Totally sealed sensor for motorcycles

Abstract

This invention relates to a fully sealed sensor for motorcycles, used to transmit fuel level information from a motorcycle fuel tank. The sensor includes a cup-shaped base with a hollow connecting post, two springs mounted on the base, an inner rocker arm mounted on the base, a resistive element mounted on the inner rocker arm, an inner magnet mounted on the inner rocker arm, a top cover mounted on the base, and a terminal-coated wire harness assembly inserted into the base. The base has two terminal through holes. Each spring includes a horizontal portion and an elastic portion. The horizontal extension line of the horizontal portion of the spring is a cleaving line of the terminal through holes. The terminals of the terminal-coated wire harness assembly pass through the terminal through holes and press against the horizontal portion of the spring. The elastic portion of the spring elastically connects to the resistive element for conduction and retraction. This application provides better protection for the sensor components and extends the sensor's lifespan.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of sensors, and more specifically to a fully sealed sensor for use in motorcycles. Background Technology

[0002] A fully sealed fuel tank level sensor is used in the motorcycle fuel supply system. It senses and outputs a fuel level resistance value, which the motorcycle's instrument panel receives and displays the corresponding remaining fuel level. This provides the driver with fuel tank information so they can refuel in a timely manner and prevent the vehicle from running out of fuel and having to stop mid-journey. The fuel level sensor is mounted on the electric fuel pump assembly, which is installed inside the motorcycle's fuel tank and directly immersed in the fuel.

[0003] Existing motorcycle fully sealed sensors encapsulate the resistive elements and spring contacts in a plastic housing, using a rubber sealing ring for dynamic sealing at the shaft. However, controlling the torque between the sealing ring and the shaft is difficult; an overly tight seal can hinder shaft rotation, leading to sluggish float rod movement and distorted fuel level indication. Furthermore, immersion in harsh fuels, especially under positive and negative pressure within the fuel tank, can allow these contaminated oils to seep into the housing through the dynamic seal, corroding the sensor's resistive elements and spring contacts, resulting in inaccurate resistance readings. Additionally, the circuit terminals use soldered connections for the resistive elements, which can lead to issues like incomplete or missing solder joints, and the manufacturing process is time-consuming.

[0004] Therefore, there is still room for improvement in existing sensor technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned shortcomings, the purpose of this invention is to provide a fully sealed sensor for use in motorcycles, which encloses and isolates important components from gasoline, thereby solving the problems of the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A fully sealed sensor for motorcycles is used to transmit fuel level information from a motorcycle fuel tank. The sensor includes a cup-shaped base with a hollow connecting post, two springs mounted on the base, an inner rocker arm with a hollow rocker arm connecting post mounted on the base, a resistive element mounted on the inner rocker arm, an inner magnet mounted on the inner rocker arm, a top cover mounted on the base, and a terminal-coated wire harness assembly inserted into the base. The base has two terminal through holes. Each spring includes a horizontal portion and an elastic portion. The horizontal extension line of the horizontal portion of the spring is a cleaving line of the terminal through holes. The terminals of the terminal-coated wire harness assembly pass through the terminal through holes and press against the horizontal portion of the spring. The elastic portion of the spring elastically connects to the resistive element for conduction and retraction.

[0007] Preferably, the inner rocker arm includes two opposing left and right limiting surfaces, two upper limit protrusions and an elastic locking protrusion; the resistor is disposed in the two opposing left and right limiting surfaces, the two upper limit protrusions and the elastic locking protrusion, and the hollow rocker arm connecting post of the inner rocker arm passes through the middle through hole of the resistor.

[0008] Preferably, the upper cover is connected to the base by laser welding to form a sealed space, and an annular stepped space for accommodating welding slag is opened at one end of the hollow connecting column facing the upper cover.

[0009] Preferably, the spring has a positioning hole, and the base has a heat-fused protrusion at the position corresponding to the positioning hole. The heat-fused protrusion passes through the positioning hole and the spring is fixedly connected to the base by heat riveting.

[0010] Preferably, the hollow connecting post passes through the hollow rocker arm connecting post to rotatably arrange the combination of the inner rocker arm and the resistor sheet in the sealed space.

[0011] Preferably, the sensor further includes an outer rocker arm disposed on the combination of the upper cover and the base and an outer magnet disposed on the outer rocker arm. The outer magnet is disposed at a position corresponding to the inner magnet to attract and drive the inner magnet to move. The outer rocker arm includes two limiting hooks, which are respectively movably connected to the upper cover and the base to restrict the outer rocker arm on the upper cover and the base.

