Lubricant Reservoir Level Estimation Using Pump Stroke Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lubricant reservoir monitoring systems are inaccurate due to the viscous and tacky nature of grease, which leads to air bubbles and surface deformation, making visual inspections and mechanical level tracking unreliable for determining the remaining lubricant level.
Innovation Solution
A lubricant level sensing system comprising a reservoir assembly with a pump and displacement sensor, a high-level sensor, and a lubricant-level estimator that uses a processor to estimate the lubricant level by comparing a stroke-count value from the displacement sensor with a reference value, accounting for variations in pump efficiency and actual displacement volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If visual inspection or mechanical level tracking is used to monitor lubricant level, then the monitoring method is simple, but the measurement accuracy is poor due to grease viscosity and surface deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical level tracking devices with an electronic monitoring system that uses a pump stroke counter and processor to calculate lubricant level based on the number of pump strokes performed. This substitution eliminates the need for mechanical contact with the grease surface, avoiding inaccuracies caused by grease viscosity and surface deformation while maintaining system simplicity.
2Measurement precision
If physical devices track the surface level of grease, then the device structure is simple, but the measurement accuracy deteriorates due to surface deformation as grease level depletes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the measurement function from direct contact with the grease surface. Instead of using physical devices that touch and track the grease surface (which is affected by deformation), the system counts pump strokes to indirectly determine the amount of grease consumed, thereby eliminating the harmful effect of surface deformation on measurement accuracy.
3Reliability
If air bubbles are retained in the viscous grease, then the grease maintains its lubrication function, but visual inspection accuracy is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces visual inspection with an electronic pump stroke counting system. Since the measurement is based on counting pump strokes rather than visual observation of grease level, air bubbles retained in the viscous grease no longer interfere with the accuracy of the measurement, while the lubrication function remains unaffected.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Provides a reliable and accurate estimation of the lubricant level, preventing under- or overfilling, minimizing downtime, and allowing for scheduled refills, while tracking lubricant usage and efficiency over time.
Implementation Method 1
a displacement sensor disposed in the pump assembly. The displacement sensor senses the pump strokes and produces a count signal based on the sensed pump strokes
Data Source
AI summary
The lubricant level within a reservoir is difficult to monitor, leading to the reservoir being refilled more often than necessary to ensure that the reservoir always contains lubricant. A lubricant level sensing system is connected to and monitors various aspects of the pump assembly that draws lubricant from the reservoir. The pump assembly displaces a known volume of lubricant with each pump stroke. A lubricant-level estimator calculates an estimated lubricant level remaining in the reservoir based on a stroke-count value as sensed from the pump assembly and on a reference value stored in a memory. The estimated lubricant level provides the lubricant remaining and the rate of usage such that maintenance can be scheduled ahead of time to prevent the reservoir running dry.