CONTROLLING FLUID OPERATIONS FOR MACHINE SYSTEMS

• US 20140297045A1
• Filed: 03/12/2014
• Published: 10/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPM Industries LLC
• Original Assignee: RPM Industries LLC
• Inventors: Apostolides, John K.
• Granted Patent: US 10,190,581 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/282
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/00 Control , e.g. of pump delivery, or pump pressure of, or safety measures for, machines, pumps, or pumping installations, not otherwise provided for, or of interest apart from, groups F04B1/00 - F04B47/00
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 53/18 Lubricating
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 53/20 Filtering
• CPC Class Codes: F16N 2260/50 After-lubrication

Abstract

Enhanced tools and techniques are disclosed for performing post-lubrication fluid operations and other fluid maintenance operations on the fluid system of a machine. A control module may be provided for initiating post-lubrication fluid operations for regulating temperature of engine components, for example, such as when a machine has been powered down after use.

Claims

1. A fluid control system comprising:

a control module including at least one processor, wherein the control module is programmed to receive at least one signal indicative of at least one of a triggering condition or a machine condition; and

,

at least one fluid control circuit configured for receiving at least one signal from the control module, wherein the signal includes at least one command instruction for causing a fluid system of the machine to initiate a post-lubrication fluid operation.

2. The fluid control system of claim 1, wherein the signal received by the fluid control circuit includes at least one command instruction for causing at least a portion of a prelubrication fluid system to perform the post-lubrication fluid operation.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the triggering condition includes at least one of a threshold fluid temperature or a threshold fluid pressure.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the triggering condition includes a threshold machine speed.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the triggering condition includes a threshold fluid contaminant level.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the triggering condition includes a threshold time duration of operation.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the triggering condition includes an injection timing variable value.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the triggering condition includes a fuel consumption value.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the triggering condition includes a filter condition.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the triggering condition includes at least one of a coolant temperature, a throttle position, a boost level, or a combination thereof.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the control module is further configured to receive a signal indicative of at least a portion of the machine being in a powered down state.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the control module is further configured to receive a signal indicative of at least a portion of the machine being in an idling state.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the control module is further configured for communicating a command signal to the fluid control circuit for activating a pump.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the control module is further configured for communicating a command signal to the fluid control circuit for activating a pump for a time period sufficient to achieve a predetermined acceptable temperature level in the fluid system.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the control module is further configured for communicating a command signal to the fluid control circuit for directing a pump alternately to run for a predetermined active cycle time and to power down for an interim time period.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the control module is further configured for not issuing a command signal to initiate a post-lubrication fluid operation when the machine has not been active for a predetermined time prior to the machine powering down.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a fluid maintenance system operatively associated with the control module, wherein the fluid maintenance system comprises a processor configured for;

accessing machine data associated with the machine, and

accessing a fluid service operation schedule including at least one fluid maintenance operation associated with the machine data; and

,

wherein the control module is programmed for communicating with the fluid maintenance system and operating the pump of the machine through the control circuit to perform a fluid maintenance operation in accordance with the fluid service operation schedule.

18. A fluid system comprising:

a control module operatively associated with a control circuit configured for activating or deactivating at least one pump of a machine;

a fluid maintenance system operatively associated with the control module, wherein the fluid maintenance system comprises a processor configured for;

accessing machine data associated with the machine, and

accessing a fluid service operation schedule including at least one fluid maintenance operation associated with the machine data; and

,

wherein the control module is programmed for communicating with the fluid maintenance system and operating the pump of the machine through the control circuit to perform a fluid maintenance operation in accordance with the fluid service operation schedule.

19. A fluid system comprising:

a control module operatively associated with a control circuit configured for activating or deactivating at least one pump of a machine;

a fluid maintenance system operatively associated with the control module, wherein the fluid maintenance system comprises a processor configured for;

accessing machine data associated with the machine, and

accessing a fluid service operation schedule including at least one fluid maintenance operation associated with the machine data; and

,

wherein the control module is programmed for communicating with the fluid maintenance system and operating the pump of the machine through the control circuit to perform a fluid maintenance operation in accordance with the fluid service operation schedule.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the pump includes at least one of a main machine pump, a supplemental pump, or a fluid reservoir pump.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the fluid maintenance system is programmed for directing the control module to activate or deactivate the pump.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the machine data include data related to a time when the machine had last been activated.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the machine data include data related to a period of machine inactivity.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the fluid maintenance system is further programmed for placing a fluid circulation event on the fluid operation service schedule when the period of machine inactivity exceeds a predetermined level.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the control module is further programmed to use one or more power systems of the machine as needed to activate or deactivate the pump.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the fluid maintenance system is further programmed for recording data associated with performance of a fluid maintenance operation in at least one data storage medium.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the recorded data include at least one of time of fluid maintenance operation, date of fluid maintenance operation, cycle time for fluid maintenance operation, or an engine condition.

28. The system of claim 19, wherein the machine data include historical machine data.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the fluid maintenance system is further programmed to analyze the historical machine data to determine when to perform a fluid maintenance operation.

30. The system of claim 19, wherein the machine data include trending machine data.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the fluid maintenance system is further programmed to analyze the trending machine data to determine when to perform a fluid maintenance operation.

32. The system of claim 19, wherein the fluid maintenance system is further programmed for analyzing one or more triggering conditions and adding a fluid maintenance operation to the fluid service operation schedule in response to the triggering condition.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the triggering condition includes at least one of a threshold fluid temperature or a threshold fluid pressure.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the triggering condition includes a threshold machine speed.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein the triggering condition includes a threshold fluid contaminant level.

36. The system of claim 32, wherein the triggering condition includes a threshold time duration of operation.

37. The system of claim 32, wherein the triggering condition includes an injection timing variable value.

38. The system of claim 32, wherein the triggering condition includes a fuel consumption value.

39. The system of claim 32, wherein the triggering condition includes a filter condition.

40. The system of claim 19, wherein the control module is programmed to process time stamp data associated with at least one component of the machine.

41. The system of claim 19, wherein the fluid service operation schedule is configured to receive data associated with at least one periodic fluid maintenance service operation.

42. The system of claim 19, wherein the machine includes a backup generator.

43. The system of claim 19, wherein the fluid maintenance operation includes at least one of a lubrication fluid process, a pre-lubrication fluid process, a post-lubrication fluid process, an evacuation fluid process, a refill fluid process, a purge fluid process, a recycling fluid process, a circulating fluid process, or a combination thereof.