Lubricant level sensing for an actuator
AssigneeSikorsky Aircraft Corporation
InventorsClaude G. Matalanis, Ulf J. Jonsson, John D. Cannata, Brian E. Wake
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Abstract
According to one aspect, a lubricant level sensing system for an actuator is provided. The lubricant level sensing system includes a pressure port in an outer housing of the actuator, a pressure sensor, and a pathway from the pressure port to the pressure sensor. The pathway establishes fluid communication between the pressure sensor and a free volume of an internal cavity of the outer housing relative to a lubricant level in the internal cavity such that the pressure sensor detects a pressure of the free volume used to derive the lubricant level.
Claims7
A lubricant level sensing system for an actuator, the lubricant level sensing system comprising:
- a pressure port in an outer housing of the actuator;
- a pressure sensor;
- and
- a pathway from the pressure sensor to establish fluid communication between the pressure sensor and a free volume of an internal cavity of the outer housing relative to a lubricant level in the internal cavity such that the pressure sensor detects changes in pressure of the free volume used to derive the lubricant level, wherein the pressure sensor comprises a pair of sensing membranes that produce a difference signal between a pair of outputs from the pair of sensing membranes.
A method for sensing a lubricant level in an actuator, the method comprising:
- detecting a pressure of a free volume of an internal cavity of an outer housing of the actuator relative to the lubricant level in the internal cavity using a pressure sensor in fluid communication with a pressure port of the outer housing of the actuator;
- and
- determining, by a control computer coupled to the pressure sensor, the lubricant level in the actuator based on the detected pressure of the free volume.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.