on the load cell 120 which needs to be taken into account when evaluating the signal therefrom. It will appreciated that as the mass of fuel in the fuel tank 100 is increased the compressive force exerted on the load cell 120 also increases due to its entrapment between the flange 114 and the bracket 113.
The load cell is connected to a signal processing unit in the form of a microprocessor 121 by means of a lead 123.
The microprocessor unit 121 is arranged to receive the signal from the load cell 120 and convert it into an electrical signal indicative of the mass of fuel remaining within the fuel tank 100. The output from the microprocessor 121 is supplied to a fuel gauge 122 by means of a cable 124.

Claims (10)

1. A motor vehicle having a fuel tank and a system for measuring the fuel contained within the fuel tank wherein the system includes a means to measure the mass of the fuel contained in the fuel tank.
2. A motor vehicle as claimed in Claim 1 in which the means to measure the mass of the fuel in the fuel tank includes one or more load sensors associated with the means used to attach the fuel tank to a structural part of the vehicle.
3. A motor vehicle as claimed in Claim 2 in which the or each load sensor is a strain gauge affixed to part of the means used to attach the fuel tank to the structural part of the vehicle.
4. A motor vehicle as claimed in Claim 3 in which the or each strain gauge is affixed to a bracket attached at one end to the structural part of the vehicle and attached at the other end to a fixing means on the fuel tank.
5. A motor vehidle as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 4 in which the system for measuring the fuel contained within the fuel tank further comprises a signal processing unit to receive an input from the each or each load sensor and to provide an electrical signal indicative of the fuel load to an indicator means.
6. A motor vehicle as claimed in Claim 5 in which the indicator means is a fuel gauge.
7. A motor vehicle as claimed in Claim 2 in which the load sensor is a load cell interposed between a bracket attached to a structural part of the vehicle and a fixing means on the fuel tank such that a compressive force is applied to the load cell by the mass of the fuel contained within the fuel tank.
8. A motor vehicle as claimed in Claim 7 in which the system for measuring the fuel contained within the fuel tank further comprises a signal processing unit to receive an input from the or each load sensor and to provide a signal indicative of the fuel load to an indicator means.
9. A motor vehicle as claimed in Claim 8 in which the indicator means is a fuel gauge.
10. A motor vehicle substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.
GB9616776A 1996-08-09 1996-08-09 A motor vehicle fuel load measuring system Withdrawn GB2316176A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9616776A GB2316176A (en) 1996-08-09 1996-08-09 A motor vehicle fuel load measuring system

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9616776A GB2316176A (en) 1996-08-09 1996-08-09 A motor vehicle fuel load measuring system

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB9616776D0 GB9616776D0 (en) 1996-09-25
GB2316176A true GB2316176A (en) 1998-02-18

Family

ID=10798280

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB9616776A Withdrawn GB2316176A (en) 1996-08-09 1996-08-09 A motor vehicle fuel load measuring system

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2316176A (en)

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0897103A1 (en) * 1997-08-12 1999-02-17 The Boeing Company Apparatus and method for determining the quantity of fluid within a tank
WO2000043738A1 (en) * 1999-01-22 2000-07-27 Giat Industries Device for determining a tank fuel load
ES2161622A1 (en) * 1999-09-02 2001-12-01 Miranzo Jose Plaza Device for checking the supply of fuel in any types of vehicle.
DE102004021832A1 (en) * 2004-05-04 2005-12-01 Adam Opel Ag Vehicle fuel tank level sensor has sensors recording support loads and software processor determining tank weight with acceleration or turn correction
FR2976071A1 (en) * 2011-05-30 2012-12-07 Eurocopter France System for measuring liquid contained in tank i.e. fuel tank, of rotorcraft i.e. helicopter, has processing unit executing stored instructions to determine quantity of liquid contained in tank using information
WO2014031045A1 (en) * 2012-08-23 2014-02-27 Sca Hygiene Products Ab Fill level monitoring system

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4562732A (en) * 1982-04-28 1986-01-07 Nippon Soken, Inc. Device for detecting liquid amount in a vessel
US4811596A (en) * 1986-11-18 1989-03-14 Volkswagen Ag Arrangement for tank content measurement of an operating-medium tank of a vehicle
US5133212A (en) * 1991-08-12 1992-07-28 Kaiser Aerospace And Electronics Corp. Method and apparatus for measuring the liquid level of a containment tank subject to external forces

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4562732A (en) * 1982-04-28 1986-01-07 Nippon Soken, Inc. Device for detecting liquid amount in a vessel
US4811596A (en) * 1986-11-18 1989-03-14 Volkswagen Ag Arrangement for tank content measurement of an operating-medium tank of a vehicle
US5133212A (en) * 1991-08-12 1992-07-28 Kaiser Aerospace And Electronics Corp. Method and apparatus for measuring the liquid level of a containment tank subject to external forces

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0897103A1 (en) * 1997-08-12 1999-02-17 The Boeing Company Apparatus and method for determining the quantity of fluid within a tank
WO2000043738A1 (en) * 1999-01-22 2000-07-27 Giat Industries Device for determining a tank fuel load
ES2161622A1 (en) * 1999-09-02 2001-12-01 Miranzo Jose Plaza Device for checking the supply of fuel in any types of vehicle.
DE102004021832A1 (en) * 2004-05-04 2005-12-01 Adam Opel Ag Vehicle fuel tank level sensor has sensors recording support loads and software processor determining tank weight with acceleration or turn correction
FR2976071A1 (en) * 2011-05-30 2012-12-07 Eurocopter France System for measuring liquid contained in tank i.e. fuel tank, of rotorcraft i.e. helicopter, has processing unit executing stored instructions to determine quantity of liquid contained in tank using information
WO2014031045A1 (en) * 2012-08-23 2014-02-27 Sca Hygiene Products Ab Fill level monitoring system
US20150253173A1 (en) * 2012-08-23 2015-09-10 Sca Hygiene Products Ab Fill level monitoring system
EP2888563A4 (en) * 2012-08-23 2016-05-04 Sca Hygiene Prod Ab Fill level monitoring system

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB9616776D0 (en) 1996-09-25

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)