METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MONITORING QUALITY OF HYDRAULIC FLUID IN ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC (EH) VALVE
First Claim
1. A method for monitoring a quality of a hydraulic fluid in an electro-hydraulic (EH) valve, the method comprising:
- applying a predetermined signal to a solenoid coil, surrounding a pusher pin in the EH valve, to facilitate oscillation of the pusher pin to change static friction, between the pusher pin and a cavity of the EH valve, to dynamic friction,the EH valve comprising a housing defining the cavity,the cavity having an end wall,the cavity slidably receiving the pusher pin,the pusher pin having a first end and a second end,the hydraulic fluid being received between the first end of the pusher pin and the end wall,the oscillation of the pusher pin generating an acoustic wave that propagates through the hydraulic fluid; and
determining the quality of the hydraulic fluid based on one or more characteristics of the acoustic wave detected by an acoustic sensor positioned on the end wall.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for monitoring quality of a hydraulic fluid in an electro-hydraulic (EH) valve is disclosed. The method includes applying predetermined signal to a solenoid coil, surrounding a pusher pin in EH valve, to facilitate oscillation of a pusher pin in EH valve to change static friction between the pusher pin and a cavity of EH valve, to dynamic friction. EH valve includes a housing defining the cavity having an end wall. Cavity slidably receiving the pusher pin having a first end and a second end. The hydraulic fluid is received between the first end of the pusher pin and the end wall. The oscillation of the pusher pin generates an acoustic wave that propagates through the hydraulic fluid. The method further includes determining the quality of the hydraulic fluid based on one or more characteristics of the acoustic wave detected by an acoustic sensor positioned on the end wall.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for monitoring a quality of a hydraulic fluid in an electro-hydraulic (EH) valve, the method comprising:
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applying a predetermined signal to a solenoid coil, surrounding a pusher pin in the EH valve, to facilitate oscillation of the pusher pin to change static friction, between the pusher pin and a cavity of the EH valve, to dynamic friction, the EH valve comprising a housing defining the cavity, the cavity having an end wall, the cavity slidably receiving the pusher pin, the pusher pin having a first end and a second end, the hydraulic fluid being received between the first end of the pusher pin and the end wall, the oscillation of the pusher pin generating an acoustic wave that propagates through the hydraulic fluid; and determining the quality of the hydraulic fluid based on one or more characteristics of the acoustic wave detected by an acoustic sensor positioned on the end wall. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An electro-hydraulic (EH) valve comprising:
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a housing defining a cavity having an end wall; a pusher pin slidably received in the cavity, the pusher pin having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the pusher pin is proximate to the end wall, wherein a hydraulic fluid is received between the first end of the pusher pin and the end wall; an acoustic sensor disposed on the end wall; and a solenoid coil surrounding the pusher pin, wherein an actuation of the solenoid coil controls a movement of the pusher pin in the cavity, the solenoid coil being configured to receive a predetermined signal to facilitate oscillation of the pusher pin to change static friction between the pusher pin and the cavity, to dynamic friction, wherein the oscillation of the pusher pin generates an acoustic wave that propagates through the hydraulic fluid, wherein the acoustic sensor is configured to detect the acoustic wave through the hydraulic fluid, and wherein a quality of the hydraulic fluid is determined based on one or more characteristics of the acoustic wave detected by the acoustic sensor. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An electro-hydraulic (EH) valve system for monitoring a quality of a hydraulic fluid used in the EH valve system, the EH valve system comprising:
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an EH valve comprising; a housing defining a cavity having an end wall, a pusher pin slidably received in the cavity, the pusher pin having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the pusher pin is proximate to the end wall, wherein the hydraulic fluid is received between the first end of the pusher pin and the end wall, an acoustic sensor disposed on the end wall, and a solenoid coil surrounding the pusher pin, wherein an actuation of the solenoid coil controls a movement of the pusher pin in the cavity; and a controller communicatively coupled to the acoustic sensor, the controller being configured to; apply a predetermined signal to the solenoid coil to facilitate oscillation of the pusher pin to change static friction between the pusher pin and the cavity, to dynamic friction, wherein the oscillation of the pusher pin generates an acoustic wave that propagates through the hydraulic fluid, receive voltage signal, from the acoustic sensor, corresponding to the acoustic wave detected by the acoustic sensor, determine one or more characteristics of the acoustic wave based on one or more characteristics of the voltage signal, and determine the quality of the hydraulic fluid based on the one or more characteristics of the acoustic wave. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification