JP2008051677A - Deterioration diagnosis device of lubricating oil - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To determine a deterioration degree of a lubricating oil for an engine or the like precisely without complicating a device structure. <P>SOLUTION: This deterioration diagnosis device S for monitoring the deterioration degree of a lubricating oil 11 used for an engine 10 includes an oil circulation system 20, an oil cooler 30, and an inspection means T. The oil circulation system 20 extracts a part of the lubricating oil 11 as an inspection oil, and returns it into the engine 10 through a circulation route via the oil cooler 30 and the inspection means T. The inspection oil is cooled by the oil cooler 30 and supplied to the inspection means T. The inspection means T has an oil passage for allowing the inspection oil to pass at a prescribed flow rate, a light emitting element for irradiating directly the inspection oil passing the oil passage with inspection light, and a light receiving element for receiving directly the inspection light transmitted through the inspection oil. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a deterioration diagnosis device that determines the degree of deterioration or remaining life of lubricating oil used in various engines including a gas engine for a cogeneration system (CGS).

  For example, in an engine such as a CGS gas engine, a gasoline engine, or a diesel engine, lubricating oil is used for friction reduction, cooling, or the like. This lubricating oil deteriorates with use, and causes corrosion and wear of the piston ring and cam, a decrease in lubrication performance, an increase in fuel consumption rate, and further engine troubles. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the lubricating oil in a timely manner. The deterioration of the lubricating oil generally progresses as the operating time becomes longer, but the degree of progress of deterioration differs depending on the use conditions of the engine. For example, when the frequency of high load operation is high or when poor fuel is used, the lubricating oil deteriorates relatively quickly.

  By the way, in a stationary engine that is installed at a fixed location, such as a gas engine for CGS, a maintenance company goes to the installation location to perform oil sampling, analyze this, and then replace the oil as necessary. ing. Alternatively, the oil change may be performed based on a predetermined operation time or number of days regardless of the degree of deterioration. However, in the former case, local oil sampling work is burdened to judge the degree of deterioration of the lubricating oil, and in the latter case, the oil may be changed when the lubricating oil has not reached the end of its life. There is a bug.

Accordingly, there is a need for a deterioration diagnosis device that can attach a sensor for determining the degree of deterioration of lubricating oil to a gas engine and can accurately determine the oil replacement time remotely. Conventionally, as an oil deterioration sensor, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the oil is irradiated with inspection light having two different wavelengths, and the transmitted light is detected, and deterioration determination is performed based on the absorbance or the transmitted light amount. Things are known. Patent Document 2 discloses a deterioration diagnosis apparatus that irradiates inspection oil with oil in an engine using an optical fiber having excellent heat resistance and receives the transmitted light through the optical fiber.
Japanese Patent No. 2963346 JP 2001-27635 A

  In general, the light output of the light emitting element that generates the inspection light and the light receiving element that receives the inspection light varies depending on the environmental temperature. That is, the amount of light output from the light emitting element changes due to a change in temperature, and the photoelectric conversion output current changes from the light receiving element. Since the lubricating oil of internal combustion engines becomes hot, when a light emitting element and a light receiving element are assembled to a stationary engine due to oil deterioration, an absorbance or transmitted light amount that matches the true deterioration degree cannot be obtained, and an erroneous determination is made. It can be considered. If an optical fiber is used as in Patent Document 2, it is possible to prevent the influence of temperature changes, but it is necessary to construct a complicated transmission optical system, and transmission loss in the transmission optical system is a factor. It is also possible to make an erroneous determination.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a lubricating oil deterioration diagnosis device capable of accurately determining the degree of deterioration of the lubricating oil and without complicating the structure of the device. With the goal.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a deterioration diagnosis apparatus for lubricating oil, wherein a part of the lubricating oil is extracted as an inspection oil from an engine that uses the lubricating oil, and the inspection oil is supplied to the engine through a predetermined circulation path. An oil circulation system to be returned, an oil cooling means for cooling the extracted oil to be inspected provided in the middle of the circulation path, and an object to be inspected that is provided downstream of the oil cooling means in the circulation path and cooled. An inspection means for determining a degree of deterioration of the oil to be inspected by transmitting predetermined inspection light to the oil, the inspection means passing through the oil to be inspected at a predetermined flow rate; A light emitting element that directly irradiates inspection light to the oil to be inspected that passes through the oil passage, and a light receiving element that directly receives the inspection light that has passed through the oil to be inspected. To.

  According to this configuration, the inspection target oil extracted from the engine by the oil circulation system is guided to the inspection unit after being cooled by the oil cooling unit. Therefore, even if the lubricating oil is hot in the engine, the oil to be inspected is guided to the inspection means in a state where the light emitting element and the light receiving element provided in the inspection means are cooled to a temperature that is not affected. It becomes possible. Then, the inspection light passing through the oil passage at a predetermined flow rate is directly irradiated with inspection light by the light emitting element, and the inspection light transmitted through the inspection oil is directly received by the light receiving element. Based on the output value of the light receiving element at this time, the degree of deterioration of the oil to be inspected can be determined by calculating the viscosity, base number, acid value, insoluble matter and the like by a known method.

  In the above configuration, the oil passage is formed so as to penetrate a predetermined block, the light emitting element is disposed facing the oil passage, and the light receiving element is opposed to the light emitting element. It can be set as the structure arrange | positioned facing an oil path (Claim 2). According to this configuration, the oil passage can be formed, the light emitting element and the light receiving element can be assembled using a predetermined block, and the configuration of the inspection means can be simplified.

  In this case, the inspection unit further includes a liquid storage unit that temporarily stores the cooled inspection oil, and a liquid introduction unit that guides the inspection oil stored in the liquid storage unit to the oil passage. Desirable (Claim 3). According to this configuration, since the oil to be inspected is temporarily stored in the liquid storage portion and guided to the oil passage, the oil to be inspected can be stably supplied to the oil passage without interruption. Therefore, it becomes possible to perform a stable deterioration diagnosis of the lubricating oil over the long term.

  In the above case, the inspection means includes a first liquid tank constituting the liquid storage section and a second liquid tank in which the block is accommodated, and the oil circulation is provided in the first liquid tank. An oil supply hole connected to the upstream side of the system for receiving the oil to be inspected is connected to the second liquid tank on the downstream side of the oil circulation system, and the oil discharge returns the oil to be inspected that has passed through the oil passage. It is desirable that each of the holes is provided (claim 4). According to this configuration, the inspection means can be easily and reliably connected to the oil circulation system.

  Further, in the above case, the first liquid tank is provided with an overflow portion of the stored oil to be inspected, the block has the oil passage extending in the vertical direction, and the oil passage has an inlet. The liquid introduction means is disposed in the second liquid tank so as to be positioned below the overflow portion, and the liquid introduction means bridges between the overflow portion and the inlet of the oil passage to transfer the oil to be inspected on the surface thereof. It is preferable that the oil discharge hole of the second liquid tank is provided on the bottom surface of the second liquid tank. According to this configuration, the oil to be inspected can be reliably guided to the oil passage with a simple configuration using gravity. In addition, since the oil to be inspected can be guided to the oil passage after impurities that may adversely affect the optical measurement are precipitated in the first liquid tank, it is possible to make a more accurate oil deterioration determination.

  In any one of the configurations described above, it is desirable that the block is attached to a substrate capable of adjusting temperature. According to this configuration, since the temperature of the block can be adjusted, it is possible to prevent the light emitting element and the light receiving element from being further affected by heat.

  In any of the above-described configurations, a first sensor pair including a first light emitting element that generates inspection light having a predetermined first wavelength and a first light receiving element that receives the inspection light, and the first sensor A second sensor pair including a second light emitting element that generates inspection light having a second wavelength different from the wavelength, and a second light receiving element that receives the inspection light, and the first sensor pair includes the oil. It is desirable that the second sensor pairs are respectively arranged on the upstream side of the passage and on the downstream side of the oil passage. According to this configuration, it is possible to easily construct a sensor configuration for performing a two-wavelength oil deterioration diagnosis.

  In this case, the third light emitting element that generates the reference light of the first wavelength and the fourth light emitting element that generates the reference light of the second wavelength, and the reference light through the air layer corresponding to the oil passage, respectively. It is desirable to further include a temperature correction sensor pair including a third light receiving element and a fourth light receiving element for receiving light. According to this configuration, more accurate oil deterioration diagnosis can be performed while performing temperature correction.

  According to the deterioration diagnosis device for lubricating oil according to the present invention, the deterioration degree of the lubricating oil can be monitored stably for a long period of time without stopping the operation of the engine in operation. That is, it is possible to suppress such a problem that the deterioration degree is erroneously determined under the influence of the temperature of the lubricating oil or the environmental temperature. Therefore, even with a stationary engine such as a gas engine for CGS, the oil change timing can be determined remotely and accurately, for example, by providing a communication function in the inspection means, resulting in maintenance. It is possible to reduce the burden, optimize the oil change frequency, and reduce the amount of waste oil associated therewith. In addition, since the configuration is equivalent to direct contact between the light emitting element and the light receiving element and the lubricating oil, it is not necessary to construct an optical system using an optical fiber or the like, and the sensor configuration can be simplified.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of a lubricant diagnosis apparatus S for lubricating oil according to an embodiment of the present invention. The deterioration diagnosis device S is for monitoring the degree of deterioration of the lubricating oil 11 used in the engine 10 (an example of “an engine that uses lubricating oil”). (Oil cooling means) and inspection means T are provided.

  The engine 10 is an internal combustion engine that provides power to a crankshaft or the like, and includes, for example, a CGS gas engine, a gasoline engine, a diesel engine, or the like. The interior of the engine 10 is filled with lubricating oil 11 to enable a smooth operation of the internal combustion engine. The engine 10 includes an oil extraction hole 12 for extracting a part of the lubricating oil 11 as the inspection oil, and an oil return hole 13 for returning the inspection oil after the inspection to the engine 10. .

  The oil circulation system 20 extracts a part of the lubricating oil 11 from the oil take-out hole 12 of the engine 10 as the oil to be inspected. It returns to the return hole 13. The oil cooler 30 is disposed on the upstream side of the circulation path, and the inspection means T is disposed on the downstream side of the circulation path with respect to the oil cooler 30.

  The oil circulation system 20 includes an upstream pump 21 and a downstream pump 25 for forcibly circulating the oil to be inspected. The oil circulation system 20 includes a first pipe 201 that connects the oil take-out hole 12 and the upstream pump 21, a second pipe 202 that connects the upstream pump 21 and the oil cooler 30, oil A third pipe 203 connecting the cooler 30 and the inspection means T, a fourth pipe 204 connecting the inspection means T and the downstream pump 25, and between the downstream pump 25 and the oil return hole 13. The 5th pipe line 205 which connects is included. These 1st-5th pipe lines 201-205 are comprised from the resin pipe. Furthermore, in order to circulate or stop the oil to be inspected at various places, the first on-off valve 22 is provided in the first pipe line 201, the second on-off valve 23 is provided near the inspection means T in the third pipe line 203, The third on-off valve 24 is disposed near the inspection means T in the fourth pipeline 204.

  As a result of such an oil circulation system 20 being attached to the engine 10, during operation of the engine 10, a part of the lubricating oil 11 is extracted from the oil extraction hole 12 as the oil to be inspected by the operation of the upstream pump 21. . The extracted oil to be inspected is sequentially returned to the oil return hole 13 by the operation of the downstream pump 25 after passing through the oil cooler 30 and the inspection means T and passing through the cooling step and the inspection step.

  The oil cooler 30 cools to-be-inspected oil having a high temperature of, for example, about 90 to 110 ° C. to about 50 ° C. or less when extracted from the engine 10. The oil cooler 30 includes a pipe coil 31 formed by spirally winding a metal pipe (copper pipe or the like) having excellent heat conductivity, and a water tank 32 for storing the pipe coil 31 in a laid state. The inlet end 311 of the pipe coil 31 is connected to the terminal end of the second pipe line 202, and the outlet end 312 of the pipe coil 31 is connected to the starting end of the third pipe line 203. Further, the water tank 32 is provided with a water inlet 321 and a water outlet 322, and the high-temperature pipe coil 31 (oil to be inspected) can be cooled with water by circulating cooling water through the water tank 32.

  The inspection means T determines the degree of deterioration of the inspection oil by transmitting predetermined inspection light to the inspection oil cooled by the oil cooler 30. The inspection means T includes a sampling oil tank 40, an inspection unit 50 installed in the sampling oil tank 40, and a processing operation unit 60 that performs an operation for determining the degree of deterioration based on a measurement result by the inspection unit 50. Yes.

  The sampling oil tank 40 is installed on the bottom surface of the oil leakage cradle 45, and is provided with an oil supply connection portion 40in for receiving the oil to be inspected and an oil discharge connection portion 40out for discharging the oil to be inspected after the inspection. Yes. The terminal end of the third pipe line 203 is connected to the oil supply connecting portion 40in via the second on-off valve 23. In addition, the start end of the fourth pipeline 204 is connected to the oil discharge connecting portion 40out via the third on-off valve 24. The oil leakage receiving table 45 is supported by a frame frame 47 via a flat spacer 46.

  2 is a partially broken perspective view showing a sampling oil tank 40 in which an inspection unit 50 is installed, and FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of FIG. The sampling oil tank 40 is a rectangular three-dimensional container formed of rectangular long side plates 401A and 401B, substantially square short side plates 402A and 402B, and a bottom plate 403. And the partition plate 41 is standingly arranged in the longitudinal direction approximate center part of the sampling oil tank 40, and, thereby, the inside of the sampling oil tank 40 is divided into two, the 1st liquid tank 42 and the 2nd liquid tank 43. It is partitioned.

  The first liquid tank 42 serves as a liquid storage unit that temporarily stores the inspection oil cooled by the oil cooler 30. The short side plate 402A has an oil supply hole 421 for receiving the oil to be inspected through the oil supply connection part 40in, and the oil to be inspected is continuously supplied from the oil supply hole 421 to the first liquid tank 42. . The supplied oil to be inspected is stored in the first liquid tank 42. In addition, the dashed-dotted line shown with the code | symbol OL of FIG. 3 represents the liquid level of to-be-inspected oil.

