DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM AND DIAGNOSING METHOD, HOUSING COMPONENT OF A LUBRICANT CONTAINER

• US 20130304312A1
• Filed: 04/19/2013
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Dorr, Bjrn, Nuscheler, Franz, Paul, Sumit
• Granted Patent: US 9,086,399 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/34.4
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 11/12 concerning lubricant level
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/2888 Lubricating oil characteristics, e.g. deterioration lubricating properties G01N33/30
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/10 Power supply of remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/51 Remote controlling of devices based on replies, status thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 1/0854 of quantisation noise
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/75 by polling or interrogating the sub-stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/883 where the sensing device enters an active or inactive mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

Diagnostic system including a sensor device with a sensor for generating signals corresponding to a first operational condition, a control device with a timer and function for performance of measurements, and a signal transmission device. The system includes a device for determination of a second operational condition of the system component and configured where the sensor value of the signal transmission device corresponding to the first operational condition is furnished when the sensor value corresponding to a second operational condition of the transmission mechanism is higher or lower than a comparative value, and housing component of a lubricant container and in particular closure device for sealing an opening of such a housing component from a lubricant which is present in the operational use thereof in an internal space thereof, having arranged therein: at least one sensor device comprising at least one sensor for determining the water content in the lubricant.

Claims

1. A diagnostic system for detecting and transmitting a sensor value concerning an operational condition of a system component to an external reception and/or transmission device, the diagnostic system comprising:

at least one sensor device comprising at least one sensor for generating sensor values corresponding to the respective first operational condition,

a control device comprising a timer and a function for the performance of measurements by the sensor device at predetermined points of time or within predetermined time intervals,

a signal transmission device for receiving the sensor signals from the sensor device and for signal transmission of the sensor signals of the sensor device to an external reception and/or transmission device,

a power supply device for supplying electric energy to the sensor device and to the signal transmission device,

characterized in that

the diagnostic system comprises a device for the determination of a second operational condition of the system component,

the control function is realized such that at the predetermined points of time or at the predetermined time intervals at which it performs a detection of the second operational condition of the transmission mechanism, the control function compares generated sensor values corresponding to the respective first operational condition to a predetermined comparative value and only provides the sensor value corresponding to the respective first operational condition to the signal transmission device if it is higher or lower than this comparative value.

2. The diagnostic system according to claim 1, characterized in that the system component comprises a transmission mechanism having a housing, and the sensor device comprises a sensor for the determination of the water content of the lubricant contained in the container of the transmission mechanism.

3. The diagnostic system according to claim 1, characterized in that the device for the determination of a second operational condition of the system component comprises a temperature sensor which measures the temperature in the housing and/or in the surroundings of the housing, and/or a pressure sensor which measures the pressure in the housing and/or in the surroundings of the housing.

4. The diagnostic system according to claim 1, characterized in that the transmission and reception module is realized such that it is adapted to be switched between a standby mode and a transmission mode, and in that it comprises:

an antenna device, a querying function for querying the signal strength present at the antenna device at predetermined points of time, a comparison function for determining that the detected signal strength present at the antenna device is higher than a predetermined limit value, and depending on this, generation of an activation signal to the transmission commanding function and a transmission commanding function for activating the antenna device for the reception and the transmission of signals between the signal transmission device and the external reception and/or transmission device,

wherein the transmission and reception module is realized such that due to the activation of the transmission mode it generates signals for the sensor values detected by the sensor and transmits them to the antenna device for transmission to the external reception and/or transmission device.

5. The diagnostic system according to claim 1, characterized in that the maximum transmitting power furnished by the signal transmission device is adjusted or may be adjusted by the control function of the signal processing device on the basis of a predetermined value or may be adjusted by the external reception and/or transmission device.

6. A diagnosing method for detecting and transmitting a sensor value concerning an operational condition of a system component to an external reception and/or transmission device, comprising:

generating sensor signals corresponding to a respective first operational condition of the system component,

performing measurements by the sensor device at predetermined points of time or at predetermined time intervals,

determining a second operational condition of the system component,

at the predetermined points of time or at the predetermined time intervals, detecting the second operational condition of the transmission mechanism and comparing it to a predetermined comparative value,

furnishing the sensor value corresponding to the respective first operational condition to the signal transmission device only if it is higher or lower than this comparative value.

7. A diagnosing method for assisting the maintenance of a land, air, water or underwater vehicle, comprising:

generating a sensor signal for detecting an operational condition of a lubricant contained in the housing part by a sensor device integrated in a closure device of the housing part, and transmitting the sensor signal corresponding to the operational condition to the maintenance device,

based on the sensor signal transmitted to the maintenance device, determining in the maintenance device a value for the operational condition of a lubricant present in the housing part on the basis of the sensor signal, wherein the water content of the lubricant is determined only if it is determined in the same measurement process or within a predetermined time period that the temperature of the lubricant is higher than a minimum temperature.

8. A housing component of a lubricant container and in particular a closure device for sealing an opening of such a housing component from a lubricant present during the operational use thereof in an internal space of the lubricant container, the housing component comprising:

at least one sensor device comprising at least one sensor for generating sensor signals corresponding to the respective operational condition and in particular the water content of the lubricant, wherein the at least one sensor is disposed on a portion which faces the inside of the housing part during insertion of the closure device in order to be placed in contact with the lubricant,

at least one transceiver for receiving the sensor signals from the sensor device and for signal transmission of the sensor signals to an external reception unit,

a power supply device for supplying electric power to the sensor device and to the transceiver,

characterized in that the at least one sensor for determining the water content in the lubricant is realized as a capacitor having capacitor electrodes, and in that the surface of at least one of the capacitor electrodes is coated in portions thereof with a protective layer.

9. The housing component according to claim 8, characterized in that the protective layer is formed of Si oxide and/or a Si nitride and/or aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) and/or parylene and/or a polymer coating.

10. The housing component according to claim 8, characterized in that the surface of only one electrode of the capacitor is coated in portions thereof.

11. The housing component according claim 8, characterized in that the housing component is a closure device and in that the closure device is realized as a screw and adapted for insertion into a threaded reception of an inlet opening or outlet opening, or as a bolt having a securing element for closing the respective inlet opening or outlet opening by the bolt.

12. The housing component according to claim 8, characterized in that the housing component comprises a function module having a signal transmission device which is functionally communicated with the sensor device so as to be able to transmit measurement values determined by the sensor device to an external reception and/or transmission device.

13. The housing component according to claim 12, characterized in that the capacitor electrodes in the function of sensor electrodes are realized as antennae.

14. The housing component according to claim 8, characterized in that the function module additionally comprises a device for determining the operational condition of the transmission mechanism and in particular a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the lubricant and/or a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure of the lubricant, and in that the function module is realized such that it only detects a sensor value for the operational condition of the lubricant or only stores a sensor value for the operational condition of the lubricant detected by the sensor device in a memory device and/or only transmits it to the signal transmission device if it is determined with the aid of the device for determining the operational condition that the detected operational condition of the transmission mechanism is above or below a predetermined operational condition of the transmission mechanism.

15. The housing component according to claim 14, characterized in that the function module is realized such that the control device initiates the measurement of the operational condition in the lubricant or the determination of the operational condition of the transmission mechanism at predetermined time intervals.

16. The housing component according to claim 8, characterized in that

the function module comprises a control device which is functionally communicated with the sensor device or with the memory and which upon reception of a request for transmission of measurement data received from the signal transmission device activates the performance of a measurement by the sensor device and supplies at least one detected sensor value from the sensor device or at least one sensor value stored in the memory device to the signal transmission device, and

the signal transmission device is realized in such a way that it transmits the at least one received sensor value to an external reception and/or transmission device.

17. The housing component according to claim 16, characterized in that the function module is realized such that the control device initiates the measurement of the operational condition in the lubricant or the determination of the operational condition of the transmission mechanism at predetermined time intervals.

18. The housing component according to claim 16, characterized in that the function module is realized such that it may switch the antenna device between an energy-saving standby mode and an active transmission and/or reception mode,

in the standby mode the transmission and reception module determines at predetermined time intervals whether a minimum signal strength is present as a result of a query by an external reception and/or transmission device,

based on the determination of such a query by the control device the transmission and reception module transmits information corresponding to this query via the antenna device to the external reception and/or transmission device.

19. The housing component according to claim 16, characterized in that the function module provides to the signal transmission device the respective most recent measurement value or a predetermined number of most recent measurement values concerning the operational condition of the lubricant.

20. The housing component according to claim 16, characterized in that the query is registered as a query with regard to sending of a measurement value or of information concerning the lubricant only if an address specified with the query is identical with a predetermined address stored in the function module.

21. The housing component according to claim 8, characterized in that the sensor device comprises a planar capacitor which is constituted by two capacitor parts facing each other.

22. The housing component according to claim 8, characterized in that the sensor device comprises a plate capacitor having two capacitor plates and in that the sensor surface of the first end portion which faces the inside of the housing part in the closing condition of the closure device and is intended for entering into contact with the lubricant is configured partly as a groove, with two mutually facing surfaces of the side walls of the groove each forming an outer side of a respective one of the capacitor plates.