Automatic lubricator for lubricating an object

A lubrication system for lubricating an object, the lubrication system comprising:

• a lubricant container configured to contain a lubricant and comprising a rotatable shaft with a piston to dispense the lubricant from an output of the lubricant container;
• a housing with a coupling section coupled to the lubricant container;
• an electric motor configured to drive the rotatable shaft of the lubricant container such that at least a part of the lubricant is dispensable from the lubricant container;
• a power supply configured to supply the electric motor with a supply current;
• and
• a control circuitry for controlling the electric motor, wherein the control circuitry is configured to:
• acquire a current signal having pulses each generated by a brush of the electric motor passing a winding of the electric motor;
• determine a periodicity, of the acquired current signal, corresponding to the pulses;
• and
• determine, based on the determined periodicity, at least one lubrication parameter for at least one lubrication action of lubrication system.

A method of lubricating an object, the method comprising:

• supplying, with a power supply, an electric motor of an automatic lubricator with a supply current;
• actuating, with a control circuitry, the electric motor;
• acquiring, with the control circuitry, a current signal having pulses each generated by a brush of the electric motor passing a winding of the electric motor;
• determining, with the control circuitry, a periodicity, of the acquired current signal, corresponding to the pulses;
• and
• determining, with the control circuitry, based on the determined periodicity, at least one lubrication parameter for at least one lubrication action of the automatic lubricator.

An automatic lubricator for lubricating an object, the lubricator comprising:

• a housing with a coupling section configured to couple with a lubricant container containing a lubricant, wherein the lubricant container comprises a rotatable shaft with a piston to dispense the lubricant from an output of the lubricant container;
• an electric motor configured to drive the rotatable shaft of the lubricant container during at least one lubrication action, such that at least a part of the lubricant is dispensable from the lubricant container during the at least one lubrication action;
• a power supply configured to supply the electric motor with a supply current during the at least one lubrication action;
• and
• a control circuitry for controlling the electric motor, wherein the control circuitry is configured to:
• acquire a current signal indicative of the supply current over time during at least a part of the at least one lubrication action;
• determine a periodicity of the acquired current signal;
• determine at least one of a rotational speed of the electric motor, a rotational speed of the rotatable shaft of the container, and a displacement of the piston, based on the determined periodicity of the acquired current signal, a number of brushes of the electric motor, and a number of windings of the electric motor;
• and
• determine, based on the at least one of the rotational speed of the electric motor, the rotational speed of the rotatable shaft of the container, and the displacement of the piston, at least one lubrication parameter indicative of the at least one lubrication action.

An automatic lubricator for lubricating an object, the lubricator comprising:

• a housing with a coupling section configured to couple with a lubricant container containing a lubricant, wherein the lubricant container comprises a rotatable shaft with a piston to dispense the lubricant from an output of the lubricant container;
• an electric motor configured to drive the rotatable shaft of the lubricant container during at least one lubrication action, such that at least a part of the lubricant is dispensable from the lubricant container during the at least one lubrication action;
• a power supply configured to supply the electric motor with a supply current during the at least one lubrication action;
• and
• a control circuitry for controlling the electric motor, wherein the control circuitry is configured to:
• acquire a current signal indicative of the supply current over time during at least a part of the at least one lubrication action;
• determine a Fourier transform of the acquired current signal;
• and
• determine, based on the determined Fourier transform, at least one lubrication parameter indicative of the at least one lubrication action.

A method of lubricating an object, the method comprising:

• actuating, with a control circuitry of an automatic lubricator, an electric motor of the lubricator during at least one lubrication action;
• supplying, with a power supply of the lubricator, the electric motor with a supply current during the at least one lubrication action;
• acquiring, with the control circuitry of the lubricator, a current signal indicative of the supply current over time during at least a part of the at least one lubrication action;
• determining, with the control circuitry, a periodicity of the acquired current signal;
• determining, with the control circuitry, at least one of a rotational speed of the electric motor, a rotational speed of the rotatable shaft of the container, and a displacement of the piston, based on the determined periodicity of the acquired current signal, a number of brushes of the electric motor, and a number of windings of the electric motor;
• and
• determining, with the control circuitry, based on the at least one of the rotational speed of the electric motor, the rotational speed of the rotatable shaft of the container, and the displacement of the piston, at least one lubrication parameter indicative of the at least one lubrication action.