  In the second liquid tank 43, the inspection unit 50 is accommodated, and an appropriate amount of oil to be inspected is supplied from the first liquid tank 42 through the oil-inducing needle 44 (liquid introducing means). On the second liquid tank 43 side of the bottom plate 403, an oil discharge hole 431 for discharging the oil to be inspected through the oil discharge connection portion 40out is formed, and the oil to be inspected after being inspected by the inspection unit 50 is supplied to the engine 10. It is discharged sequentially to return to

  The partition plate 41 is formed with an overflow portion 411 cut into a V shape at the center of the upper side. A plane including the deepest portion 412 of the V-shaped overflow portion 411 is a storage height limit of the oil to be inspected (the liquid level OL shown in FIG. 3).

  The oil attracting needle 44 is made of a bar-like member such as a wire, and bridges between the V-shaped overflow portion 411 and an inlet portion 52in of an oil passage 52 provided in a block 51 of the inspection unit 50 described later. This constitutes a part of the flow path of the oil to be inspected. One end 441 of the oil attracting needle 44 is supported by the deepest portion 412 of the V-shaped overflow portion 411, and the other end 442 is disposed to face the inlet portion 52in while being curved in a U shape. The inlet portion 52in of the oil passage 52 is set at a height position lower than the deepest portion 412 of the V-shaped overflow portion 411, and the oil attracting needle 44 is disposed to be inclined downward toward the inlet portion 52in. Has been. As a result, when the liquid level OL of the oil to be inspected reaches the deepest part 412 of the V-shaped overflow part 411, the oil to be inspected is dropped from the deepest part 412 in a mode of dropping along the surface of the oil attracting needle 44. The appropriate amount is guided to the portion 52in.

  The inspection unit 50 is a unit for irradiating a predetermined inspection light to the oil to be inspected and acquiring light amount data for deterioration diagnosis. The inspection unit 50 includes a prismatic block 51, an oil passage 52 formed inside the block 51, a temperature correction block 55, a metal substrate 500 made of, for example, a copper plate on which these blocks are mounted, And a Peltier element 56 for adjusting the temperature of the metal substrate 500.

  As will be described later with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7, the block 51 directly receives the inspection light that directly irradiates the inspection oil that passes through the oil passage 52 and the inspection light that has passed through the inspection oil. The light receiving element 54 is assembled. In the present embodiment, the block 51 includes a first block 51A for projecting / receiving the inspection light of the first wavelength, and the first block 51A for the purpose of exemplifying the method of irradiating the inspection light of two different wavelengths. A second block 51B for projecting and receiving inspection light having a second wavelength different from the one wavelength is laminated.

  4A is an external perspective view of the block 51 (first block 51A), and FIG. 4B is a side view in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 4A. The block 51 is made of a brass-like metal formed in a prismatic shape, and has a light-emitting element receiving hole 511 formed in a tunnel shape along the longitudinal direction thereof, and a light-receiving element provided in the vertical direction near the center in the longitudinal direction. A receiving hole 512 and an oil passage 52 provided adjacent to the light receiving element receiving hole 512 are provided.

  The light emitting element receiving hole 511 is formed of a cylindrical cavity, and one end side opens to the edge of the block 51 and the other end side reaches the light receiving element receiving hole 512. The light receiving element receiving hole 512 is formed of a rectangular groove and has an opening on the upper surface of the block 51. The oil passage 52 (the oil passage 52A of the first block 51A) is a cylindrical through hole penetrating the block 51 in the vertical direction, and is formed between the other end of the light emitting element receiving hole 511 and one surface of the light receiving element receiving hole 512. It is arranged at a position between them.

  The oil passage 52A allows oil to be inspected to pass at a predetermined flow rate, and as shown in FIG. 4B, the fillet processing portion 521 formed to facilitate the inflow of oil into the inlet portion 52in. And an upper passage 522 extending from the fillet processing portion 521 to the upper edge of the light emitting element receiving hole 511, and a lower passage 523 extending from the lower edge of the light emitting element receiving hole 511 to the lower outlet 524. Further, the light emitting element receiving hole 511 is used as an intermediate portion of the oil passage 52A (between the upper passage 522 and the lower passage 523). The second block 51B is also formed with a similar oil passage except for the fillet processing portion.

  5 and 6 are diagrams for explaining an assembled state of the light emitting element 53 (first light emitting element 53A) and the light receiving element 54 (first light receiving element 54A) with respect to the block 51 (first block 51A). 5 is an exploded perspective view, FIG. 6A is a perspective view showing the assembled state, and FIG. 6B is a top perspective view. The light emitting element 53 includes a main body 530 in which a semiconductor light emitting element chip such as an LED is molded in a bullet shape with a resin material having translucency, and a lead 531 extending from the main body 530. The light receiving element 54 includes a main body 540 in which a silicon photodiode or the like sensitive to the wavelength of light emitted from the light emitting element 53 is molded into a thin box shape with a translucent resin material, and extends from the main body 540. Lead 541 formed.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the light emitting element 53 (main body 530) is closely inserted into the light emitting element receiving hole 511 of the block 51. The light receiving element 54 (main body portion 540) is closely inserted into the light receiving element receiving hole 512 so that the light receiving surface thereof faces the light emitting element 53. As shown in FIG. 6B, the tip surface of the light emitting element 53 and the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 54 are opposed to each other with a distance corresponding to the diameter of the oil passage 52. Accordingly, the inspection oil passing through the oil passage 52 is directly irradiated with the inspection light from the light emitting element 53 without passing through another optical system such as a lens or an optical fiber, and is transmitted through the inspection oil. Inspection light can be directly received by the light receiving element 54.

