Oil replacement system

• US 20080302606A1
• Filed: 06/08/2007
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Glacier Bay Incorporated (Cummins Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Glacier Bay Incorporated (Cummins Incorporated)
• Inventors: Alston, Gerald Allen
• Application Number:
  US11/808,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20080302606A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 184/6
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 11/10 Indicating devices; Other safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 2011/14 for indicating the necessity to change the oil
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 2011/1413 by considering dielectric properties

Abstract

An oil replacement system for a vehicle can include oil quality sensor that directly determines the quality of the oil in the vehicle and sends an oil quality signal to a control system. Such an oil quality sensor can make a direct measurement of the quality of the oil in an engine oil system, thus permitting the oil replacement system to accurately determine the quality of oil in an engine oil system and whether the oil needs to be replaced.

Claims

1. An oil replacement system for a vehicle, comprising:

a supply of oil that is supplied to an engine of the vehicle,

an oil addition device configured to add oil to the supply of oil,

an oil removal device configured to remove oil from the supply of oil,

an oil quality sensor configured to measure a quality of the supply of oil, and

a controller, wherein the controller is configured to receive a oil quality signal from the oil quality sensor,

wherein the controller is configured to determine if the quality of the supply of oil has degraded to a point below a predetermined threshold.

2. The oil replacement system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to instruct the oil addition device to add a controlled amount of oil to the supply of oil when the controller determines that the quality of the supply of oil has degraded to a point below the predetermined threshold.

3. The oil replacement system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the oil removal device to remove a controlled amount of oil from the supply of oil when the controller determines that the quality of the supply of oil has degraded to a point below the predetermined threshold.

4. The oil replacement system of claim 3, wherein the oil removal device is configured to inject the controlled amount of oil into an engine fuel system of the vehicle.

5. The oil replacement system of claim 1, further comprising an oil level sensor that is configured to measure a level of oil in the supply of oil,

wherein the controller is configured to received a signal from the oil level sensor indicated the level of oil.

6. The oil replacement system of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to control the oil addition device to add a controlled amount of oil when the controller determines that the level of oil in the supply of oil is too low.

7. The oil replacement system of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to control the oil removal device to remove a controlled amount of oil when the controller determines that the level of oil in the supply of oil is too high.

8. The oil replacement system of claim 1, wherein the oil quality sensor is mounted to an oil sump of the vehicle.

9. The oil replacement system of claim 8, further comprising a second oil quality sensor that is positioned in an engine oil system of the vehicle.

10. The oil replacement system of claim 1, wherein the oil quality sensor is positioned in an engine oil system of the vehicle.

11. The oil replacement system of claim 1, wherein the oil quality sensor is configured to measure the electrical conductivity of the oil.

12. The oil replacement system of claim 1, wherein the oil quality sensor is a capacitance sensor.

13. The oil replacement system of claim 1, wherein the oil quality sensor is configured to measure a dielectric constant of the oil.

14. The oil replacement system of claim 1, further comprising a tank that is configured to receive the supply of oil,

wherein the oil replacement system is configured to replace all of the supply of oil by diverting all of the supply of oil into the tank and supplying a fresh supply of oil.

15. An oil replacement system for a vehicle, comprising:

a supply of oil that is supplied to an engine of the vehicle,

an oil addition device configured to add oil to the supply of oil,

an oil removal device configured to remove oil from the supply of oil,

an oil quality sensor configured to measure a quality of the supply of oil, and

wherein the oil replacement system is configured to determine if the quality of the supply of oil has degraded to a point below a predetermined threshold on the basis of an oil quality signal provided by the oil quality sensor.