System for determining the amount of liquid in a tank or series of tanks

Claim 1

In a system including a source of electrical energy of the direct current type, a voltage reducing transformer, and a galvanometer provided with a scale, a permanent magnetic field, a rotatable electrical filament carrying a pointer which passes over said scale, and an iron core having a fine wire winding arranged in said magnetic field, said system also including a series of tanks, each containing a liquid and within each of which is a vertical container having a lower perforated portion for receiving liquid from the respective tank into which it extends, a closure for the lower end portion of each of said perforated containers and first and second electrical conductors, each having a comparatively high electrical resistance, arranged in each of said containers and having their lower ends embedded and fixed in spaced relation in the closure of that container, a first multiple switch, electrically conductive means leading from said switch to each of said first conductors in each of said perforated containers, said voltage reducing transformer being arranged between and electrically connected to the source of electrical energy and to the first multiple switch, a float movable on the liquid in each perforated container through which float said first and second electrical conductors extend for guiding the movement of said float, electrically conductive means carried by the upper surface of each float which is arranged in electrical contact with the first and second conductors at a short distance above the liquid therein, a second multiple switch, a plurality of third electrical conductors, each of which is selectively connected to the upper end of the second conductor in each of the perforated containers and each of the third electrical conductors being electrically connected from the second multiple switch to the coil of said galvanometer which coil when energized is rotatable in a clockwise direction to rotate said pointer in a like direction over said scale, electrically conductive means selectively connected from the upper end of the second conductor of each of the perforated containers for energizing said coil and the total electrical resistance of the first and second conductors above the liquid in each of the perforated containers being such that the position of said pointer on said scale for each tank designates the amount of liquid in thousands of gallons in that particular tank.

Claim 3

A system including a source of electrical energy of the alternating current type, a series of tanks, each containing a liquid and within each of which is arranged a vertical container having a lower perforated portion for receiving liquid from the respective tank into which it extends, an insulating closure for the lower end portion of each container and first and second electrical conductors, each having a comparatively high electrical resistance, arranged in each of said containers and having their lower end portions embedded in the closure of that container and fixed in spaced relation to each other, a first multiple switch, electrical conductive means leading from said switch to each of the first conductors in each of said containers, a voltage reducing transformer arranged between and electrically connected to the source of electrical energy and the first multiple switch for selectively energizing the conductors leading from the first multiple switch to the first conductor in each of the perforated containers, a float movable on the liquid in each of the perforated containers through which float in each of said perforated containers said first and second conductors extend for guiding the movement of said float, electrical conductive means carried by the upper surface of each of said floats arranged in electrical contact with the first and second conductors in each perforated container, a galvanometer provided with a scale and a permanent magnetic field, a rotatable electrical filament carrying a pointer which passes over said scale and an iron core provided with a fine coil winding of electrically conductive wire thereon which is arranged in said magnetic field and which when energized is rotatable over said scale, a second multiple switch, a plurality of third electrical conductors, each of which is electrically connected to the upper end of the respective second conductors in each of the perforated containers and all the third electrical conductors being selectively connected from the second multiple switch to the coil of said galvanometer, and a pair of rectifiers arranged between said second multiple switch and the conductor leading to the rotatable coil of the galvanometer from the second multiple switch from the alternating current type to the direct current type to move said pointer over said scale a sufficient distance to indicate the amount of liquid in thousands of gallons in each respective tank.

Claim 4

A system including a source of electrical energy of the alternating current type, a series of tanks, each containing a liquid and within each of which is arranged a vertical container having a lower perforated portion for receiving liquid from the respective tank into which it extends, an insulating closure for the lower end portion of each container and first and second electrical conductors, each having a comparatively high electrical resistance, arranged in each of said containers and having their lower end portions embedded in the closure of that container and fixed in spaced relation to each other, a first multiple switch, electrical conductive means leading from said switch to each of the first conductors in each of said containers, a voltage reducing transformer arranged between and electrically connected to the source of electrical energy and the first multiple switch for selectively energizing the conductors leading from the first multiple switch to the first conductor in each of the perforated containers, a float movable on the liquid in each of the perforated containers through which float in each of said perforated containers said first and second conductors extend for guiding the movement of said float, electrical conductive means carried by the upper surface of each of said floats arranged in electrical contact with the first and second conductors in each perforated container, a galvanometer provided with a scale and a permanent magnetic field, a rotatable electrical filament carrying a pointer which passes over said scale and an iron core provided with a fine coil winding of electrically conductive wire thereon which is arranged in said magnetic field and which when energized is rotatable over said scale, a second multiple switch, a plurality of third electrical conductors, each of which is electrically connected to the upper end of the respective second conductors in each of the perforated containers and all the third electrical conductors being selectively connected from the second multiple switch to the coil of said galvanometer, and a pair of rectifiers arranged between said second multiple switch and the conductor leading to the rotatable coil of the galvanometer from the second multiple switch from the alternating current type to the direct current type to move said pointer over said scale a sufficient distance to indicate the amount of liquid in thousands of gallons in each respective tank.