  Fig.7 (a) is a see-through | perspective perspective view which shows the assembly | attachment state of the above-mentioned 1st block 51A and the 2nd block 51B which has the structure similar to this, FIG.7 (b) is a see-through | perspective side view. The second block 51B houses a second light emitting element 53B that emits inspection light having a wavelength different from that of the first light emitting element 53A, and a second light receiving element 54B that receives the inspection light. As shown in FIG. 7B, an oil passage 52B is also formed in the second block 51B, and two blocks are stacked so as to communicate with the oil passage 52A of the first block 51A. One oil passage 52 is formed with the upper end surface of the first block 51A as the inlet portion 52in and the lower end surface of the second block 51B as the outlet portion 52out.

  The oil passage 52B of the second block 51B includes an upper passage 526 that extends from the inlet 525 facing the lower outlet 524 (see FIG. 4B) of the first block 51A to the upper edge of the light emitting element receiving hole 511, and the light emitting element. The lower passage 527 extends from the lower edge of the receiving hole 511 to the outlet 52out of the oil passage 52. Further, a light emitting element receiving hole 511 is used as an intermediate portion of the oil passage 52B (between the upper passage 526 and the lower passage 527).

  A flow rate adjusting screw 528 for adjusting the flow rate of the oil to be inspected passing through the oil passage 52 to an appropriate amount is screwed into the outlet portion 52out of the oil passage 52. That is, a thread groove is formed in the inner peripheral wall of the lower passage 527, and the flow rate of the oil to be inspected flowing through the oil passage 52 can be adjusted by adjusting the degree of screwing into the thread groove. Yes.

  The flow of the oil to be inspected will be described with reference to FIG. The oil to be inspected dropped from one end side 441 to the other end side 442 along the surface of the oil attracting needle 44 and guided to the block 51 from the lower end of the U-shaped curved portion on the other end side 442 to the inlet 52in of the oil passage 52. It is dripped to (fillet processing part 521). The oil to be inspected introduced from the inlet 52in fills the gap 511A between the first light emitting element 53A and the first light receiving element 54A via the upper passage 522 of the first block 51A, and passes through the lower passage 523. Then it reaches the lower exit 524. Thereafter, the oil to be inspected is introduced into the inlet 525 of the second block 51B, fills the gap 511B between the second light emitting element 53B and the second light receiving element 54B via the upper passage 526, and passes through the lower passage 527. After that, the oil is discharged from the outlet 52out of the oil passage 52 while the flow rate is regulated by the flow rate adjusting screw 528. Thereafter, the oil to be inspected is returned from the oil discharge hole 431 to the oil circulation system 20 (fourth pipeline 204) (see FIGS. 3 and 1).

  As shown in FIG. 8, the block 51 (the first block 51 </ b> A and the second block 51 </ b> B) is attached near the lower end on the surface side of the metal substrate 500 in a closely stacked state. On the other hand, a temperature correction block 55 is attached near the lower end on the back side of the metal substrate 500. The temperature correction block 55 includes a third block 55A and a fourth block 55B having the same configuration as the second block 51B. When the emission wavelength of the first light emitting element 53A is the first wavelength, the third light emitting element that generates the reference light of the first wavelength and the reference light of the first wavelength correspond to the size of the oil passage 52. A temperature correction sensor pair including a third light receiving element (both not shown) that receives light through the air layer is built in the third block 55A. In addition, when the emission wavelength of the second light emitting element 53B is the second wavelength, the fourth light emitting element that generates the reference light of the second wavelength and the reference light of the second wavelength correspond to the size of the oil passage 52. A temperature correction sensor pair including a fourth light receiving element (both not shown) that receives light through the air layer is built in the fourth block 55B.

  Since the temperature correction block 55 and the block 51 have such an arrangement relationship, the two are thermally coupled. Therefore, the transmitted light amount detected in the block 51 by referring to the light projecting / receiving results by the third light emitting element and the third light receiving element of the temperature correction block 55 and the light projecting / receiving result by the fourth light emitting element and the fourth light receiving element. Such data can be used after correcting the temperature so as not to be affected by the outside air temperature.

