JPS6212983Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sender unit for detecting the amount of liquid in a tank, and in particular to a float-type sender unit suitable for attachment to a fuel tank of an automobile.

Generally, automobile fuel gauges using a float type sender unit have the disadvantage that they cannot accurately detect the remaining amount when the tank is nearly empty. This inconvenience occurs when the tank expands and deforms significantly during a leak test performed by applying pressure, and the float position of the sender unit when the tank is empty becomes inconsistent with the preset empty level reference position. It is.

Conventionally, in order to solve the above-mentioned disadvantages, for example,
A system has been devised in which the sender unit is provided with an adjustment mechanism consisting of a hinge and a hinge arm for detecting the position of the bottom wall of the tank, and the empty capacity reference position of the sender unit is corrected in accordance with the position of the bottom wall of the tank. However, the above-mentioned conventional sender unit requires an adjustment mechanism consisting of a hinge and a hinge arm, and has a complex structure, which requires time and effort to assemble, and is expensive.Also, the size of the sender unit is large, making it difficult to install it inside a small tank. There was a drawback.

The present invention has been devised to eliminate the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, and provides a small-sized sender unit with a simple configuration that can correct the empty capacity reference position in accordance with the position of the bottom wall of the tank.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

In the figure, 1 is a disc-shaped cap, and the bottom surface of the cap 1 has left and right side walls 2 extending downward.
A base plate 2 having a and 2b is fixed. Reference numeral 3 denotes a support member made of synthetic resin in which a protruding portion 3b is integrally formed on a shaft portion 3a, and both ends of the shaft portion 3a are rotatably supported by the left and right side walls 2a, 2b of the base plate 2. Further, a groove 3c is provided at the tip of the protrusion 3b, and a fitting portion 5a of a resistance board 5 around which a resistance wire 4 is wound is fitted and fixed in the groove 3c. 6 has a float 7 on the lower end 6a.
is attached to the upper end 6 of arm 6.
The arm 6 is rotatable relative to the shaft 3a, and is attached to the base plate 2 coaxially with the shaft 3a.
It is also possible to rotate against.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a contact plate made of a conductive metal plate, and the contact plate 8 is non-rotatably attached to the tip of the upper end 6b of the arm 6.
is in sliding contact with the side surface of the wound resistor substrate 5. For this reason, the contact plate 8 is connected to the arm 6.
When the support member 3 is fixed to the base plate 2, it slides between the stopper protrusions 5b of the resistance board 5 and the fitting part 5a. It's summery.

9 is contact plate 8 and base plate 2
The contact plate 8 and the side wall 2a of the base plate 2 are set to be electrically connected reliably by the coil spring 9, which is disposed between the contact plate 8 and the side wall 2a of the base plate 2. Reference numeral 10 denotes a coil spring disposed between the shaft portion 3a of the support member 3 and the side wall 2b of the base plate 2, and the support member 3 is biased counterclockwise in FIG. 3 by the coil spring 10. .

Reference numerals 11 and 12 are screws for fixing the cap 1, and screws are inserted into the opening 13a provided in the upper wall of the tank 13.
Then, the arm 6 is inserted into the tank 13, and the tank cap 1 is fixed to the opening 13a with the screws 11 and 12 with the gasket 14 interposed therebetween. 15 is a locking screw having a needle portion 15a formed at the tip. The lock screw 15 is screwed into the base plate 2 through a hole 1a drilled in the cap 1 with a gasket 16 interposed therebetween.When the lock screw 15 is tightened, its needle portion 15a is set to pierce the shaft portion 3a of the support member 3. ing. 17 and 18 are terminals for power supply, terminal 17 is cap 1
The terminal 18 is directly fixed to the cap 1 with an insulating washer interposed therebetween. Also,
The terminal 18 is connected to the resistance wire 4 via the conductive member 19.
It is electrically connected to the terminal 17 via the contact portion between the resistance wire 4 and the contact plate 8, the coil spring 9, the base plate 2, and the cap 1. Therefore, as the contact position between the contact plate 8 and the resistance wire 4 changes as the arm 6 rotates, the resistance value between the terminals 17 and 18 changes. Reference numeral 20 denotes a cover plate for protecting the contact portion between the resistor board 5 and the contact plate 8, and the cover plate 20 is fixed to the side wall 2b of the base plate 2.

