Stable, reliable capacitive oil deterioration and level sensor

A reliable capacitive fluid deterioration and level sensing assembly comprising:

• a housing member having a threaded outer surface adapted to be threaded to a fluid container;
• an outer conductive cylindrical member secured to said housing member, said outer conductive cylindrical member defining a ground electrode, and further having at least one inlet port for a fluid;
• an inner conductive cylindrical member defining a measuring electrode and secured within said housing member, the inner cylindrical member being spaced from the outer cylindrical member to allow the fluid to occupy said space, such that the ground electrode and the measuring electrode define a fluid deterioration and level sensor capacitor;
• and
• a shielding structure secured to said outer conductive cylindrical member to substantially enclose the inner electrode except for fluid flow openings, and extending over substantially more than half of the area of the inner electrode and the gap between electrodes at the sides and at the outer end of said inner electrode, said cylindrical members having a control axis and said shielding structure extending inwardly over one end of said measuring electrode toward said axis, wherein the shielding structure precludes interference by adjacent metallic structures, thereby permitting reliable operation of the fluid deterioration and level sensor capacitor.

A reliable capacitive fluid deterioration and level sensing assembly comprising:

• a housing member having a threaded outer surface adapted to be threaded to a fluid container;
• an outer conductive member secured to said housing member, said outer conductive member defining a ground electrode, and further having at least one inlet port for a fluid;
• an inner conductive member defining a measuring electrode and secured within said housing member, the inner member being spaced from the outer member to allow the fluid to occupy said space, such that the ground electrode and the measuring electrode define a fluid deterioration and level sensor capacitor;
• and
• a shielding structure secured to said outer conductive member to substantially enclose the inner electrode except for fluid flow openings, and extending over substantially more than half of the area of the inner electrode and the gap between electrodes as viewed from the sides and as viewed from the outer end of said inner electrode, wherein the shielding structure precludes interference by adjacent metallic structures, thereby permitting reliable operation of the fluid deterioration and level sensor capacitor.