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US 11,982,665 B2Granted
Oil quality sensor
AssigneeDodge Industrial, Inc.
InventorsErald Pjetri, Stefan Pypec, Artur Rdzanek, Brandon LeRoy, Greg Hewitt, Isaac O'Brien-Herr
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sensor for monitoring the quality of oil in mechanical machinery is provided. The sensor includes a portion that is sealed from the oil which contains electric circuitry to process signals received from the sensing elements. Another portion of the sensor is exposed to the oil and contains one or more sensing elements to sense one or more properties of the oil. The sensed properties may include electrical properties, temperature properties and/or optical properties.
Claims28
An oil quality sensor, comprising:
- a first portion configured to be exposed to oil;
- a second portion configured to be sealed from the oil;
- an inductor disposed within the first portion;
- a coplanar capacitor disposed within the first portion and electrically coupled with the inductor;
- and
- a phase sensitive detector disposed within the second portion and configured to output a probe impedance modulus and a probe impedance phase angle of a circuit comprising the inductor and the coplanar capacitor;
- a first optical fiber configured to emit light into the oil;
- a second optical fiber configured to receive light from the oil;
- and
- a mirror disposed between the first and second optical fibers and configured to direct the light from the first optical fiber to the second optical fiber,
- wherein the probe impedance modulus and the probe impedance phase angle are used to determine quality of the oil, and
- wherein the mirror comprises an open middle.
9 more elements
An oil quality sensor, comprising:
- a first portion exposed to the oil;
- a second portion sealed from the oil;
- an inductor disposed within the first portion and configured to sense a property of the oil;
- an electric circuit disposed within the second portion and configured to electronically process the property of the oil;
- thermal plates configured to transfer heat to a temperature sensor;
- a first optical fiber configured to emit light into the oil;
- a second optical fiber configured to receive light from the oil;
- and
- a mirror disposed between the first and second optical fibers and configured to direct the light from the first optical fiber to the second optical fiber,
- wherein the mirror comprises an open middle.
7 more elements
An oil quality sensor, comprising:
- a first portion exposed to the oil;
- a second portion sealed from the oil;
- a first sensing element disposed within the first portion and configured to sense a property of the oil;
- an electric circuit disposed within the second portion and configured to electronically process the property of the oil,
- wherein the first sensing element comprises an inductor, and a coplanar capacitor electrically coupled with the inductor, and wherein coplanar conductors of the coplanar capacitor are electrically insulated from the oil;
- a second sensing element comprising a first optical fiber configured to emit light into the oil;
- a second optical fiber configured to receive the emitted light from the first optical fiber from the oil;
- a mirror between the first and second optical fibers and configured to direct the light from the first optical fiber to the second optical fiber;
- a third optical fiber configured to emit light into the oil;
- a fourth optical fiber configured to receive the light emitted from the third optical fiber from the oil,
- wherein the mirror is disposed between the third and fourth optical fibers such that paths of the light emitted from the first optical fiber and the third optical fiber cross each other, and the light emitted from the first optical fiber and the light emitted from the third optical fiber are emitted at different times;
- and
- an LED and a photodiode disposed within the second portion, the LED configured to emit the light into the first optical fiber, and the photodiode configured to receive the light from the second optical fiber,
- wherein the second optical fiber is adjacent one side of the first optical fiber and the third optical fiber is adjacent another side of the first optical fiber, a space between the first and second optical fibers is greater than a space between the first and third optical fibers, the first portion comprises a cylindrical probe portion, the first, second and third optical fibers extend longitudinally along the cylindrical probe portion, and a radial opening through the cylindrical probe portion extends between the first and second optical fibers to allow the oil to flow into or out of the cylindrical probe portion, and
- wherein the mirror comprises an open middle.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.