Control apparatus

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING TOTALIZING INFORMATION AS TO THE QUANTIY OF FUEL IN A PLURALITY OF FUEL TANKS ONE OF WHICH IS A DISPOSABLE DROP TANK COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: REBALANCEABLE BRIDGE NETWORK MEANS FOR PROVIDING AN INDICATION OF THE QUANITY OF FUEL IN A PERMANENT TANK, SAID NETWORK MEANS INCLUDING OUTPUT MEANS CONNECTED TO A REBALANCE POTENTIOMETER WIPER IN SAID BRIDGE NETWORK MEANS; TRANSFORMER MEANS INCLUDING PRIMARY WINDING MEANS AND SECONDARY WINDING MEANS; MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID PRIMARY WINDING FOR SUPPLYING A FIRST SIGNAL THERETO; TANK UNIT CAPACTIVE GAGING MEANS INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND TERMINAL MEANS, SAID TANK UNIT MEANS BEING INSERTED BEING CONNECTED TO ONE END OF SAID SECONDARY MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO ONE END OF SAID SECONDARY WINDING MEANS AND SAID SECOND TERMINAL MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO A SUMMING POINT; CAPACTIVE MEANS HAVING A FIRST LEAD CONNECTED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID SECONDARY WINDING MEANS AND HAVING A SECOND LEAD CONNECTED TO SAID SUMMING POINT; VARIABLE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SUMMING POINT FOR SUPPLYING A VARIABLE AMPLITUDE SIGNAL THERETO WHICH IS IN-PHASE WITH THE SIGNAL BEING RECEIVED FROM SAID CAPACITIVE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID OTHER END OF SAID SECONDARY WINDING MEANS; AMPLIFYING MEANS INCLUDING INPUT AND OUTPUT MEANS, SAID INPUT MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID SUMMING POINT AND TO SAID OUTPUT MEANS OF SAID REBALANCEABLE BRIDGE NETWORK MEANS FOR RECEIVING SIGNALS THEREFROM AND SAID OUTPUT MEANS BEING CONNECTED FOR CONTROLLING THE AMPLITUDE OF THE SIGNAL SUPPLIED BY SAID VARIABLE MEANS TO GIVE A MINIMUM AMPLITUDE RESULTANT SIGNAL AT SAID INPUT MEANS OF SAID AMPLIFYING MEANS; INDICATOR MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID OUTPUT MEANS OF SAID AMPLIFYING MEANS FOR PROVIDING AN INDICATION OF THE TOTAL QUANTITY OF FUEL IN THE TANKS; AND MEANS FOR REMOVING SAID FIRST SIGNAL FROM SAID PRIMIARY WINDING WHEN SAID DISPOSABLE TANK IS DROPPED, THE REST OF THE TOTALIZING APPARATUS REMAINING OPERATIVE IN THE ABSENCE OF SAID FIRST SIGNAL.