Fuel sensor
US6885199B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 17, 2002 |
| Grant date | Apr 26, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 8, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N27/228
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A fuel sensor (20) includes a single capacitor (22) that operates in two different modes to obtain capacitance and conductance information when a fuel mixture flows between the electrodes (24, 26) of the capacitor. Two different oscillators (180, 182) are selectively used to obtain the conductance and capacitance information. In a disclosed embodiment, a capacitor includes an outer electrode (24) that is received around an inner electrode (26) such that there is a spacing between the electrodes through which the fuel flows. The fuel acts as a dielectric of the capacitor allowing the conductance and capacitance measurements to be made. The inventive fuel sensor can be readily incorporated into a variety of locations within a vehicle fuel supply system depending on the needs of a particular situation. In one example, a portion of the fuel rail (132) is used as one of the electrodes of the capacitor.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.