Denso Corporation

Isao Miyagawa

Atsushi Yasuda

Takashi Koumura

Naoto Ogawa

Hiroshi Hashimoto

Mikio Muramatsu

Kenichi Yamada

A liquid surface sensing device is installed in a fuel tank having an opening in a ceiling part. The opening is closed by a flange with a gasket constituted by an elastomer providing a seal between the flange and a peripheral edge of the opening. The liquid surface sensing device being assembled to the flange includes a sensing unit disposed vertically below the flange and sensing a liquid surface of a liquid, a lead wire connecting the sensing unit to an external device via the flange, and a guide bending the lead wire extending diagonally downward from the flange to form a valley portion to direct the lead wire diagonally upward.

Liquid surface sensing device

A liquid level detection device is provided with a fixed body and a rotating body, having a float and an arm. The arm has an insertion portion inserted in the rotating body and an extending portion extending straight and bent relative to the insertion portion. The rotating body has an insertion hole in which the insertion portion is inserted, a holding portion having a receiving opening receiving the extending portion and holding the extending portion received by the receiving opening, and a stopper releasing the receiving opening from a blocking state in which a blocking portion blocks the receiving opening. The stopper has a sliding surface portion on which the extending portion is allowed to slide. A thickness of the blocking portion at a tip end of the sliding surface portion is greater than a diameter of the extending portion.

Liquid level detection device

A liquid-level detection device includes a rotatable body that rotates in accordance with a liquid surface, a fixation body that includes a main body part fixed to a container and a supporting part projecting from the main body part in an axial direction along a rotation axis of the rotatable body to rotatably support the rotatable body, a pair of magnet parts that are held by the rotatable body in an arrangement positioning the supporting part therebetween and that generates a magnetic flux passing through the supporting part, and a detecting part that includes a magnetoelectric conversion device disposed in the supporting part and that outputs a detection result according to a density of the magnetic flux passing through the magnetoelectric conversion device. The rotatable body includes a magnetic shield member entirely covering a projection region of a space located between the pair of magnet parts, which is projected outward in the axial direction, to limit leakage of the magnetic flux. The magnetic shield member is located outward of the supporting part and the pair of magnet parts in the axial direction to include an exposed surface which is exposed into the container.

Liquid-level detection device

A liquid surface sensing device includes a rotational body that is made of resin and rotates according to upward and downward motion of a surface of liquid in a container, a magnet that is held by the rotational body to rotate together with the rotational body, a stationary body that is fixed to the container and rotatably bears the rotational body, and a magnetoelectric conversion element that is embedded in the stationary body and detects a magnetic field generated by the magnet to output an electric signal indicating the liquid surface. The rotational body includes a storage space that accommodates the magnet, a resilient claw that projects into the storage space and is in contact with the magnet in its resiliently deformed state to press the magnet on a storage wall for the storage space, and a projection that projects from an opposite side of the magnet toward the resilient claw in the storage space and expands to be in contact with the resilient claw.

A liquid-level detection device for detecting a level of a liquid surface of liquid stored in a container, includes a rotatable body that rotates in accordance with the liquid surface, a fixation body having a main body part fixed to the container and a supporting part projecting from the main body part in an axial direction along a rotation axis of the rotatable body to rotatably support the rotatable body, a pair of magnet parts held by the rotatable body at arrangement positions with the rotation axis therebetween to generate a magnetic flux passing through the supporting part, and a detecting part having an element part disposed inside the supporting part to output a detection result according to a density of a magnetic flux passing through the element part. The rotatable body includes an exposed surface that is located outward of the supporting part and the pair of magnet parts in the axial direction and that is exposed into the container. An erected wall rising up from the exposed surface outward in the axial direction is provided between two projection regions which are obtained by projecting the pair of magnet parts onto the exposed surface outward in the axial direction.

A fluid level measurement apparatus supports multiple fluid level sensors of different types, each of which detects a level of fluid and produces an output indicative of the detected fluid level in a different way. The fluid level measurement apparatus is connected to any one of the supported fluid level sensors to measure the fluid level. The fluid level measurement apparatus includes a calculation circuit, multiple output circuits, a determination circuit, and a selection circuit. The calculation circuit calculates the fluid level from a detection voltage. Each output circuit generates the detection voltage based on the output of a corresponding fluid level sensor. The determination circuit determines the connected fluid level sensor. The selection circuit selects the output circuit corresponding to the determined fluid level sensor and allows the calculation circuit to obtain the detection voltage generated by the selected output circuit.