[0012] Preferably, the sensor further includes a float assembly, the outer rocker arm includes two corresponding clips and a protrusion, one end of the float rod of the float assembly is engaged with the two clips and the protrusion and its end passes through the middle hole of the upper cover and base assembly.

[0013] Preferably, the upper cover includes a limiting ring, which limits the inner rocker arm to the maximum position pushed by the two springs.

[0014] This application encloses the sensor, effectively protecting the lifespan and performance of internal components such as the circuit board, and overcoming the corrosive and conductive effects of M100 methanol gasoline, E100 ethanol gasoline, or gasoline of poor quality. The specific objectives are as follows: (i) The components and terminals are encased in plastic using a closed structure, which isolates gasoline and effectively protects the internal parts and terminals. (ii) At the same time, prevent the positive and negative terminals of the sensor from being connected in the gasoline, which would affect the signal output of the oil level.

[0015] Due to the adoption of the above technical features, this invention has the following advantages and positive effects compared with the prior art: First, this application provides better protection for sensor components, resulting in a longer sensor lifespan. Secondly, compared with traditional sensors, this application has higher accuracy, and the terminals and springs are connected by a compression method, which saves time. Third, this application has a wide range of application platforms and can be matched with fuel tanks of different shapes and different fuel requirements.

[0016] Of course, implementing any specific embodiment of the present invention does not necessarily have all of the above technical effects at the same time. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the sensor used in this application; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A partial cross-sectional diagram; Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the sensor in this application; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the reed in this application; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the terminal-coated wire harness assembly of this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the base of this application; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the base, terminal-coated wire harness assembly, and spring in this application; Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of the sensor in this application; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the rocker arm within this application; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the rocker arm and resistor in this application; Figure 11 for Figure 8 A partially enlarged schematic diagram. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The following describes several preferred embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. The present invention encompasses any substitutions, modifications, equivalent methods, and solutions made within the spirit and scope of the present invention. To provide the public with a thorough understanding of the present invention, specific details are described in detail in the following preferred embodiments, but those skilled in the art will fully understand the present invention without these details. Furthermore, to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding of the essence of the present invention, well-known methods, processes, procedures, elements, etc., are not described in detail.

[0019] Please refer to Figure 1This application presents a schematic diagram of a sensor. The sensor described in this application is a fully sealed fuel tank level sensor used in motorcycle fuel supply systems. Existing sensors are directly immersed in fuel. However, when using M100 methanol gasoline, E100 ethanol gasoline, or gasoline of poor quality, the sensor's resistive element will suffer severe corrosion, resulting in inaccurate fuel level indication or even failure. The fully sealed structure of this application isolates the gasoline from the resistive element, providing protection and preventing the sensor from short-circuiting and failing.

[0020] Here's an explanation of how the motorcycle's fully sealed sensor works: 1. When the sensor is powered on, the float assembly floating on the gasoline level surface drives the outer rocker arm to swing in real time. Both the outer rocker arm and the inner rocker arm in the sensor are equipped with magnets. The inner rocker arm (equipped with a resistor) is rotated by the attraction of the magnets. When the gasoline level changes, the swing of the float assembly and the inner and outer rocker arms simultaneously rotates the resistor and the spring fixed on the base to output a resistance signal, which is transmitted to the motorcycle instrument panel. 2. The sensor is isolated from gasoline by laser welding to prevent gasoline from contacting internal components and other metal parts.

