Liquid level detecting apparatus of tank for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11524571-B2
Application number	US-202017026754-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2020
Priority date	Oct 14, 2019
Publication date	Dec 13, 2022
Grant date	Dec 13, 2022

Abstract

A liquid level detecting apparatus of a tank for a vehicle is provided. The apparatus includes a main detecting part that detects the liquid level of the liquid in a tank to output a liquid level detection signal corresponding to the liquid level and an auxiliary floater assembly that has an auxiliary floater provided to float on the liquid surface of the liquid in the tank. A gyro sensor is mounted to the auxiliary floater, and an angle detection signal corresponding to an inclined angle of the tank is output by the gyro sensor. A controller determines a final liquid level value by correcting a liquid level value obtained from the liquid level detection signal based on the angle detection signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid level detecting apparatus of a tank for a vehicle, comprising:
a main detecting part configured to detect the liquid level of the liquid in a tank to output a liquid level detection signal corresponding to the liquid level;
an auxiliary floater assembly including an auxiliary floater provided to float on the liquid surface of the liquid in the tank, and a gyro sensor mounted to the auxiliary floater, and configured to output an angle detection signal corresponding to an inclined angle of the tank; and
a controller configured to determine a final liquid level value by correcting a liquid level value obtained from the liquid level detection signal based on the angle detection signal;
wherein the auxiliary floater assembly further includes:
a base part installed to be movable vertically along a fixed structure in the tank;
a gyro sensor part having the gyro sensor connected and supported to the base part through an arm rod, and for outputting the angle detection signal corresponding to the rotated and inclined angle, and
an auxiliary floater provided to float on the liquid surface of the liquid in the tank, and installed so that the gyro sensor part is rotatable.

2. The liquid level detecting apparatus of the tank for the vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the main detecting part includes:
a sender probe installed in the tank;
a main floater provided to move along the sender probe in interlock with a change in the liquid surface of the liquid in the tank; and
a head for generating and outputting the liquid level detection signal according to a position of the main floater on the sender probe.

3. The liquid level detecting apparatus of the tank for the vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the fixed structure in the tank is a pipe fixedly disposed vertically and lengthily in the tank, and wherein the base part is provided in a cylindrical shape to be fitted into the outer circumference of the pipe and therefore, is rotatable in the pipe while being movable vertically along the pipe.

4. The liquid level detecting apparatus of the tank for the vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the arm rod is provided in the form of a hollow tube, wherein a wire connected to the gyro sensor to deliver the angle detection signal is installed along the interior of the arm rod, and wherein the wire passes through the interior of the arm rod and is wound around the pipe in a spiral form to be connected to the outside of the auxiliary floater assembly.

5. The liquid level detecting apparatus of the tank for the vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the gyro sensor part is installed to be rotatable above the auxiliary floater, and wherein a groove part of a predetermined depth, into which at least a portion of the gyro sensor part rotated thereon is inserted, is formed on the upper portion of the auxiliary floater.

6. The liquid level detecting apparatus of the tank for the vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the auxiliary floater and the gyro sensor part have a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and wherein the groove part, into which the end portion of the rotated gyro sensor part is inserted, is formed on the upper portion of the auxiliary floater at a certain depth.

7. The liquid level detecting apparatus of the tank for the vehicle of claim 6 , wherein the gyro sensor part is hinge-coupled to the central position of the auxiliary floater in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the arm rod is connected to a portion spaced at a predetermined distance apart from a portion hinge-coupled to the auxiliary floater among the gyro sensor part.

8. The liquid level detecting apparatus of the tank for the vehicle of claim 5 , wherein a drain hole, through which the liquid filled in the groove part is discharged, is formed through the upper portion of the auxiliary floater.

9. The liquid level detecting apparatus of the tank for the vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the gyro sensor part includes:
a case rotatably coupled to the auxiliary floater;
a housing accommodated in and fixed to the interior of the case;
the gyro sensor inserted into and fixed to the interior of the housing; and
a cover installed in the case into which the housing and the gyro sensor are inserted to enclose the interior of the case.

10. The liquid level detecting apparatus of the tank for the vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the main detecting part includes:
a sender probe installed in the tank; and
a main floater provided to move along the sender probe in interlock with a change in the liquid surface of the liquid in the tank, and
wherein in the controller,
when the inclined angle of the gyro sensor part obtained from the angle detection signal is α, the length of a connection line connected perpendicular to the longitudinal directional axis of the sender probe of the main detecting part in the gyro sensor part is a base length, and the distance between a point to which the connection line is connected vertically in the axis of the sender probe and the main floater is a height, and
the height from the α and the base length are calculated by the controller using the relationship of ‘tan α=height/base length,’ and the corrected final liquid level value is obtained as a value obtained by adding or subtracting the height to or from the liquid level value obtained from the liquid level detection signal.

11. The liquid level detecting apparatus of the tank for the vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the inclined direction of the tank from the angle detection signal, and the height is added to or subtracted from the liquid level value according to the inclined direction of the tank.

12. The liquid level detecting apparatus of the tank for the vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to perform the correction, when a state where the angle obtained from the angle detection signal corresponds to a predetermined normal angle area is maintained for a setting time, and the liquid level value obtained from the liquid level detection signal is a value of a predetermined lower limit value or more.

13. The liquid level detecting apparatus of the tank for the vehicle of claim 12 , wherein the predetermined normal angle area is set to be from 0 to a predetermined inclined angle or less.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Moon Kee Hoon
• Kim Jong Gyun

Classifications

• B60K15/03 Primary

  Fuel tanks · CPC title

• B60K15/077 Primary

  with means modifying or controlling distribution or motion of fuel, e.g. to prevent noise, surge, splash or fuel starvation · CPC title

• F01N2610/1406

  Storage means for substances, e.g. tanks or reservoirs · CPC title

• Y02A50/20

  Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters · CPC title

• G01F23/56

  using elements rigidly fixed to, and rectilinearly moving with, the floats as transmission elements · CPC title