  A Peltier element 56 is attached in the vicinity of the upper end on the back side of the metal substrate 500. The Peltier element 56 maintains the block 51 and the temperature correction block 55 at room temperature as much as possible by adjusting the temperature of the metal substrate 500 to room temperature (about 40 ° C. to 20 ° C.). In addition, when the fluctuation | variation of external temperature is small, or when the cooling effect of to-be-inspected oil is fully ensured with the oil cooler 30, use of this Peltier device 56 can be abbreviate | omitted. Further, in order to suppress the influence of the outside air temperature on the metal substrate 500, a silicon resin film or the like may be formed on the surface of the metal substrate 500.

  As described above, in the lubrication oil deterioration diagnosis device S according to the present embodiment, the oil to be inspected is cooled by the oil cooler 30 and then guided to the block 51. Further, a function of maintaining the block 51 at room temperature by the Peltier element 56 is added. Therefore, even if the lubricating oil 11 is at a high temperature in the engine 10, it is possible to guide the oil to be inspected to the detection unit in a state where the light emitting element 53 and the light receiving element 54 are cooled to a temperature at which they are not affected. Become.

  FIG. 9A is a graph showing temperature characteristics of a general light receiving element, and FIG. 9B is a graph showing temperature characteristics of a general light emitting element. As shown in these graphs, the light receiving element tends to increase the output current when the environmental temperature increases, and the light emitting element tends to decrease the light emission output when the environmental temperature increases. Therefore, when the oil to be inspected is introduced to the detection unit by the light emitting element 53 and the light receiving element 54 at a high temperature, the true transmitted light amount characteristic cannot be measured due to the influence of the temperature, and as a result, the viscosity, the base number, the acid There is a concern that parameters necessary for oil deterioration diagnosis such as price and insoluble content cannot be calculated. However, according to the deterioration diagnosis device S for lubricating oil according to the present embodiment, the influence of temperature is suppressed as much as possible, and therefore an accurate oil deterioration diagnosis can be performed.

  Next, the processing calculation unit 60 will be described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the processing calculation unit 60. The processing calculation unit 60 includes drivers 61A to 61D, I / V (current / voltage) conversion units 62A to 62D, an A / D (analog / digital) conversion unit 63, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 64, a communication unit 65, The display unit 66 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 67 and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 68.

  The drivers 61A to 61D include the first light-emitting element 53A, the second light-emitting element 53B, the third light-emitting element 53C, and the first block 51A, the second block 51B, the third block 55A, and the fourth block 55B, respectively. The four light emitting elements 53D are driven (emitted) based on a light emission control signal given at a predetermined sampling period from a measurement control unit 643 of the CPU 64 described later. For example, the first light emitting element 53A is 870 nm (first wavelength), the second light emitting element 53B is 950 nm (second wavelength), the third light emitting element 53C is 870 nm (first wavelength), the fourth light emitting wavelength is, for example, The light emitting element 53D can select 950 nm (second wavelength).

  The I / V converters 62A to 62D use the first light receiving element 54A, the second light receiving element 54B, the third light receiving element 54C, and the fourth light receiving element 54D, respectively, as voltage signals that are output from the photoelectric conversion of the inspection light. Convert. Here, the voltage signal output from the I / V converters 62A and 62B is a voltage signal corresponding to the amount of transmitted light through which the inspection light emitted from the first light emitting element 53A and the second light emitting element 53B passes through the oil to be inspected. It is. That is, a voltage signal corresponding to the degree of deterioration of the inspected oil is output. On the other hand, the voltage signal output from the I / V converters 62C and 62D is a voltage corresponding to the amount of air transmitted through which the reference light emitted from the third light emitting element 53C and the fourth light emitting element 53D has passed through the air layer. Signal.

  The A / D conversion unit 63 acquires voltage signals output from the I / V conversion units 62A to 62D, converts them into digital signals, and outputs them to the CPU 64.

  The CPU 64 controls the operation of each part of the processing calculation unit 60, and is functionally provided with a temperature correction unit 641, a deterioration calculation unit 642, and a measurement control unit 643. The temperature correction unit 641 uses output signals from the I / V conversion units 62C and 62D corresponding to the temperature correction block 55 as correction voltages, and I / V conversion units 62A and 62B corresponding to the amount of transmitted inspection light. Is performed to correct the temperature of the output signal from the light at each inspection light wavelength (first wavelength and second wavelength). That is, the output signal of the I / V conversion unit 62A using the first wavelength is corrected by the output signal of the I / V conversion unit 62C using the same first wavelength, and the I / V conversion unit 62A using the second wavelength is used. The output signal of the V converter 62B is corrected by the output signal of the I / V converter 62D using the same second wavelength.

  The deterioration calculation unit 642 performs a calculation for obtaining a parameter related to the degree of deterioration of the oil to be inspected based on output signals from the I / V conversion units 62A and 62B. Examples of this parameter include the degree of decrease in the amount of transmitted light or absorbance, or the viscosity, base number, acid value, insoluble content, etc., obtained based on the amount of transmitted light.

  The measurement control unit 643 controls measurement operations by the drivers 61A to 61D and the I / V conversion units 62A to 62D in accordance with a predetermined measurement program. Specifically, a timing pulse or the like is given to the drivers 61A to 61D and the I / V converters 62A to 62D to cause the first to fourth light emitting elements 53A to 53D to emit light at each sampling period and to synchronize with the light emission timing. Thus, photoelectric conversion signals (measurement data) are acquired from the first to fourth light receiving elements 54A to 54D.

  FIG. 11 is a graph showing a measurement example of the relationship between the operation time of the engine 10 and the transmitted light amount (received light amount) of the lubricating oil 11 (inspected oil) when two wavelengths of 870 nm and 950 nm are used as the emission wavelengths. is there. As shown in the graph, the amount of received light decreases as the operating time of the engine 10 increases. Further, it can be seen that the magnitude and inclination of the received light amount differ between 870 nm and 950 nm. The deterioration calculation unit 642 performs calculation for obtaining a parameter related to the degree of deterioration using such characteristics.

  FIG. 12 is a graph for explaining temperature correction processing in the temperature correction unit 641. The output voltages from the I / V converters 62A and 62B become lower as the temperature becomes higher, as shown by the characteristic indicated by the reference C1. On the other hand, the output voltages from the I / V converters 62C and 62D corresponding to the temperature correction block 55 also have the same gradient as the characteristic indicated by reference C2 because the blocks are thermally coupled. Therefore, by compensating the characteristic of the code C1 with the characteristic of the code C2, it is possible to obtain a characteristic having almost no temperature dependence as indicated by the code C3.

  In this embodiment, in addition to the cooling of the oil to be inspected by the oil cooler 30 and the temperature maintenance of the block 51 by the Peltier element 56, the temperature correction process as described above by the temperature correction unit 641 is also executed. Therefore, the deterioration diagnosis measurement of the oil to be inspected using the light emitting element and the light receiving element can be performed by highly excluding the influence of the retained heat of the oil to be inspected and the outside air temperature.

  Returning to FIG. 10, the communication unit 65 performs data communication with an external terminal or the like. For example, the deterioration diagnosis result by the deterioration calculation unit 642 is transmitted to a management center or the like existing in a remote place via the Internet. To do. The display unit 66 includes a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays, for example, a deterioration diagnosis result by the deterioration calculation unit 642 in a predetermined format.

  The ROM 67 stores an operation program of the degradation diagnosis apparatus S and the like. The RAM 68 temporarily stores a data signal given from the A / D conversion unit 63, a deterioration diagnosis result by the deterioration calculation unit 642, and the like.

  The operation of the lubricant deterioration diagnosis device S according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. When the operation of the engine 10 is started, the driving of the upstream pump 21 is also started, and a part of the lubricating oil 11 is extracted from the oil extraction hole 12 as the inspection oil. The extracted oil to be inspected is guided to the oil cooler 30 through the first pipe line 201 and the second pipe line 202. The oil cooler 30 cools the oil to be inspected to about 50 ° C. or less. Thereafter, the oil to be inspected is sent to the inspection means T through the third pipe 203 and supplied to the sampling oil tank 40 through the oil supply connection 40in (see FIG. 1).

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 3, the inspection oil is temporarily stored in the first liquid tank 42. At this time, impurities that may adversely affect the optical measurement are precipitated in the first liquid tank. Then, when the liquid level OL of the oil to be inspected reaches the deepest part 412 of the V-shaped overflow part 411, the oil to be inspected drops from the deepest part 412 of the partition plate 41 in such a manner that it drops along the surface of the oil attracting needle 44. An appropriate amount is guided to the inlet 52in of the oil passage 52 (see also FIG. 8).

  Thereafter, the oil to be inspected passes through the oil passage 52 while the flow rate is regulated by the flow rate adjusting screw 528. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7B, first, the first light emitting element 53A of the first block 51A and the second light emitting element 53B of the second block 51B are irradiated with inspection light having different wavelengths. These inspection lights are received by the first light receiving element 54A and the second light receiving element 54B after passing through the oil to be inspected. Based on this received light data, a parameter relating to the degree of deterioration of the inspected oil is calculated by the processing calculation unit 60.

  The oil to be inspected discharged from the outlet portion 52out of the oil passage 52 is sent from the oil discharge connection portion 40out of the sampling oil tank 40 to the fourth pipeline 204 of the oil circulation system 20. Then, the operation of the downstream pump 25 returns to the engine 10 through the fifth pipe 205 and the oil return hole 13. Hereinafter, this operation is continued during the operation period of the engine 10.

