US1188793A

US1188793A - Indicator.

Info

Publication number: US1188793A
Application number: US3405415A
Authority: US
Inventors: Avedis N Kuludjian
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1915-06-14
Filing date: 1915-06-14
Publication date: 1916-06-27
Anticipated expiration: 1933-06-27

Description

A. N. KULUDJIAN.

lNDlCATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14, 1915.

l 1 88,793. Patented June 27, 1916.

AVEDIS N. KULUDJIAN, OF IDAHO SPRINGS, COLORADO.

INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 1916.

Application filed J1me 14, 1915. Serial No. 34,054.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Avnors N. KULUDJIAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Idaho Springs, in the county of Clear Creek and State of Colorado, have invented new and useful Improvements in Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention pertains to indicators and specifically float-actuated indicators.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide afloat-actuated indicator designed especially for use in connection with horizontally-disposed gasolene tanks such as are carried on motor vehicles, and constructed with a view to accurately indicate the contents of the tank in gallons and fractions of gallons'notwithstanding the circular form of the tank in cross-section.

Another object of the invention is the provision of improved electro-mechanical means in the indicator for sounding an alarm when the supply of gasolene is dangerously low; the said means being so constructed and arranged that the electric circuit can be readily broken by the operator after he is put on notice by the sounding of the alarm.

Other advantageous features of the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claim when the same are read in connection with the drawings,

accompanying and forming part of .this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a view looking from the rear and illustrating my improvements in elevation, and the electrical-circuit, the source of electric energy and the alarm device diagrammatically. Fig. 2 is a vertical section, taken at a right angle to Fig. 1 and on the line 22 in said figure, and showing some of the parts in elevation. Fig. 3 is a detail section taken in the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow and showing the means for making and breaking the electric-circuit.

' Similar .numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings.

The gasolene tank 1 is of the type that is ordinarily of circular form in vertical cross-section or is otherwise diminished in width from its horizontal median line upwardly and downwardly, and is usually placed transversely of the vehicle in rear of the seat thereof.

The casing 2 of the indicator is designed to be supported at the rear side of the dash board of the vehicle and is provided with an appropr ately marked dial 3, glass 4, arbor 5 equipped with a hand 6, an arm 7 and a spur gear 8, and an arbor arranged in spaced relation to the arbor 5 and equipped with a pinion, 9, and a drum 10; the pinion 9 being intermeshed with the spur gear 8, and the drum being circumferentially grooved or channeled as clearly shown in Fig. 2 for an important purpose hereinafter set forth. Surrounding the arbor that bears the pinion 9 and drum 10 is a spring 11 one end of which is connected to said arbor and the other end to a projection 12 carried by the casing wall. The said spring serves as a counterbalance to the float hereinafter described and also serves to take up the slack in the float cable so that said cable will be taut at all times and will consequently contribute to the accuracy of the device.

Leading from the bottom of the tank forwardly is a pipe 18 which merges into or is suitably connected with an upright tube 15 disposed under the casing 2 and with its vertical center in alinement with the perimeter of the drum 10. The upper end of the said tube 15 is preferably contracted as indicated by 16 and is. arranged directly under a tubular protuberance 1 1 that depends from and communicateswith the interior of the casing 2.

Movable vertically in the tube 15, is a float 17 and connected at one end to the said float and at its opposite end to the drum 10 is a cable 13 which is designed to be taken up on and let off of the grooved perimeter of the drum after the manner illustrated in Fig. 2'.

In the practical operation of my improvement as thus far described, it will be manifest that the float 17 will move downwardly as gasolene is taken from the tank, and that the gravitation of. the said float will move the hand 6 which in connection with the dial 3 will serve at all times to indicate the quantity of gasolene in thetank. It will also be manifest that the grooved perimeter of the drum 10 will compensate for the shape of the tank 1 in cross-section; it being obvious that the float must move a greater distance to indicate the taking of one gallon of gasolene froni the tank when the gasolene is near the top of the tank, than when the top of the body of gasolene is near the horizontal center of the tank, also that as the body'of gasolene in the tank falls below the horizontal center of the tank the movement of the. float to in, dicate one gallon discharged from thetank is proportionately greater. It will further be manifest that'as the float 17 descends, the spring 11 will be put under tension and consequently on the subsequent upward movement of the float the spring will tend to turn the'd rum 10 so as to take up the cable 13 and at the same time will move the hand 6'to enable the said hand in connection with the dial to indicate the stage of the gasolenein the tank.

It will be gathered from the foregoing that by referringto the indicator the automobile operator is enabled to ascertain the exact amount of gasolene in the tank, and is also enabled to see the amount of gasolene consumed during the traverse of a certain portion of a road, as well as the amount of gasolene consumed during a trip, from one point to another. It will further be noted that by referring to the indicator on leav ing his car in a garage, the owner is enabled when he next takes possession to see whether or no any gasolene has been takenfrom the tank. a

As best shown in Fig. 3, the circular wall of the casing 2 is slotted as indicated by 25 and 27, respectively, and in the casing is arranged a movable body 19. This body 19 is movable about the center of-the arbor 5, and may be in the form of a disk, as shown, or in the form of an arcuate plate curved conformably to the circular wall of the casing, without departure from the scope of my invention as claimed. Extending through the slot 27 and threaded into the movable body 19 is a screw 26. This screw 26 is designed to serve as a handle for the convenient moving of the body 19 and also as a means for adjustably fixing said body against movement with respect to the casing wall. Also carried by the body 19 is an arm 20 of insulating material and a'lever which is fulcrumed at an intermediate point of its length, as indicated by 23 and is provided with an inner arm 24 and an outer arm 28; the latter arm being of insulating material and being provided with a tip 22 of metal or other conductive material. The arm 20 carries metallic or other suitable terminals 21, and one of the said terminals is connected with one pole of a source of electric energy 30', the other pole of which is electrically-connected with an alarm device 31 which, in turn, is electrically-connected with the other terminal.

Thealarm device 31 may be a hell, a horn or any other audible signal designed to be actuated by the closing of the described electric circuit. 7

From the foregoing it will be readily understood that with the arm 7 properly set, the said arm when the gasolene gets very lowin the tank, will strike the inner arm 24 of the lever and will rock the said lever so as to carry the tip 22 into' contact with the terminals 21, whereupon the signal will be sounded and the operator apprised of the small quantity of gasolene in the tank.

When the operator is apprised as stated, he may, if desired, loosen the screw 26 and move the body 19 so as to carry the lever arm 24: away from the arm 7 and thereby break the circuit and stop the sounding of the alarm.

It will further be gathered from the foregoing that when gasolene is purchased and placed in a tank equipped with my novel indicator,-the indicator will accurately show the quantity of gasolene supplied.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

The combination of a gasolene tank diminished in size upwardly and downwardly from its horizontal median line, an upright tube, a conduit connecting the lower end of said tube and the lower'portion of said tank, a dial, a movable pointer arranged to cooperate with the dial, a drum arranged above the tube and connected with the pointer; said drum having a. circumferential groove shaped in cross-sectioncorrespondingly to the shape of the tank in vert1- cal cross-section, a float movable in the up: right tube, a cable connected with the float and the drum and arranged to beleft off the grooved periphery of the drum proportionately to the fall of gasolene in the tank, and means for rotating the drum on upward movement of the float.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AVEDIS N. KULUDJIAN. Witnesses:

E. J. Dms, J. A. GUs'rAFsoN.