Electronically controlled continuous lubricating oil replacement system

A method for controlling lube oil replacement in an internal combustion engine having a main lube oil system, a makeup lube oil system and a fuel system, comprising the steps of:

• generating an output signal based on a quantity of oil to be injected from the main lube oil system into the fuel system;
• providing said output signal to a flow control device for controlling a flow rate of lube oil from the engine main lube system into the fuel system;
• calculating a total makeup quantity value indicative of an amount of makeup lube oil supplied from the makeup lube oil system to the main lube oil system to compensate for engine oil consumption;
• adjusting said quantity of oil to be injected based on said total makeup quantity value to adjust the flow rate of lube oil delivered to the fuel system.

An electronically controllable lube oil pump system for an engine lube oil system, comprising:

• an injection pump means for removing used oil from the engine lube oil system and injecting the removed oil into an engine fuel system, said injection pump means including an injection piston reciprocally mounted for movement through an injection stroke and a removal stroke, said injection piston removing a fixed quantity of used oil during each removal stroke to define a removal period;
• an auxiliary pump means operable in a replacement mode for supplying fresh oil to the engine lube oil system to replace the oil removed by said injection pump means and in a makeup mode for supplying makeup oil to the engine lube oil system to compensate for oil consumed by the engine, said auxiliary pump means including an auxiliary piston reciprocally mounted for movement through a suction stroke and a discharge stroke, said auxiliary piston discharging a first fixed quantity of fresh oil to the engine fuel system during each discharge stroke to define a first replacement period, said first fixed quantity of fresh oil being approximately half of said fixed quantity of used oil and said first replacement period occurring substantially subsequent to said removal period;
• an actuating fluid supply for moving said injection piston through said injection stroke and said auxiliary piston through said discharge stroke;
• and
• a control valve means for controlling the flow of said actuating fluid to control the operation of said injection pump means and said auxiliary pump means.

A lube oil replacement pump assembly for replacing the lube oil in an engine lube oil system, comprising:

• a pump housing including a housing body, an injection bore, an auxiliary bore positioned adjacent said injection bore and a first housing end plate mounted on a first end of said housing body for closing one end of at least one of said injection bore and said auxiliary bore;
• an injection piston mounted in said injection bore for reciprocal movement through a removal stroke for removing used oil from the lube oil system and an injection stroke for injecting the removed oil into a fuel system associated with the engine;
• an auxiliary piston mounted in said auxiliary bore for reciprocal movement through a suction stroke for accumulating a quantity of fresh oil and a discharge stroke for discharging the quantity of fresh oil to the engine's lube oil system;
• and
• a control valve means mounted on said pump housing for controlling the flow of lube oil to and from said injection and auxiliary bores.

An electronically controllable lube oil pump system for an engine lube oil system, comprising:

• an injection and replacement pump means for removing oil from the engine lube oil system, injecting the removed oil into an engine fuel system and supplying fresh oil to the engine lube oil system to replace the oil removed, said injection and replacement pump means including a piston reciprocally mounted for movement through an injection stroke for injecting a removed quantity of oil into the engine fuel system and at least two replacement strokes for delivering at least two respective replacement quantities of fresh lube oil to the engine lube oil system, wherein the sum of said at least two replacement quantities substantially equals said removed quantity;
• an actuating fluid supply means for moving said piston through said at least two replacement strokes;
• and
• a control valve means for controlling the flow of actuating fluid from said actuating fluid supply means to control the operation of said injection and replacement pump means.

An electronically controllable lube oil pump system for an engine lube oil system, comprising:

• an injection and replacement pump means for removing used oil from the engine lube oil system, injecting the removed oil into an engine fuel system and supplying fresh oil to the engine lube oil system to replace the oil removed, said injection and replacement pump means including a piston reciprocally mounted for movement through an injection stroke for injecting a removed quantity of oil into the engine fuel system, a first replacement stroke for delivering a first replacement quantity to the engine lube oil system and a second replacement stroke for delivering a second replacement quantity to the engine lube oil system;
• an actuating fluid supply means for moving said piston through said first and said second replacement strokes, said actuating fluid supply means including a source of used lube oil and a used lube oil supply circuit;
• and
• a control valve means for controlling the flow of used lube oil from said used lube oil source to control the operation of said injection and replacement pump means, said control valve means including a first three-way, two position control valve positioned along said used lube oil supply circuit and a check valve positioned along said used lube oil supply circuit upstream of said first control valve for preventing fluid flow from said injection and replacement pump means toward said actuating fluid source.