Systems and methods for reliably detecting wear metal particles in lubrication systems to avoid progressive damage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11499454-B2
Application number	US-202117174861-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2021
Priority date	Feb 14, 2020
Publication date	Nov 15, 2022
Grant date	Nov 15, 2022

Abstract

Systems and apparatuses relate to a system comprising a controller comprising at least one processor coupled to a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: determining a concentration of a plurality of wear metal particles in a lubricant for an engine system; determining a confidence parameter regarding the concentration determination; determining a filtered concentration of the plurality of wear metal particles using a baseline concentration of the plurality of wear metal particles; setting a diagnostic threshold for the plurality of wear metal particles based on the confidence parameter; and, responsive to determining that the diagnostic threshold is exceeded, providing a notification.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a controller comprising at least one processor coupled to a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
determine a concentration of wear metal particles in a lubricant for an engine system;
determine a confidence parameter regarding the concentration of the wear metal particles;
determine a filtered concentration of the wear metal particles using a baseline concentration of the wear metal particles;
set a diagnostic threshold for the plurality of wear metal particles based on the confidence parameter and the filtered concentration of the wear metal particles; and
responsive to determining that the concentration of the wear metal particles exceeds the diagnostic threshold, provide a notification.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the confidence parameter is based on a service timer regarding a time since a last service event.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the confidence parameter is based on an engine timer regarding a time the engine system has been running since a last start.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the confidence parameter is based on the smaller of a service timer regarding a time since a last service event and an engine timer regarding a time the engine system has been running since a last start.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein determining that the concentration of the wear metal particles exceeds the diagnostic threshold is based on a cumulative summation function that totals a plurality of exceedances, the plurality of exceedances regarding each instance that the concentration of the wear metal particles exceeds the diagnostic threshold.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to de-rate an engine of the engine system responsive to determining that the concentration of the wear metal particles exceeds the diagnostic threshold.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein in determining the concentration of the plurality of wear metal particles in the lubricant, the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
divert a portion of the lubricant from a lubricant flow to a plurality of sensors;
determine one or more properties of the wear metal particles via one or more of the plurality of sensors;
determine the concentration of the wear metal particles based on the one or more properties; and
return the portion of the lubricant to the lubricant flow.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein in determining the concentration of the wear metal particles based on the one or more properties, the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
sort the wear metal particles into one or more bins of wear metal particles based on the one or more properties; and
determine a concentration for each of the one or more bins of wear metal particles.

9. A method comprising:
determining, by a controller, a concentration of wear metal particles in a lubricant for an engine system;
determining, by the controller, a confidence parameter regarding the concentration;
determining, by the controller, a filtered concentration of the plurality of wear metal particles using a baseline concentration of the wear metal particles;
setting, by the controller, a diagnostic threshold for the plurality of wear metal particles based on the confidence parameter and the filtered concentration of the wear metal particles; and
providing, by the controller, a notification responsive to determining that the concentration of the wear metal particles exceeds the diagnostic threshold.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the confidence parameter is based on an engine timer regarding a time the engine system has been running since a last start.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the confidence parameter is based on the smaller of a service timer regarding a time since a last service event and an engine timer regarding a time the engine system has been running since a last start.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein determining that the concentration of the wear metal particles exceeds the diagnostic threshold is based on a cumulative summation function that totals a plurality of exceedances, the plurality of exceedances regarding each instance that the concentration of the wear metal particles exceeds the diagnostic threshold.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising, responsive to determining that the concentration of the wear metal particles exceeds the diagnostic threshold, de-rating, by the controller, an engine of the engine system.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein determining the concentration of the wear metal particles in the lubricant further comprises:
diverting, by the controller, a portion of the lubricant from a lubricant flow to a plurality of sensors;
determining, by the controller, one or more properties of the wear metal particles via one or more of the plurality of sensors;
determining, by the controller, the concentration of the plurality of wear metal particles based on the one or more properties; and
returning, by the controller, the portion of the lubricant to the lubricant flow.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein determining the concentration of the wear metal particles based on the one or more properties further comprises:
sorting, by the controller, the wear metal particles into groupings based on the one or more properties; and
determining, by the controller, a concentration for each of the groupings of the wear metal particles.

16. A controller for an engine system, the controller comprising:
a processing circuit having at least one processor coupled to at least one memory device, the processing circuit configured to execute a plurality of circuits including:
a concentration circuit structured to determine a concentration of wear metal particles in a lubricant for the engine system;
a confidence circuit structured to determine a confidence parameter regarding the concentration of the wear metal particles;
a baselining circuit structured to determine a filtered concentration of the wear metal particles using a baseline concentration of the wear metal particles;
a dynamic threshold circuit structured to set a diagnostic threshold for the plurality of wear metal particles based on the confidence parameter and the filtered concentration of the wear metal particles; and
a notification circuit structured to provide a notification, responsive to determining that the concentration of the wear metal particles exceeds the diagnostic threshold.

17. The controller of claim 16 , wherein the confidence parameter is based on the smaller of a service timer regarding a time since a last service event and an engine timer regarding a time the engine system has been running since a last start.

18. The controller of claim 16 , wherein the determining that the concentration of the wear metal particles exceeds the diagnostic threshold is based on a cumulative summation function that totals a plurality of exceedances, the plurality of exceedances regarding each instance that the concentration of the wear metal particles exceeds the diagnostic threshold.

19. The controller of claim 16 , wherein the notification circuit is further structured to, responsive to determining that the concentration of the wear metal particles exceeds the diagnostic threshold, de-rate an engine of the engine system.

20. The controller of claim 16 , wherein in determining the concentration of the wear metal particles in the lubricant, the co

Assignees

• Cummins Inc

Inventors

• Anderson Travis A
• Chandrachud Neha
• Christianson Renae
• Myers Lorraine H
• Pathak Pallav
• Shook Patrick J

Classifications

• F01M2011/1453

  by considering oil quantity · CPC title

• F16N2200/04

  Detecting debris, chips, swarfs · CPC title

• F01M2011/144

  by considering magnetic properties of the oil · CPC title

• F01M2011/1486

  by considering duration of operation · CPC title

• F01M2011/1446

  by considering pressure · CPC title