Sensor and method for detecting oil deterioration and oil level
First Claim
1. A sensor for detecting oil deterioration and oil level, comprising:
- a. a measurement sensor comprising a sensing capacitive sensor that includes left, middle and right identical upward plated electrodes having the respective top and bottom ends, said electrodes are positioned to be equally spaced apart in order, alignment and parallel with each other, wherein said top ends of the respective left and right electrodes are electrically connected in parallel by a first lead wire serving as a first electrical pole, said top end of said middle electrode is connected by a second lead wire serving as a second electrical pole, said measurement sensor is positioned into an oil system of a machine, wherein said sensing capacitive sensor is immersed into an oil that is dry and disposed into said oil system;
b. a reference sensor comprising a referencing capacitive sensor that is identical to said sensing capacitive sensor, said referencing capacitive sensor is immersed into a reference oil that is positioned inside of a sealed container of said reference sensor, said reference sensor is positioned in a common temperature environment with said oil of said oil system;
c. an alternating current (AC) analyzing device is connected to said sensing and referencing capacitive sensors, wherein said AC analyzing device applies an AC voltage at a frequency to said sensors from a first measurement to thereby detect first measured electrical properties of the respective sensing and referencing capacitive sensors;
d. said first measured electrical properties are combined to obtain a first measured temperature compensated electrical property of said sensing capacitive sensor, which represents a first measured temperature compensated electrical property of said oil;
e. a profile of predicted temperature compensated electrical properties of said oil is obtained so that said first measured temperature compensated electrical property of said oil is compared with a first predicted temperature compensated electrical property of said oil according to a first actual usage of said oil from said profile of said predicted properties;
f. a first predicted remaining usage of said oil is determined according to said first actual usage of said oil, and a second measured temperature compensated electrical property of said oil is obtained according to said first actual usage of said oil from a second measurement to thereby obtain a second measured remaining usage of said oil;
g. a normal deterioration of said oil is determined which occurs in the absence of water if said second measured remaining usage is similar to said first predicated remaining usage, and said second measured remaining usage is confirmed to represent a remaining actual usage of said oil;
h. an abnormal deterioration of said oil is determined which occurs in the presence of water if said second measured remaining usage is less than said first predicated remaining usage; and
i. a top level of said oil is determined to reduce to a top level of a predetermined threshold amount of said oil if said second measured remaining usage is larger than said first predicted remaining usage.
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Abstract
A capacitive sensor in its simplest form has three identical plated spatial electrodes, which are positioned equally spaced apart, in order, alignment and parallel with each other. The first and third electrodes are the outer electrodes and connected in parallel by a first lead wire serving as a first electrical pole to be a group of the integrated electrodes. The second electrode is the middle electrode and connected by a second lead wire serving as a second electrical pole. The sensor is applied with an alternating current (AC) excitation signal from an AC device. The present invention method includes application of referencing and sensing capacitive sensors to obtain a measured temperature compensated electrical property of the oil to thereby obtain a measured remaining usage so as to a predicted remaining usage of the oil. Therefore, the top oil level, or the normal, or the abnormal oil deterioration can be concluded according to the measured remaining usage which is respectively larger than, or similar to, or less than the predicted one of the oil.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A sensor for detecting oil deterioration and oil level, comprising:
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a. a measurement sensor comprising a sensing capacitive sensor that includes left, middle and right identical upward plated electrodes having the respective top and bottom ends, said electrodes are positioned to be equally spaced apart in order, alignment and parallel with each other, wherein said top ends of the respective left and right electrodes are electrically connected in parallel by a first lead wire serving as a first electrical pole, said top end of said middle electrode is connected by a second lead wire serving as a second electrical pole, said measurement sensor is positioned into an oil system of a machine, wherein said sensing capacitive sensor is immersed into an oil that is dry and disposed into said oil system; b. a reference sensor comprising a referencing capacitive sensor that is identical to said sensing capacitive sensor, said referencing capacitive sensor is immersed into a reference oil that is positioned inside of a sealed container of said reference sensor, said reference sensor is positioned in a common temperature environment with said oil of said oil system; c. an alternating current (AC) analyzing device is connected to said sensing and referencing capacitive sensors, wherein said AC analyzing device applies an AC voltage at a frequency to said sensors from a first measurement to thereby detect first measured electrical properties of the respective sensing and referencing capacitive sensors; d. said first measured electrical properties are combined to obtain a first measured temperature compensated electrical property of said sensing capacitive sensor, which represents a first measured temperature compensated electrical property of said oil; e. a profile of predicted temperature compensated electrical properties of said oil is obtained so that said first measured temperature compensated electrical property of said oil is compared with a first predicted temperature compensated electrical property of said oil according to a first actual usage of said oil from said profile of said predicted properties; f. a first predicted remaining usage of said oil is determined according to said first actual usage of said oil, and a second measured temperature compensated electrical property of said oil is obtained according to said first actual usage of said oil from a second measurement to thereby obtain a second measured remaining usage of said oil; g. a normal deterioration of said oil is determined which occurs in the absence of water if said second measured remaining usage is similar to said first predicated remaining usage, and said second measured remaining usage is confirmed to represent a remaining actual usage of said oil; h. an abnormal deterioration of said oil is determined which occurs in the presence of water if said second measured remaining usage is less than said first predicated remaining usage; and i. a top level of said oil is determined to reduce to a top level of a predetermined threshold amount of said oil if said second measured remaining usage is larger than said first predicted remaining usage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A sensor for detecting oil deterioration and oil level, comprising:
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a. a measurement sensor comprising a sensing capacitive sensor that includes left, middle and right identical upward plated spatial electrodes having the respective top and bottom ends, said electrodes are positioned to be equally spaced apart in order, alignment and parallel with each other, wherein said top ends of the respective left and right electrodes are electrically connected in parallel by a first lead wire serving as a first electrical pole, said top end of said middle electrode is connected by a second lead wire serving as a second electrical pole, said measurement sensor is positioned into an oil system of a machine, wherein said sensing capacitive sensor is immersed into an oil that is dry and disposed into said oil system; b. an alternating current (AC) analyzing device is connected to said sensing capacitive sensor, wherein said AC analyzing device applies an AC voltage at a frequency to said sensor from a first measurement to thereby detect a first measured temperature compensated electrical property of said sensing capacitive sensor that represents a first measured temperature compensated electrical property of said oil; c. a profile of predicted temperature compensated electrical properties of said oil is obtained so that said first measured temperature compensated electrical property of said oil is compared with a first predicted temperature compensated electrical property of said oil according to a first actual usage of said oil from said profile of said predicted properties; d. a first predicted remaining usage of said oil is determined according to said first actual usage of said oil, and a second measured temperature compensated electrical property of said oil is obtained according to said first actual usage of said oil from a second measurement to thereby obtain a second measured remaining usage of said oil; e. a normal deterioration of said oil is determined which occurs in the absence of water if said second measured remaining usage is similar to said first predicated remaining usage, and said second measured remaining usage is confirmed to represent a remaining actual usage of said oil; f. an abnormal deterioration of said oil is determined which occurs in the presence of water if said second measured remaining usage is less than said first predicated remaining usage; and g. a top level of said oil is determined to reduce to a top level of a predetermined threshold amount of said oil if said second measured remaining usage is larger than said first predicted remaining usage. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A sensor for detecting oil deterioration and oil level, comprising:
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a. identical first and second measurement sensors comprising the respective identical first and second sensing capacitive sensors, wherein each of said sensing capacitive sensors includes left, middle and right identical upward plated electrodes having the respective top and bottom ends, which are positioned to be equally spaced apart in order, alignment and parallel with each other, wherein said top ends of the respective left and right electrodes are electrically connected in parallel by a first lead wire serving as a first electrical pole, said top end of said middle electrode is connected by a second lead wire serving as a second electrical pole, said first measurement sensor is positioned into a first location of an oil system of a machine wherein said first sensing capacitive sensor is immersed into a first oil that is dry and disposed into said first location of said oil system, said second measurement sensor is positioned into a second location of said oil system of said machine, wherein said second capacitive sensor is immersed into a second oil that is dry and disposed into said second location, said first oil and second oil are identical and have a same temperature; b. a reference sensor comprising a referencing capacitive sensor that is identical to said first sensing capacitive sensor, said referencing capacitive sensor is immersed into a reference oil that is positioned inside of a sealed container of said reference sensor, said reference sensor is positioned in a common temperature environment with said first oil and second oil of said oil system c. an alternating current (AC) analyzing device is connected to said referencing, first and second sensing capacitive sensors, wherein said AC analyzing device applies an AC voltage at a frequency to said sensors from a first measurement to thereby detect first measured electrical properties of the respective first sensing, second sensing and referencing capacitive sensors; d. said first measured electrical properties of the respective first sensing and referencing capacitive sensors are combined to obtain a first measured temperature compensated electrical property of said first sensing capacitive sensor that represents a first measured temperature compensated electrical property of said first oil, said first measured electrical properties of the respective second sensing and referencing capacitive sensors are combined to obtain a first measured temperature compensated electrical property of said second sensing capacitive sensor that represents a first measured temperature compensated electrical property of said second oil; e. a first predicted temperature compensated electrical property of said first oil is compared with said first measured temperature compensated electrical property of said first oil positioned in said first location from a profile of predicted temperature compensated electrical properties of said first oil to thereby determine a first predicted remaining usage of said first oil, which correlates to a first actual usage of said first oil from said profile of said predicted properties; f. second measured temperature compensated electrical properties of the respective first oil and second oil positioned in the respective first and second locations are obtained according to said first actual usage of said first oil from a second measurement to thereby obtain second measured remaining usages of the respective first oil and second oil; g. an even distribution of an oil normal deterioration is determined which occurs in the absence of water if said second measured remaining usages of the respective first oil and second oil are similar to said first predicated remaining usage of said first oil, and one of said second measured remaining usages is confirmed to represent an oil remaining actual usage; and h. an uneven distribution of deterioration of the respective first oil and second oil is determined if said second measured remaining usages of the respective first oil and second oil are different from each other, as compared with said first predicated remaining usage of said first oil. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification