Engine wear and oil quality sensor

• US 7,204,128 B1
• Filed: 10/05/2005
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Rhodes, Michael L., Rahman, Aziz, Liu, James Z T
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams; Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah; Samir M.
• Application Number:
  US11/244,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20070074563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 73/530.1, 736/49
• US Class Current: 73/53.01
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 11/10 Indicating devices; Other safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 2011/1406 by considering acidity
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 2011/1413 by considering dielectric properties
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 2011/1473 by considering temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0226 Oils, e.g. engine oils
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0255 (Bio)chemical reactions, e.g. on biosensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0256 Adsorption, desorption, surface mass change, e.g. on biosensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0258 Structural degradation, e.g. fatigue of composites, ageing of oils
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02818 Density, viscosity
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0422 Shear waves, transverse waves, horizontally polarised waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0423 Surface waves, e.g. Rayleigh waves, Love waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0427 Flexural waves, plate waves, e.g. Lamb waves, tuning fork, cantilever
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/101 one transducer
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/06 of a liquid involving electrolysis G01N27/26
• 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 29/036 by measuring frequency or resonance of acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/2462 Probes with waveguides, e.g. SAW devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/2876 Total acid number

Abstract

A viscosity and corrosivity sensor apparatus includes a substrate upon which one or more electrodes are configured. The electrode(s) are exposed to a liquid, such as automotive oil. An oscillator can be connected to the electrode, wherein the oscillator assists in providing data indicative of the corrosivity and data indicative of the viscosity of the liquid in contact with the electrode(s). A viscosity and corrosivity sensor is therefore provided in the same package.

Claims

1. A viscosity and corrosivity sensor apparatus, comprising:

a substrate upon which at least one electrode is configured, wherein said at least one electrode is exposed to a liquid; and

an oscillator connected to said at least one electrode, wherein said oscillator assists in providing data indicative of said corrosivity and data indicative of said viscosity of said liquid in contact with said at least one electrode, wherein said data indicative of said corrosivity is based on a frequency generated by said oscillator in association with said substrate and said at least one electrode, and said frequency is utilized to provide data indicative of an etch rate associated with said at least one electrode.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a resistance measurement component connected to said at least one electrode and said oscillator, wherein said resistance measurement component obtains conductivity information associated with said liquid.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said data indicative of said viscosity of said liquid is based on an acoustic wave vibration amplitude or a damping resistance generated by said oscillator in association with said substrate and said at least one electrode.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said liquid comprises oil.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one electrode is coated with at least one of the following:

Cr, Ni, Fe, Mg, Al, Mn, Zn, Ti, Sn, V, Co, Sc, or Pb.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an antenna connected to said apparatus, wherein said antenna wirelessly transmits and receives data for the detection of said viscosity and said corrosivity of said liquid.

7. A viscosity and corrosivity sensor system, comprising:

a substrate upon which at least one electrode is configured, wherein said at least one electrode is exposed to an oil and wherein said at least one electrode further comprises a top electrode and a bottom electrode configured upon said substrate;

an oscillator connected to said at least one electrode, wherein said oscillator assists in providing data indicative of said corrosivity and data indicative of said viscosity of said oil in contact with said at least one electrode, wherein said data indicative of said corrosivity is based on a frequency generated by said oscillator in association with said substrate and said at least one electrode, and said frequency is utilized to provide data indicative of an etch rate associated with said at least one electrode; and

an antenna connected to said system, wherein said antenna wirelessly transmits and receives data for the detection of said viscosity and said corrosivity of said oil.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said oil comprises engine oil.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein said at least one electrode is coated at least one of the following:

Cr, Ni, Fe, Mg, Al, Mn, Zn, Ti, Sn, V, Co, Sc, or Pb.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein said at least one electrode and said substrate comprise an acoustic wave sensor.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said acoustic wave sensor comprises a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor device.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein said acoustic wave sensor comprises a Love wave sensor device.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein said acoustic wave sensor comprises a shear horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH-SAW) sensor device.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein said acoustic wave sensor comprises an acoustic plate mode (APM) sensor device.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein said acoustic wave sensor comprises a shear horizontal acoustic plate mode (SH-APM) sensor device.

16. The system of claim 7 wherein said acoustic wave sensor comprises a flexural plate mode acoustic wave sensor device.

17. A viscosity and corrosivity sensor method, comprising:

providing a substrate upon which at least one electrode is configured, wherein said at least one electrode is exposed to an oil and wherein said at least one electrode further comprises a top electrode and a bottom electrode configured upon said substrate;

electrically connecting an oscillator to said at least one electrode; and

electrically connecting a resistance measurement component to said at least one electrode and said oscillator, wherein said resistance measurement component generates conductivity information associated with said oil; and

providing an antenna in communication with said at least one electrode and said substrate, wherein said antenna wirelessly transmits and receives data indicative of said viscosity and said corrosivity of said oil, such that said oscillator assists in providing data indicative of said corrosivity and data indicative of said viscosity of said oil in contact with said at least one electrode, such that said data indicative of said corrosivity is based on a frequency generated by said oscillator in association with said substrate and said at least one electrode, and wherein said frequency also provides data indicative of an etch rate associated with said at least one electrode, and wherein said data indicative of said viscosity of said oil is based on an amplitude or a phase generated by said oscillator in association with said substrate and said at least one electrode.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said at least one electrode is coated with at least one of the following:

Cr, Ni, Fe, Mg, Al, Mn, Zn, Ti, Sn, V, Co, Sc, or Pb.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said at least one electrode and said substrate comprise an acoustic wave sensor.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said acoustic wave sensor comprises a flexural plate mode acoustic wave sensor device.