Fluid level measurement apparatus

A liquid level detection apparatus includes a rotation member axially supported by a fixed member. The rotation member includes the following. A contact portion press contacts an end surface making connection between both side surfaces of a magnet member. A pair of elastic deformation portions are protruded from the contact portion; each elastic deformation portion engages with a side surface of the magnet member in an elastically deformed state resulting from press to the magnet. A pair of pawl portions are protruded respectively from the elastic deformation portions while enabling the magnet member to be sandwiched between the contact portion and the pawl portions. A pair of plastic deformation portions are protruded from the elastic deformation portions, respectively; each of the plastic deformation portions engages with the side surface of the magnet member in a plastically deformed state resulting from the press to the magnet.

Liquid level detection apparatus

A liquid level detecting device includes a rotative member having a bearing portion and a stationary member having an axis portion. The axis portion is fitted to a hole of the bearing portion, thereby rotatably holding the rotative member. The rotative member is integrated with a displacement member. The stationary member is fixed with a detection unit to detect a displacement of the displacement member. The rotative member is connected with a float via an arm. The axis portion has an inserted portion inserted in the bearing portion and in contact with the bearing portion via a contact portion. The contact portion has a total area that is less than an area of an outer circumferential periphery of the inserted portion.

Liquid level detecting device

An electrical device includes a terminal connected with an electronic component, a pliant member which contacts a part of the terminal in a longitudinal direction of the terminal and covers a whole circumference of the part, and a casing for holding the electronic component and the terminal and the pliant member. The casing is molded by a resin material with the electronic component, the terminal and the pliant member being insert-molded. The end portion of the terminal of an opposite side to the electronic component extends to an outer side of the casing. One part of the pliant member is covered by the casing and the other part thereof is exposed to the outer side of the casing. The pliant member is compressed in a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the terminal.

Electrical device and manufacture method for the same

A liquid level detecting device for detecting liquid level contained in a tank includes a float and an arm that moves in a prescribed manner when liquid level changes, a permanent magnet for forming a magnetic field, a hall IC for generating an electric signal in response to the motion of the magnetic field, a rotary member linked with the arm and the permanent magnet for moving the magnetic field relative to the hall IC as the float and the arm move, a terminal member for connecting the hall IC to an outside control circuit; and a mold body including a resinous holder for holding the hall IC and the terminal member. The resinous holder includes a sheath for insulating the hall IC from heat and mechanical stress generated when the mold body is formed.

Liquid level detecting device and method of manufacturing same

A fuel level gauge is advantageously used in a fuel tank of an automobile. The fuel level gauge installed in a fuel tank includes a float floating on the fuel surface, a rotatable member supported by a stationary member and a detector such as a Hall element. The float is connected to the rotatable member through an arm member, and the rotatable member rotates according to positions of the float. Rotational positions of the rotatable member are detected by the detector. The arm member is electrically connected through a conducting member to a ground terminal to ground electrostatic charges that are generated by abrasion between the float and the fuel and accumulated in the arm member. The conducting member slidably connects the arm member to the ground member not to disturb smooth rotation of the rotatable member. Accuracy of the fuel level detection is maintained by grounding the electrostatic charges.

Fuel level gauge for use in automobile

Two pairs of regulating means, that is, the first stopper and the second stopper, which regulate a rotary angle range of the magnet holder when the first stopper and the second stopper come into contact with the stopper of the arm integrally fixed to the magnet holder, are provided in the body which is a fixing member, and the rotary angle range of the magnet holder regulated by one pair of stoppers is made to be different from the rotary angle range of the magnet holder regulated by the other pair of stoppers. Due to the foregoing, when the expensive body is made to be a common part and a plurality of types of inexpensive arms are manufactured, the fuel level gauge can be provided, an increase in the manufacturing cost of which is suppressed, which can cope with rotary angle ranges of the plurality of types of arms.

Liquid level detector

A liquid level detecting apparatus has an ultrasonic sensor, a reflector, a first pipe and a second pipe. The reflector reflects an ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic sensor to a liquid level, and the ultrasonic sensor detects a reflection wave reflected on the liquid level to detect a liquid level position. The first and second pipe surrounds the ultrasonic wave transmission path from the ultrasonic sensor via the reflector to the liquid level. The first pipe and the second pipe are integrally configured and supported on a bottom of a tank to be rotatable about the first pipe.

Liquid level detecting apparatus

A guide pipe is formed from a metal material, and its internal cross section has a circular shape whose diametric dimension gradually becomes smaller with a distance from an ultrasonic sensor. That is, the guide pipe is formed so that a route for transmitting an ultrasonic wave generated from the ultrasonic sensor may be tapered from this ultrasonic sensor toward a reflector plate. Thus, the acoustic pressure level of the ultrasonic wave which enters the reflector plate can be made higher than a value in a prior-art liquid level detecting apparatus. Accordingly, the energy of the ultrasonic wave generated from the ultrasonic sensor can be utilized for liquid level detection at a high efficiency, so that a fuel liquid level detecting apparatus capable of accurate liquid level detection can be provided.

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Kariya, Japan

Isao Miyagawa