Closing device, housing part of a lubricant container, diagnostic system and diagnostic method for monitoring the operating state of a lubricant in the housing part
AssigneeAirbus Operations GmbH
InventorsBjoern Dorr, Franz Nuscheler, Sumit Paul
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a housing part containing a lubricant reservoir and at least one respective inlet and outlet opening for filling and draining a lubricating fluid into and from the lubricant reservoir. The inlet and outlet openings are sealed by releasable closure devices each comprising a sensor means for determining the operation parameters in a lubricant contained in the lubricant reservoir and for generating and/or storing sensor signals, as well as a transceiver for the transmission of the sensor signals to an external processing unit.
Claims16
A closure device for sealing an opening of a housing part from a lubricant, which comprises an internal space having arranged therein:
- at least one sensor device comprising a sensor for generating sensor signals corresponding to the operational condition of the lubricant, and
- at least one transceiver for receiving the sensor signals from the sensor device and for signal transmission of the sensor signals to an external reception unit,
- a power supply device for supplying electric power to the sensor device and to the transceiver,
- wherein the surface of one end portion is realized as a sensor surface for the detection of the sensor values;
- and
- wherein the sensor device comprises a planar capacitor which is constituted by two capacitor parts facing each other.
A diagnostic system comprising a housing part of a lubricant container and a separate maintenance device,
- wherein the housing part comprises at least one opening and a closure device adapted to be inserted therein and being configured to seal an opening of the housing part from a lubricant, which comprises an internal space having arranged therein:
- at least one sensor device comprising a sensor configured to generate sensor signals corresponding to the operational condition of the lubricant, and
- at least one transceiver configured to receive the sensor signals from the sensor device and to transmit the sensor signals to an external reception unit,
- a power supply device configured to supply electric power to the sensor device and to the transceiver,
- wherein the surface of one end portion is realized as a sensor surface configured for the detection of the sensor values,
- wherein the at least one sensor device is adapted to generate sensor signals corresponding to the operational condition of the lubricant contained in the housing part and comprises a planar capacitor which is constituted by two capacitor parts facing each other,
- wherein the housing part and the closure device are configured such that in the state of the closure device in which it closes the housing part, a surface of a first end portion of the closure device faces the interior of the housing part so as to be in contact with the lubricant, wherein the surface is realized as a sensor surface configured for the detection of the sensor values,
- wherein the separate maintenance device comprises a transceiver configured to receive sensor signals from the transceiver associated to the sensor device, wherein the maintenance device includes a processing function module configured to determine, on the basis of the sensor signal, a value for the operational condition of a lubricant present in the housing part.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.