[0021] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 The motorcycle fully sealed sensor of this application is used to transmit fuel level information of a motorcycle fuel tank. The sensor includes a cup-shaped base 2 with a hollow connecting post 21, two springs 4 disposed on the base 2, an inner rocker arm 6 with a hollow rocker arm connecting post 61 disposed on the base 2, a resistive element 5 disposed on the inner rocker arm 6, an inner magnet 3 disposed on the inner rocker arm 6, an upper cover 7 disposed on the base 2, and a terminal-coated wire harness assembly 1 inserted into the base 2. In the embodiment of this application, the base 2 has two terminal through holes 23. The root of the terminals and the head of the power cord of the terminal-coated wire harness assembly 1 are covered in rubber, with only the two terminal ends exposed. The two terminal ends are inserted into the two terminal through holes 23 and are not exposed to the fuel. Figure 5As shown, the diameter of the terminal head end is smaller than the diameter of the middle part of the terminal head, that is, the diameter of the terminal head end gradually increases from the tip to the root; the spring 4 includes a horizontal part 41 and an elastic part 42. The horizontal extension line of the horizontal part 41 of the spring 4 is the cleaving line of the terminal through hole 23, that is, the horizontal extension line of the horizontal part 41 is within the inner edge of the terminal through hole 23. The position of this cleaving line is designed so that it will not abut against the horizontal part 41 when the terminal of the terminal-coated wire harness assembly 1 is inserted, and gradually contacts the horizontal part 41 as the terminal of the terminal-coated wire harness assembly 1 further enters; during assembly, after the terminal of the terminal-coated wire harness assembly 1 passes through the terminal through hole 23, it gradually presses against the horizontal part 41 of the spring 4. Since the power supply of the sensor is low, this pressure contact is sufficient to meet the requirements for information transmission; after assembly, as Figure 8 As shown, the elastic part 42 of the spring 4 elastically presses against the resistor 5 to conduct electricity and spring back the resistor 5.

[0022] Please refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10 The inner rocker arm 6 includes two opposing left and right limiting surfaces 62, two upper limit protrusions 63, and an elastic locking protrusion 64. In this embodiment, the resistor 5 is disposed in the two opposing left and right limiting surfaces 62, the two upper limit protrusions 63, and the elastic locking protrusion 64, but this cannot be used to limit this application. Any method that can securely connect should be within the scope of protection of this application. The hollow rocker arm connecting post 61 of the inner rocker arm 6 penetrates the middle through hole 51 of the resistor 5. With this design, after the inner rocker arm 6 and the resistor 5 are combined, it is only necessary to consider connecting the hollow rocker arm connecting post 61 of the inner rocker arm 6 to connect the inner rocker arm 6 and the resistor 5 simultaneously. For example, the hollow connecting post 21 penetrates and connects the hollow rocker arm connecting post 61 of the inner rocker arm 6.

[0023] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 8 and Figure 11 The upper cover 7 is laser welded to the base 2 to form a sealed space 24. The hollow connecting column 21 has an annular stepped space 211 for accommodating welding slag at one end facing the upper cover 7. In this embodiment, the position where the upper cover 7 is welded to the base 2 includes the cup-shaped end face of the base 2 and the end face of the hollow connecting column 21. At the welding position between the upper cover 7 and the hollow connecting column 21, in order to avoid the welding slag causing adverse effects, such as causing the float rod to rotate unevenly, the annular stepped space 211 provides space for the welding slag to flow, thus avoiding adverse effects.

[0024] Please refer to Figure 4 and Figure 7The spring 4 has a positioning hole 43 on the horizontal surface 41. The base 2 has a hot-melt protrusion 22 corresponding to the positioning hole 43. The hot-melt protrusion 22 passes through the positioning hole 43 and is fixedly connected to the base 2 by hot riveting. In order to ensure the stability of the connection between the spring 4 and the base 2 during hot riveting, the spring 4 also includes two fixed inserts 44. The two fixed inserts 44 are connected to the horizontal surface 41 at an angle. In this embodiment, the angle is 90 degrees. During assembly, the hot-melt protrusion 22 passes through the positioning hole 43, and the two fixed inserts 44 are inserted into the slots 25 on the base 2. Then, the hot-melt protrusion 22 is hot-riveted using a hot riveting device.

[0025] like Figure 8 As shown, the hollow connecting post 21 passes through the hollow rocker arm connecting post 61, rotatably arranging the combination of the inner rocker arm 6 and the resistor sheet 5 in the sealed space 24, so as to... Figure 8 In terms of the direction of the assembly, after assembly, the combination of the inner rocker arm 6 and the resistor 5 can move on the hollow connecting column 21. The combination of the inner rocker arm 6 and the resistor 5 is pushed upward by the elastic force of the two springs 4, which can ensure the tightness of the connection between the two springs 4 and the resistor 5 and ensure the reliability of the transmission of oil level information.

