System and method for dynamic lubrication adjustment for a lubrication analysis system

• US 6,877,360 B1
• Filed: 02/20/2003
• Issued: 04/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Discenzo, Frederick M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rogers, David A.
• Application Number:
  US10/370,866
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 73/530.5, 73/530.1, 73/10.2, 73/614.4, 73/10.4, 137/2, 137/92, 702 35- 34, 702/82
• US Class Current: 73/53.05
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/52 with devices affected by abnormal or undesired conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2233/00 Monitoring condition, e.g. temperature, load, vibration
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/667 related to conditioning, e.g. cooling, filtering
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 41/008 Identification means, e.g. markings, RFID-tags; Data transfer means
• CPC Class Codes: F16N 2250/30 Dialectricum
• CPC Class Codes: F16N 2250/36 Viscosity
• CPC Class Codes: F16N 2260/18 necessity of changing oil
• CPC Class Codes: F16N 2270/52 Viscosity
• CPC Class Codes: F16N 2270/54 pH; Acidity
• CPC Class Codes: F16N 2270/56 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 11/16 by measuring damping effect upon oscillatory body
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0226 Oils, e.g. engine oils
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0256 Adsorption, desorption, surface mass change, e.g. on biosensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02818 Density, viscosity
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/106 one or more transducer arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/022 Fluid sensors based on microsensors, e.g. quartz crystal-microbalance [QCM], surface acoustic wave [SAW] devices, tuning forks, cantilevers, flexural plate wave [FPW] devices microdevices per se B81B
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/2888 Lubricating oil characteristics, e.g. deterioration lubricating properties G01N33/30
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/30 for lubricating properties
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2071 And causing change or correction of sensed condition
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2506 By viscosity or consistency

Abstract

A system and methodology is provided for dynamically adjusting fluids that operate as a lubricant in a machine. The system includes a control module having a processor and one or more sensors providing data to the processor in situ with the machine, wherein the processor employs the data to monitor the fluid. One or more inputs are provided to receive a plurality of additives that are associated with the fluid, wherein actuators are employed by the processor to dispense the additives to the fluid. The processor dispenses the fluid based upon one or more parameters of the fluid.

Claims

1. A method of providing fluid information of a machine, comprising:

determining at least one quality estimate for one or more sensors, the sensors monitoring a fluid in situ to the machine;

reading data from the one or more sensors relating to the fluid; and

reporting the data and the quality estimates to facilitate reliability of the data.

2. The method of claim 1, the quality estimates determined from one or more quality parameters, the quality parameters including at least one of a calibration date, an age, and a failure of the one or more sensors.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing corrected sensor data based upon at least one of historical data, sensor physics, fluid physics and sensor fusion.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising providing data relating to at least one of a confidence limit and a belief value for the sensor.

5. The method of claim 1, the one or more sensors comprising at least one of an acoustic wave device, a piezoelectric device, a magnetic field device, a capacitive device, optical particle counter, and optical particle analyzer, to determine the health of the fluid.

6. The method of claim 1, the sensor data is related to at least one of temperature, viscosity, ph, pressure, chemical breakdown, and fluid density.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the sensor data to adjust properties of the fluid, the properties include at least one of lubricant oxidation and the amount of ferrous metals therein.

8. A method for providing fluid information of a machine, comprising:

determining at least one quality estimate of one or more sensors based upon sensor data read therefrom, the one or more sensors are employed to at least monitor a fluid in situ to the machine; and

correcting fluid-related sensor data based upon at least one of the sensor data, historical data, sensor physics, fluid physics, quality estimates, and sensor fusion.

9. The method of claim 8, the one or more sensors include a micro-electrical/mechanical machine structure.

10. The method of claim 8, the one or more sensors detect vibrations of the machine.

11. The method of claim 8, the processes of determining and correcting occur dynamically.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising controlling at least one of torque and speed of the machine based up the fluid information.

13. A method of controlling a system, comprising:

providing a sensor for sensing a fluid-related parameter of fluid in situ to the system, and outputting fluid-related data;

determining quality estimate data for the sensor;

adjusting the fluid-related data based upon the quality estimate data and at least one of historical data, sensor physics, fluid physics, and sensor fusion; and

controlling the system based upon the adjusted fluid-related data.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising adjusting the fluid-related data based upon a confidence limit and a belief value.

15. The method of claim 13, the quality estimate data is determined from one or more quality parameters that include at least one of a calibration date, age of the sensor, and a failure of the sensor.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising processing the fluid-related data to adjust properties of the fluid, the properties include at least one of lubricant oxidation and the amount of ferrous metals therein.

17. The method of claim 13, the system is controlled via at least one of torque, speed, and pressure based upon the adjusted fluid-related data.