Therefore, the sender unit configured as described above is connected to the opening 1 of the tank 13 by screws 11 and 12.
3a, arm 6 and float 7
Due to its own weight, the arm 6 rotates to a position where the float 7 contacts the bottom wall of the tank 13. Further, the support member 3 biased by the coil spring 10
The stopper protrusion 5b of the resistance board 5 fixed to the support member 3 rotates in the direction in which it comes into contact with the contact plate 8 fixed to the shaft part 6b of the arm 6. Therefore, regardless of the rotational position of the contact plate 8 that rotates together with the arm 6, the contact plate 8 always contacts a certain position of the resistance wire 4 wound around the resistance board 5, and the terminals 17, 18
The resistance value between the two is kept constant (maximum). When the lock screw 15 is tightened in this state, the needle portion 15a of the lock screw 15 pierces the shaft portion 3a of the support member 3, and the support member 3 is fixed to the base plate 2 in a non-rotatable manner. That is, when the sender unit is attached to the opening of the tank 13, the support member 3 to which the resistance board 5 is fixed rotates in accordance with the position of the bottom wall 13b of the tank 13, and by tightening the locking screw 15, it is moved to the empty amount reference position. is automatically set.

Further, when fuel is injected into the tank 13 in the above state, the arm 6 and the contact plate 8 rotate due to the buoyancy of the float 7, and the resistance between the terminals 17 and 18 changes (reduces), which is not shown in the figure. The liquid level is displayed on the display.

In the above embodiment, the support member 3 is fixed using the locking screw 15 having the needle portion 15a, but a tapping screw with a sharp tip may also be used. It is also possible to make design changes such as forming an uneven pattern on the outer periphery of the shaft portion 3a of the support member 3 to prevent slipping, and fixing the support member 3 with ordinary screws instead of the lock screws 15.

As is clear from the above description, the sender unit of the present invention has a support member to which a resistor board is fixed and an arm to which a float is attached rotatably supported coaxially on a base plate, and the support member is rotated in one direction by a coil spring. The empty capacity reference position is automatically set by rotating and biasing the tank, and then tightening the locking screw to fix the support member after attaching it to the tank.The structure is simple and can be manufactured at low cost. In addition, the compact size makes it easy to install inside the tank, resulting in excellent practical effects.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 6 are views showing an embodiment of the present invention, where Figure 1 is a right side view, Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the A-A section in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a cover plate. 20 is a broken left side view, Figure 4 is a plan view, and Figure 5 is a top view.
The figure is a perspective view showing the support member 3 and the resistance board 5.
The figure shows the state in which the support member 3 is fixed by the lock screw 15. Explanation of symbols, 1...Cap, 2...Base plate, 3...Supporting member, 4...Resistance wire, 5...
Resistance board, 6...arm, 7...float, 8...
...Contact plate, 9,10...Coil spring, 15...Lock screw.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] 1. A base plate is fixed to the lower surface of a cap fixed to an opening of a tank, and the upper end of an arm having a float at its lower end is rotatably supported by the base plate, and A contact plate fixed to the upper end of the arm is in sliding contact with a resistance wire wound around a resistance board, and the amount of liquid is measured electrically from changes in the rotation angle of the arm, which rotates according to the amount of liquid in the tank. In a sender unit configured to detect a change in resistance, a support member to which the resistance board is fixed is rotatably supported by a base plate, and the contact plate and resistance wire are always located at a relative position to detect an empty space. The support member is rotationally biased by a spring member in the direction of contact, and the support member is fixed non-rotatably to the base plate by a locking means inserted from the upper surface of the cap. , the sender unit. 2. Utility model registration characterized in that the support member is made of synthetic resin, the locking means is a locking screw with a needle at the tip, and the needle is stuck into the support member. A sender unit according to claim 1.