[0026] Please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 8 The sensor further includes an outer rocker arm 9 disposed on the combination of the upper cover 7 and the base 2, and an outer magnet 8 disposed on the outer rocker arm 9. The outer magnet 8 is disposed at a position corresponding to the inner magnet 3 to attract and drive the inner magnet 3 to move. In this embodiment, the side of the outer magnet 8 facing the inner magnet 3 is the S pole, and the side of the inner magnet 3 facing the outer magnet 8 is the N pole. The outer magnet 8 and the inner magnet 3 attract each other, and when the outer magnet 8 rotates, it can drive the inner magnet 3 to rotate synchronously. Figure 8 In this embodiment, the outer rocker arm 9 includes two limiting hooks 91, which are movably connected to the upper cover 7 and the base 2 respectively to restrict the outer rocker arm 9 to the upper cover 7 and the base 2. In the prior art, in order to prevent the outer rocker arm 9 from detaching, an O-ring is set where the float rod protrudes from the base 2. The O-ring restricts the outer rocker arm 9 from detaching. In the embodiment of this application, the two limiting hooks 91 are used. When the outer rocker arm 9 is tilted, the two limiting hooks 91 abut against the upper cover 7 or the base 2 to restrict the outer rocker arm 9 to the position and prevent it from detaching from the upper cover 7 and the base 2. Therefore, compared with the prior art, this application does not have an O-ring, which has the effect of reducing the number of parts and reducing costs.

[0027] Please refer to Figure 3and Figure 8 The sensor also includes a float assembly 10. The outer rocker arm 9 includes two corresponding clips and a protrusion 92. One end of the float rod 101 of the float assembly 10 is engaged with the two clips and the protrusion 92, and its end passes through the middle hole of the combination of the upper cover 7 and the base 2. This middle hole includes the through hole of the upper cover 7 and the hollow connecting post 21 of the base 2. As described above, the hollow connecting post 21 passes through the hollow rocker arm connecting post 61. Therefore, the inner rocker arm 6 and the resistor 5 are connected by the float rod 10. 1. Rotation around the axis; During operation, the float assembly 10 rotates up and down due to changes in fuel levels. When the float rod 101 of the float assembly 10 moves, it drives the outer rocker arm 9 to move. The outer magnet 8 in the outer rocker arm 9 attracts the inner magnet 3 to move, which in turn drives the inner rocker arm 6 and the resistor 5 to move together. This movement is an arc-shaped movement, which causes the resistor 5 to move in an arc on the spring 4 to transmit the fuel level information, and then display the fuel level information in the fuel tank on the instrument.

[0028] Please refer to Figure 11 To reduce the contact between the inner rocker arm 6 and the upper cover 7, and to reduce friction to ensure smooth rotation of the inner rocker arm 6, the upper cover 7 includes a limiting ring 71. The limiting ring 71 limits the maximum position of the inner rocker arm 6 when pushed by the two springs 4, as described above. Figure 8 In terms of the direction, the combination of the inner rocker arm 6 and the resistor plate 5 can move on the hollow connecting column 21. The combination of the inner rocker arm 6 and the resistor plate 5 is pushed upward by the elastic force of the two spring plates 4. Therefore, the upper surface of the inner rocker arm 6 will contact the upper cover 7. The setting of the limiting ring 71 reduces the contact area between the inner rocker arm 6 and the upper cover 7, that is, reduces the friction between the two, and ensures the smooth rotation of the inner rocker arm 6.

[0029] In summary, the manufacturing method of the sensor in this application is as follows: first, the terminals and wire harness are welded together and then injection molded for later use; the spring 4 is fixed to the base 2 and then hot-riveted; the inner rocker arm 6 is equipped with the resistive sheet 5 and the inner magnet 3; then the inner rocker arm assembly composed of the inner rocker arm 6, the resistive sheet 5 and the inner magnet 3 is assembled onto the base 2; then the upper cover 7 is closed and placed on a laser welding device for welding so that the base 2 and the upper cover 7 form a sealed space; the terminal-coated wire harness assembly 1 is assembled at the tail of the base 2; the outer rocker arm 9 is equipped with the outer magnet 8; then the outer rocker arm assembly composed of the outer rocker arm 9 and the outer magnet 8 is assembled onto the assembly formed by the base 2 and the upper cover 7.

[0030] Highlights and unique design features of the motorcycle's fully sealed sensor structure: 1. When the oil pump assembly is used in M100 methanol gasoline, E100 ethanol gasoline or gasoline of poor quality, the traditional sensor resistor and soldered terminals are exposed to the outside, which will cause the solder joints, terminals and resistor surface to be corroded by gasoline or have impurities adhering to them. This structure effectively prevents the components from being exposed to gasoline and thus from being corroded by gasoline because it encloses the important components and isolates them from gasoline. 2. Methanol gasoline has a certain degree of conductivity. Exposing the terminals to the outside will cause the positive and negative terminals to be connected. This structure uses the sensor housing to seal the connection and uses plastic-coated terminals for interference fit at the tail, which effectively isolates the gasoline from the outside and reduces the risk of failure.

