Method for assessing the deterioration of motor oil
AssigneeRobert Bosch GmbH
InventorsBernhard Jakoby, Stephan Buch, Oliver Schatz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for assessing the deterioration of motor oil is provided, in which the oil viscosity of the motor oil is measured by a sensor, and the length of an oil-change interval is determined in an evaluating electronics having a display device. According to the present invention, it is provided that a temperature sensor for the simultaneous determination of the oil temperature is assigned to the sensor for measuring the oil viscosity, and the oil viscosity and oil temperature are measured in the cooling phase of the engine after it has been switched off.
Claims15
A method for assessing a deterioration of a motor oil for determining a length of an oil-change interval of the motor oil, comprising:
- measuring the viscosity of the motor oil by a viscosity sensor at a plurality of times;
- assigning to the viscosity sensor a temperature sensor;
- measuring the temperature of the motor oil by the temperature sensor at substantially the same times as the plurality of viscosity measurements;
- analyzing the plurality of viscosity measurements and the plurality of temperature measurements to obtain an indication of the deterioration of the motor oil;
- and
- determining a length of an oil-change interval based on the indication of the deterioration of the motor oil, using evaluating electronics;
- wherein the measuring of the oil viscosity and the measuring of the oil temperature occur in a cooling phase of an engine after the engine has been switched off.
A method for assessing a deterioration of an oil circulated in a device during use, comprising:
- taking a plurality of oil viscosity readings after the device has been switched off and the oil is no longer circulating;
- taking a plurality of oil temperature readings at substantially the same times as the oil viscosity readings;
- and
- assessing the deterioration of the motor oil based on the oil viscosity readings and the oil temperature readings.
A detector for detecting deterioration of oil circulated in a device, comprising:
- an oil viscosity sensor configured to measure oil viscosity at a plurality of times after the device has been switched off and the oil is no longer circulating;
- a temperature sensor configured to measure oil temperature at substantially the same times as the oil viscosity measurements;
- and
- a computing unit configured to assess the deterioration of the motor oil based on the plurality of oil viscosity measurements and the plurality of oil temperature measurements taken after the device has been switched off and the oil is no longer circulating.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.