Automatic reset of lubricating fluid life monitoring system
First Claim
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1. A method of detecting a filter change in an engine, the method comprising the steps of:
- monitoring a fluid pressure in said engine following startup of the engine;
detecting a change in an amount of time required for the fluid pressure to reach a pre-determined level; and
resetting a fluid life monitoring system based on said change in the amount of time for the fluid pressure to reach a pre-determined level.
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Abstract
The fluid life monitoring system of the present invention includes a pressure monitor coupled to an engine. The pressure monitor is configured to detect a change in the amount of time it takes the engine'"'"'s lubricating fluid to reach a pre-determined fluid pressure and, based on a detected change, reset the fluid life monitoring system.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method of detecting a filter change in an engine, the method comprising the steps of:
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monitoring a fluid pressure in said engine following startup of the engine;
detecting a change in an amount of time required for the fluid pressure to reach a pre-determined level; and
resetting a fluid life monitoring system based on said change in the amount of time for the fluid pressure to reach a pre-determined level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A fluid monitoring system for an engine containing a lubricating fluid, the fluid monitoring system comprising:
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a pressure monitor coupled to said engine configured to provide an indication of a fluid pressure;
an engine control module configured to receive the indication of the fluid pressure, to monitor changes in the fluid pressure over a time period following startup of the engine, to detect a change in an amount of time for said fluid to reach a pre-determined fluid pressure, and to reset the fluid monitoring system in response to the change in the amount of time. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of resetting a fluid life monitoring system in an engine, the method comprising the steps of:
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monitoring a fluid pressure following startup of said engine;
evaluating the actual length of time required for said fluid pressure to reach a pre-determined level;
comparing said actual length of time to an expected length of time;
setting a flag in a first memory location, based on a difference between said actual length of time and said expected length of time, thereby resetting a fluid life monitoring system; and
storing at least one data element related to said difference between said actual length of time and said expected length of time in a second memory location. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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22. A digital storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising:
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a first module configured to detect a filter change in an engine, the method comprising the steps of;
a second module configured to monitor a fluid pressure in said engine following startup of the engine;
a third module configured to detect a change in an amount of time required for the fluid pressure to reach a pre-determined level; and
a fourth module configured to reset a fluid life monitoring system based on said change in the amount of time for the fluid pressure to reach a pre-determined level.
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Specification