Parker-Hannifin Corporation

Robert S Benward

Lewis Boyd

Gary Galati

A fuel gaging system, such as may be used in determining an amount of fuel in an aircraft fuel system, includes a capacitance probe and a capacitance measurement circuit component including high resistance elements. The capacitance measurement circuit component includes a first excitation generator, an excitation wire connected between the first excitation generator and the capacitance probe, and a signal wire connected to the capacitance probe with the capacitance probe being connected between the excitation wire and the signal wire, wherein the first excitation generator generates an input signal applied to the excitation wire and an output signal is read from the signal wire to determine a capacitance at the capacitance probe. The system further includes a wire resistance measurement circuit component configured to isolate a contamination resistance to account for variations in wire resistance of the system wires in determining the capacitance at the capacitance probe; and a contamination compensation circuit component configured to compensate for fuel contamination in determining the capacitance at the capacitance probe by compensating for a slope error in the output signal.

Capacitive fuel gaging system with resistive elements

An aircraft measurement system includes an interrogator and an optical sensor assembly. The optical sensor assembly includes an optical sensor connected along a sensor path to the interrogator, a data storage device, and a control circuit connected along a power path to the interrogator. The sensor assembly also includes an opto-electric device for converting an optical signal to an electric current, connected along the power path between the interrogator and the control circuit, to power the data storage component through the control circuit, and a transmitter operationally connected to the control circuit and connected along a data path to the interrogator, to provide operational data along the data path to the interrogator. The data storage component provides operational data to the interrogator across the data path, and the interrogator is configured to receive sensor data from the sensor across the sensor path.

Optically powered sensor calibration data storage module

An LCD display with a high resolution moveable pointer has a first image pane (10) with slanted conductive first segments (12) on a surface thereof. A second image pane (16) has second segments (18) and a surface thereof. The second segments are slanted opposite of the first segments. The LCD has the image panes mounted parallel to one another with the surfaces with the segments thereon facing one another with a dichroic liquid crystal material in between. A first set (26) of segments on the first image pane and a third set (30) of segments on the second pane are driven by first electrical signals of fixed amplitude and frequency. A second set of segments (28) on the first pane and a fourth set (32) on a second pane are driven by second signals 180.degree. out of phase with the first signals. A pointer is formed at an area (38) where the dichroic material is subject to an electrical potential sufficient to make the dichroic material transparent. The pointer can be moved across the display in increments as small as the width of a segment.

Growing community of inventors

Huntington Station, NY, United States of America

Robert S Benward