Acoustic wave lubricity sensor

• US 7,243,549 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2005
• Issued: 07/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Rhodes, Michael L., Rahman, Aziz, Liu, James ZT
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams; Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAINT SURIN, JACQUES M
• Application Number:
  US11/132,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20060260404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 735/92, 73/530.5, 73/541, 73/614.4, 73/530.4, 73/540.1, 73/540.2, 73/614.1, 73/430.5 A, 310/367, 310/361, 310/368
• US Class Current: 73/592
• 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 2291/0422 Shear waves, transverse waves, horizontally polarised waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0426 Bulk waves, e.g. quartz crystal microbalance, torsional waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0427 Flexural waves, plate waves, e.g. Lamb waves, tuning fork, cantilever
• 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 29/024 by measuring propagation velocity or propagation time of acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/032 by measuring attenuation of acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/036 by measuring frequency or resonance of acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/222 Constructional or flow details for analysing fluids optoacoustic fluid cells G01N29/2425
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/30 for lubricating properties

Abstract

A lubricity sensor includes a flexural plate wave device and a face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device, which is associated with and located proximate to the flexural plate wave device. The face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device and the flexural plate wave device form a lubricity sensor wherein acoustic wave data produced by the flexural plate device together with the face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device when the lubricity sensor is exposed to a liquid relates directly to a lubricity of the liquid thereby providing lubricity measurement data associated with the liquid. The acoustic wave data can comprises the oscillation gain compensation, the frequency, amplitude and/or phase velocity associated with the flexural plate device and the shear mode bulk acoustic wave device such that the oscillation gain compensation, the frequency, amplitude and/or phase velocity provide an indication of the lubricity of the liquid.

Claims

1. A lubricity sensor, comprising:

a flexural plate wave device; and

a face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device associated with and located proximate to said flexural plate wave device, wherein said face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device and said flexural plate wave device form a lubricity sensor wherein acoustic wave data produced by said flexural plate device together with said face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device when said lubricity sensor is exposed to a liquid relates directly to a lubricity of said liquid thereby providing lubricity measurement data associated with said liquid.

2. The sensor of claim 1 wherein said acoustic wave data comprises an amplitude associated with said flexural plate device and said shear mode device such that said amplitude provides an indication of said lubricity of said liquid.

3. The sensor of claim 1 wherein said acoustic wave data comprises a phase velocity associated with said flexural plate device and said shear mode device such that said phase velocity provides an indication of said lubricity of said liquid.

4. The sensor of claim 1 wherein said acoustic wave data comprises an amplitude and a phase velocity associated with said flexural plate device and said shear mode device such that said amplitude and said phase velocity together provide an indication of said lubricity of said liquid.

5. The sensor of claim 1 wherein said acoustic wave data comprises a frequency associated with said flexural plate device and said face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device such that said frequency provides an indication of said lubricity of said liquid.

6. The sensor of claim 1 wherein said acoustic wave data comprises an oscillation gain compensation associated with said flexural plate device and said face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device such that said oscillation gain compensation provides an indication of said lubricity of said liquid.

7. The sensor of claim 1 wherein said flexural plate device and said face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device each operation in a low operating frequency range of approximately 0.1 MHz to 100 MHz.

8. The sensor of claim 1 wherein said flexural plate wave device comprises a membrane in which at least one inter-digital transducer (IDT) is formed upon in order to pump a flow of said liquid in a desired direction.

9. The sensor of claim 1 wherein said flexural plate wave device comprises a phase velocity that is lower than a phase velocity of said liquid.

10. The sensor of claim 1 wherein said liquid comprises oil.

11. The sensor of claim 1 wherein said liquid comprises diesel fuel.

12. The sensor of claim 1 wherein said flexural plate wave device is formed upon a piezoelectric thin film formed from a piezoelectric material selected from among a group comprising at least one of the following types of materials:

α

-quartz, lithium niobate (LiNbO3), and lithium tantalate (LiTaO3) as well as Li2B4O7, AlPO4, GaPO4, langasite (La3Ga5SiO14), ZnO, and epitaxially grown (Al, Ga, In) nitrides.

13. The sensor of claim 1 wherein said piezoelectric thin film is formed by etching or deposition.

14. The sensor of claim 1 wherein said face shear wave bulk acoustic wave device is formed upon a piezoelectric substrate formed from a piezoelectric material selected from among a group comprising at least one of the following types of materials:

CT or DT-cut α

-quartz, lithium niobate (LINbO3), and lithium tantalate (LiTaO3) as well as Li2B4O7, AIPO4, GaPO4, langasite (La3Ga5SiO14), ZnO, and epitaxially grown (Al, Ga, In) nitrides.

15. The sensor of claim 1 wherein a vibration amplitude of the said flexural plate wave device is controlled by adjusting a power supplied to said flexural plate wave device.

16. The sensor of claim 1 wherein a vibration amplItude of said face shear wave bulk acoustic wave device is controlled by adjusting a power supplied to the said face shear wave bulk acoustic wave device.

17. A lubricity sensor, comprising:

a flexural plate wave device, wherein said flexural plate wave device comprises a membrane in which at least one inter-digital transducer (IDT) is formed upon in order to pump a flow of said liquid in a desired direction;

a face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device associated with and located proximate to said flexural plate wave device, wherein said face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device and said flexural plate wave device form a lubricity sensor wherein acoustic wave data produced by said flexural plate device together with said face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device when said lubricity sensor is exposed to a liquid relates directly to a lubricity of said liquid thereby providing lubricity measurement data associated with said liquid, wherein said flexural plate wave device and said race shear mode bulk acoustic wave device each operation in a low operating frequency range of approximately 0.1 MHz to 100 MHz; and

wherein said acoustic wave data comprises an amplitude and a phase veiocity associated with said flexural plate device and said shear mode device such that said amplitude and said phase velocity together provide an indication of said lubricity of said liquid.

18. The sensor of claim 17 wherein said acoustic wave data further comprises a frequency associated with said flexural plate device and said face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device such that said frequency provides an indication of said lubricity of said liquid.

19. The sensor of claim 17 wherein said acoustic wave data further comprises an oscillation gain compensation associated with said flexural plate device and said face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device such that said oscillation gain compensation provides an indication of said lubricity of said liquid.

20. A lubricity sensor, comprising:

a flexural plate wave device, wherein said flexural plate wave device comprises a membrane in which at least one inter-digital transducer (IDT) is formed upon in order to pump a flow of said liquid in a desired direction; and

a face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device associated with and located proximate to said flexural plate wave device, wherein said face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device and said flexural plate wave device form a lubricity sensor wherein acoustic wave data produced by said flexural plate device together with said face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device when said lubricity sensor is exposed to a liquid relates directly to a lubricity of said liquid thereby providing lubricity measurement data associated with said liquid,

wherein said acoustic wave data comprises an amplitude and a phase velocity associated with said flexural plate device and said shear mode device such that said amplitude and said phase velocity together provide an indication of said lubricity of said liquid;

wherein said acoustic wave data additionally comprises a frequency associated with said flexural plate device and said face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device such that said frequency provides an indication of said lubricity of said liquid;

wherein said acoustic wave data further comprises an oscillation gain compensation associated with said flexural plate device and said face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device such that said oscillation gain compensation provides an indication of said lubricity of said liquid;

wherein a vibration amplitude of the said flexural plate wave device is controlled by adjusting a power supplied to said flexural plate wave device; and

wherein a vibration amplitude of said face shear wave bulk acoustic wave device is controlled by adjusting a power supplied to the said face shear wave bulk acoustic wave device.