[0031] It should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to define components is merely for the purpose of distinguishing the corresponding components. Unless otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this application.

[0032] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by directional terms such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, horizontal" and "top, bottom" is usually based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise stated, these directional terms do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of protection of this application; the directional terms "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer contours relative to the outline of each component itself.

[0033] In summary, due to the adoption of the above technical features, the present invention has the following advantages and positive effects compared with the prior art: First, this application provides better protection for sensor components, resulting in a longer sensor lifespan. Secondly, compared with traditional sensors, this application has higher accuracy, and the terminals and springs are connected by a compression method, which saves time. Third, this application has a wide range of application platforms and can be matched with fuel tanks of different shapes and different fuel requirements.

[0034] The preferred embodiments of the invention are merely illustrative of the invention. They do not exhaustively describe all details, nor do they limit the invention to the specific implementations described. Clearly, many modifications and variations can be made based on the content of this specification. These embodiments have been selected and specifically described in this specification to better explain the principles and practical applications of the invention, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to make good use of the invention. The invention is limited only by the claims and their full scope and equivalents. The above disclosures are merely preferred embodiments of the invention, but are not intended to limit it. Any equivalent changes and modifications made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and essence of the invention should fall within the protection scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A fully sealed sensor for motorcycles, used to transmit fuel level information from a motorcycle fuel tank, characterized in that, The sensor includes a cup-shaped base with a hollow connecting post, two springs disposed on the base, an inner rocker arm with a hollow rocker arm connecting post disposed on the base, a resistive element disposed on the inner rocker arm, an inner magnet disposed on the inner rocker arm, a top cover disposed on the base, and a terminal-coated wire harness assembly inserted into the base. The base has two terminal through holes. The spring includes a horizontal part and an elastic part. The horizontal extension line of the horizontal part of the spring is the cleaving line of the terminal through hole. The terminal of the terminal-coated wire harness assembly passes through the terminal through hole and is pressed and connected to the horizontal part of the spring. The elastic part of the spring is elastically connected to the resistor for conducting and springing the resistor.

2. The motorcycle fully sealed sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner rocker arm includes two opposing left and right limiting surfaces, two upper limit protrusions and one elastic locking protrusion; the resistor is disposed in the two opposing left and right limiting surfaces, two upper limit protrusions and one elastic locking protrusion, and the hollow rocker arm connecting post of the inner rocker arm passes through the middle through hole of the resistor.

3. The motorcycle fully sealed sensor according to claim 2, characterized in that, The top cover is connected to the base by laser welding to form a sealed space, and an annular stepped space for accommodating welding slag is opened at one end of the hollow connecting column facing the top cover.

4. The motorcycle fully sealed sensor according to claim 3, characterized in that, The spring has a positioning hole, and the base has a hot-melt protrusion at the position corresponding to the positioning hole. The hot-melt protrusion passes through the positioning hole and the spring is fixedly connected to the base by hot riveting.

5. The motorcycle fully sealed sensor according to claim 4, characterized in that, The hollow connecting column passes through the hollow rocker arm connecting column, rotatably arranging the combination of the inner rocker arm and the resistor sheet in the sealed space.

6. The motorcycle fully sealed sensor according to claim 5, characterized in that, The sensor also includes an outer rocker arm disposed on the combination of the upper cover and the base, and an outer magnet disposed on the outer rocker arm. The outer magnet is disposed at a position corresponding to the inner magnet to attract and drive the inner magnet to move. The outer rocker arm includes two limiting hooks, which are respectively movably connected to the upper cover and the base to restrict the outer rocker arm on the upper cover and the base.

7. The motorcycle fully sealed sensor according to claim 6, characterized in that, The sensor also includes a float assembly. The outer rocker arm includes two corresponding clips and a protrusion. One end of the float rod of the float assembly is engaged with the two clips and the protrusion, and its end passes through the middle hole of the upper cover and base assembly.

8. The motorcycle fully sealed sensor according to claim 7, characterized in that, The upper cover includes a limiting ring, which limits the maximum position of the inner rocker arm pushed by the two springs.

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