Container, Method and Control System

• US 20150292372A1
• Filed: 11/19/2013
• Published: 10/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Castrol Limited (BP PLC)
• Original Assignee: Castrol Limited (BP PLC)
• Inventors: Brett, Peter Stuart, Goodier, Steven Paul, Barnes, Andrew Philip, O'Malley, Mark
• Application Number:
  US14/443,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20150292372A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0231 Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 1/18 Indicating or safety devices concerning lubricant level F01M11/06, F01M11/12
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 11/04 Filling or draining lubricant of or from machines or engines
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 2011/0483 with a lubricant cartridge for facilitating the change

Abstract

A replaceable fluid container for an engine comprising: a reservoir for holding a fluid; a fluid coupling adapted to provide fluidic communication between the reservoir and a fluid circulation system of an engine; and a data provider arranged such that positioning the container to permit fluidic communication between the reservoir and the fluid circulation system of the engine arranges the data provider for data communication with an engine control device of the engine. There is also provided a method of facilitating control of an engine and an engine control system, apparatus and a vehicle.

Claims

1. A replaceable fluid container for an engine comprising:

a reservoir for holding a fluid;

a fluid coupling adapted to provide fluidic communication between the reservoir and a fluid circulation system of an engine; and

a data provider arranged such that positioning the container to permit fluidic communication between the reservoir and the fluid circulation system of the engine arranges the data provider for data communication with an engine control device of the engine.

2. The container of claim 1 wherein the data communication comprises one of:

providing data to the engine control device; and

receiving data from the engine control device.

3. The container of claim 1 wherein the data provider is arranged to inhibit communication with the engine control device unless the reservoir is in fluidic communication with the fluid circulation system of the engine.

4. The container of claim 1 wherein the data provider is configured such that communication of data with the engine control device is dependent upon the presence of fluidic communication between the fluid container and a fluid circulation system of the engine.

5. The container of claim 1 wherein the fluid coupling comprises a self-sealing coupling arranged such that connecting the self-sealing coupling to the fluid circulation system arranges the data provider for communicating data with the engine control device.

6. The container of claim 1 in which the data provider is configured to communicate with the engine control device in response to the fluid coupling being coupled to the fluid circulation system of the engine.

7. The container of claim 1 comprising a sensor adapted to sense at least one property of a fluid in the reservoir of the container, wherein the data communicated with the engine control device comprises data based on the sensed property of the fluid.

8. The container of claim 7 in which the property of the fluid is at least one property selected from the group consisting of:

the amount of fluid, the temperature of fluid, the pressure of fluid, the viscosity of fluid, the density of fluid, the electrical resistance of fluid, the dielectric constant of fluid, the opacity of fluid, the chemical composition of fluid and combinations of two or more thereof.

9. The container of claim 7 in which the data provider comprises a memory for storing data, and in which the stored data comprises data based upon at least one sensed property of the fluid.

10. The container of claim 9 in which the stored data comprises at least one property of the fluid selected from the group consisting of:

the amount of fluid, the temperature of fluid, the pressure of fluid, the viscosity of fluid, the viscosity index of the fluid, the density of fluid, the electrical resistance of fluid, the dielectric constant of fluid, the opacity of fluid, the chemical composition of fluid, the origin of the fluid and combinations of two or more thereof.

12. The container of claim 9 in which the data provider is adapted to receive data from the engine control device and to perform an action selected from the list consisting of:

storing the received data in the memory; and

providing data to the engine control device in response to the received data.

18. The container of claim 1 comprising a computer readable medium comprising program instructions operable to program a processor to perform a method comprising

receiving, at a fluid container, a signal indicating that the fluid container is coupled to the engine;

in response to the received signal performing an action selected from the list comprising;

providing data to an engine control device, and providing data to a memory at the fluid container;

and a reservoir for holding a fluid.

19. The container of claim 1 and an engine control system adapted for use with the container, wherein the engine control system is configured to perform an action selected from the list consisting of:

controlling operation of the engine based on data obtained from the container; and

sending data to the container for storage.

20. An apparatus comprising an engine control system configured to perform an action selected from the list consisting of:

controlling operation of the engine based on data obtained from the container of claim 1 and sending data to the container for storage, and an engine comprising a fluid circulation system adapted for fluidic communication with the reservoir of the container.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 further comprising the container.

11. (canceled)

13. A computer implemented method of facilitating control of an engine, the method comprising:

receiving, at a fluid container, a signal indicating that the fluid container is coupled to the engine;

in response to the received signal performing an action selected from the list comprising;

providing data to an engine control device; and

,

providing data to a memory at the fluid container.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 13 wherein providing data to a memory at the fluid container comprises storing data obtained from the engine control device in the memory.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 13 comprising sensing at least one property of a fluid in a reservoir of the container, wherein the data is based on the sensed property.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 13 wherein providing data to an engine control device comprises obtaining the data from memory at the fluid container.

17. (canceled)

22. (canceled)