Method and apparatus for engine oil dilution analysis

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12339271-B2
Application number	US-202217657700-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2022
Priority date	Apr 1, 2022
Publication date	Jun 24, 2025
Grant date	Jun 24, 2025

Abstract

A system is presented for analyzing lubricant composition of a vehicle engine. The system includes the vehicle engine; sensors; a controller in communication with the sensors; and a lubrication sampling apparatus coupled to the controller and the engine's lubrication system. The sampling apparatus is configured to: transfer a first sample of the lubricant into a first sample container and a second sample of the lubricant a second sample container. The controller is configured to: receive first sensor readings over a time period of the first sample and second sensor readings over a time period of the second sample; receive a composition analysis of the first sample and a composition analysis of the second sample; and generate a report comprising: the first composition analyses, the first sensor readings, the second composition analysis, and the second sensor readings.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for analyzing lubricant fuel dilution of a vehicle engine on a chassis dynamometer or test bench, the system comprising:
the vehicle engine, comprising the lubricant and a fuel;
a plurality of sensors associated with the vehicle engine and in fluid communication with a positive crankcase ventilation system of the vehicle engine;
a controller in communication with the plurality of sensors;
an automatic engine lubrication sampling apparatus in communication with the controller and in fluid communication with a lubrication system of the vehicle engine, the engine lubrication sampling apparatus comprising:
a plurality of sample containers;
an automatic engine lubricant sampling system comprising an engine oil spout actuator or engine oil pressure regulator and configured to:
automatically transfer, using the oil spout actuator or pressure regulator, in response to a first signal from the controller, a first sample of the lubricant from the lubrication system into a first sample container of the plurality of sample containers; and
automatically transfer, using the oil spout actuator or pressure regulator, in response to a second signal from the controller, a second sample of the lubricant from the lubrication system into a second sample container of the plurality of sample containers,

wherein the controller is configured to:
automatically receive, from the plurality of sensors, first sensor readings over a first time period associated with the first signal and second sensor readings over a second time period associated with the second signal;
receive a first lubricant fuel dilution analysis of the first sample of the lubricant and a second lubricant fuel dilution analysis of the second sample of the lubricant; and
automatically generate a report comprising: the first lubricant fuel dilution analysis, at least one of the first sensor readings, the second lubricant fuel dilution analysis, and at least one of the second sensor readings;
automatically compute a change in the lubricant fuel dilution between the first lubricant fuel dilution analysis and the second lubricant fuel dilution analysis;
automatically classify the first sensor readings and the second sensor readings and, based on the classification, divide the first time period or the second time period into a plurality of regions; and
based on the classification, automatically assign to each region a respective fraction of the change in the lubricant fuel dilution, such that the entire change in the lubricant composition is assigned to the plurality of regions; and
for each region, automatically identify a respective at least one sensor reading most strongly correlated with the respective fraction of the change in the lubricant fuel dilution,
wherein the lubricant fuel dilution is dilution of the lubricant by the fuel of the vehicle engine.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the lubricant sampling apparatus is configured to transfer, in response to a plurality of signals from the controller, a plurality of lubricant samples, each taken at different times, into a plurality of groups of sample containers of the plurality of sample containers.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to print, on a printer or display, on a display, the report or a graphical representation thereof.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the report further comprises the plurality of regions and the respective fractions of the change in the lubricant fuel dilution.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the report further comprises the plurality of regions, the respective fractions of the change in the lubricant fuel dilution, and the respective at least one sensor readings.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a cleaning system wherein, after transfer of the first sample of the lubricant into the first group of sample containers, the cleaning system removes excess lubricant from the sampling system that was not transferred into the first group of sample containers, such that the second sample of the lubricant does not contain the excess lubricant.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a lubricant analyzer configured to measure the first lubricant fuel dilution analysis of the first sample and the second lubricant fuel dilution analysis of the second sample, wherein the controller receives, from the lubricant analyzer, the first lubricant fuel dilution analysis of the first sample and the second lubricant fuel dilution analysis of the second sample.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor readings or the second sensor readings comprise at least one of, or a derivative or function of at least one of: oil volume, oil pressure, oil temperature, fuel flowrate, fuel temperature, engine speed, air volume, positive crankcase ventilation flowrate, coolant temperature, air temperature, spark timing, or air/fuel ratio.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the transfer of the first sample or the transfer of the second sample occurs while the vehicle engine is running.

10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an engine test bench configured to receive the vehicle engine.

11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a dynamometer configured to receive the vehicle and to hold the vehicle stationary while the vehicle engine is running.

13. A method for analyzing lubricant fuel dilution of a vehicle engine on a chassis dynamometer or test bench, the method comprising:
providing a plurality of sensors associated with the vehicle engine and in fluid communication with a positive crankcase ventilation system of the vehicle engine, wherein the vehicle engine comprises the lubricant and a fuel;
providing a controller in communication with the plurality of sensors;
providing an automatic engine lubricant sampling apparatus in communication with the controller and in fluid communication with a lubrication system of the vehicle engine, the lubricant sampling apparatus comprising:
a plurality of sample containers;
an automatic engine lubricant sampling system comprising an engine oil spout actuator or engine oil pressure regulator;

automatically transferring, from the lubrication system via the engine oil spout actuator or engine oil pressure regulator of the automatic engine lubricant sampling system in response to a first signal from the controller, a first sample of the lubricant into a first sample container—of the plurality of sample containers;
automatically transferring, from the lubrication system via the engine oil spout actuator or engine oil pressure regulator of the automatic engine lubricant sampling system in response to a second signal from the controller, a second sample of the lubricant into a second sample container of the plurality of sample containers;
with the controller:
automatically receiving, from the plurality of sensors, first sensor readings over a first time period associated with the first signal and second sensor readings over a second time period associated with the second signal;
receiving a first lubricant fuel dilution analysis of the first sample of the lubricant and a second lubricant fuel dilution analysis of the second sample of the lubricant;
automatically computing a change in the lubricant fuel dilution between the first lubricant fuel dilution analysis and the second lubricant fuel dilution analysis;
automatically classifying the first sensor readings and the second sensor readings and, based on the classification, divide the first time period or the second time period into a plurality of regions;
automatically, base

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Bachicha Mark A

Classifications

• F01M11/10

  Indicating devices; Other safety devices · CPC title

• F01M2011/1446

  by considering pressure · CPC title

• F01M2250/60

  Operating parameters · CPC title

• G01N1/10

  in the liquid or fluent state {(burettes, pipettes B01L3/02; sampling of ground water E02D1/06; metering by volume of fluids or fluent solid material G01F11/00, G01F13/00)} · CPC title

• G01N1/18

  with provision for splitting samples into portions (G01N1/12, G01N1/14 take precedence; fraction-collection apparatus for chromatography B01D15/08) · CPC title