  According to the lubricating oil deterioration diagnosis apparatus S described above, the deterioration degree of the lubricating oil 11 can be monitored stably for a long period of time without stopping the operation of the engine 10 in operation. That is, it is possible to suppress such a problem that the degree of deterioration is erroneously determined under the influence of the temperature of the lubricating oil 11 or the environmental temperature. Therefore, even if it is a stationary engine such as a gas engine for CGS, it is possible to determine the oil change timing remotely and accurately by transmitting the deterioration diagnosis result from the communication unit 65, and as a result The maintenance burden can be reduced, the frequency of oil change can be optimized, and the amount of waste oil associated therewith can be reduced. Further, since the configuration is equivalent to the direct contact between the light emitting element 53 and the light receiving element 54 and the lubricating oil (inspected oil), it is not necessary to construct an optical system using an optical fiber or the like, and the sensor configuration is simplified. be able to.

  Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and can take modified embodiments such as the following [1] to [3].

[1] In the above embodiment, a two-wavelength method using two sets of light emitting elements and light receiving elements has been illustrated, but only one set of light emitting elements and light receiving elements may be used. Alternatively, three or more sets of light emitting elements and light receiving elements may be used.

[2] In the above embodiment, the oil passage 52 is formed in the block 51. However, the oil passage does not necessarily have to be formed in the block. For example, a portion that allows the oil to be inspected to pass through at a predetermined flow rate is formed in a pipeline that constitutes the oil circulation system 20, and this portion is used as an oil passage, and the light emitting element and the light receiving element are disposed so as to face each other. good.

[3] In the above embodiment, the engine 10 is given as an example of the engine. However, the present invention can be applied to other engines using lubricating oil other than the engine. For example, the present invention can also be applied to deterioration diagnosis of lubricating oil used in compressors, gear devices, and the like.

It is a block diagram which shows roughly the whole structure of the deterioration diagnosis apparatus S of the lubricating oil which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a partially broken perspective view which shows the sampling oil tank 40 in which the test | inspection unit 50 was installed. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of FIG. 2. (A) is an external appearance perspective view of the block 51 (1st block 51A), (b) is a side view of the arrow A direction of (a). It is a disassembled perspective view for demonstrating the assembly | attachment state of the light emitting element and light receiving element with respect to a block. (A) is a perspective view showing the assembled state of the light emitting element and the light receiving element with respect to the block, and (b) shows a top perspective view. (A) is a see-through | perspective perspective view which shows the assembly | attachment state of the 1st block 51A and the 2nd block 51B which has the structure similar to this, (b) is a see-through | perspective side view. 3 is a side view of an inspection unit 50. FIG. (A) is a graph which shows the temperature characteristic of a general light receiving element, (b) is a graph which shows the temperature characteristic of a general light emitting element. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a processing calculation unit 60. FIG. It is a graph which shows the example of a measurement of the relationship between the driving | running time of an engine, and the transmitted light quantity (light-receiving light quantity) of lubricating oil (oil to be inspected) at the time of using 2 wavelengths. It is a graph for demonstrating the temperature correction process in a temperature correction part.

Explanation of symbols

S Lubricating oil deterioration diagnosis device 10 Engine (Engine that uses lubricating oil)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Lubricating oil 12 Oil extraction hole 13 Oil return hole 20 Oil circulation system 30 Oil cooler 30 (oil cooling means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 40 Sampling oil tank 40in Oil supply connection part 40out Oil discharge connection part 41 Partition plate 411 Overflow part 412 Deepest part 421 Oil supply hole 431 Oil discharge hole 42 1st liquid tank 43 2nd liquid tank 44 Oil attracting needle (liquid introduction means) )
50 Inspection unit 500 Metal substrate (Temperature adjustable substrate)
51 block 51A first block 51B second block 52 oil passage 53 light emitting elements 53A to 53D first to fourth light emitting elements 54 light receiving elements 54A to 54D first to fourth light receiving elements 55 temperature correction block 55A third block 55B second 4 blocks 56 Peltier elements 60 Processing operation part T Inspection means

Claims (8)

An oil circulation system for extracting a part of the lubricating oil as an inspection oil from an engine using the lubricating oil, and returning the inspection oil to the engine via a predetermined circulation path;
An oil cooling means provided in the middle of the circulation path for cooling the extracted oil to be inspected;
An inspection unit that is provided on the downstream side of the circulation path from the oil cooling unit, and that determines a degree of deterioration of the inspection oil by transmitting predetermined inspection light to the cooled inspection oil;
The inspection means includes an oil passage through which the inspection oil passes at a predetermined flow rate, a light emitting element that directly irradiates inspection light to the inspection oil that passes through the oil passage, and the inspection light that has passed through the inspection oil. And a light-receiving element that directly receives light. The oil passage is formed so as to penetrate a predetermined block,
The deterioration of lubricating oil according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting element is disposed facing the oil passage, and the light receiving element is disposed facing the oil passage so as to face the light emitting element. Diagnostic device. The inspection means includes a liquid storage unit that temporarily stores the cooled oil to be inspected,
The lubricating oil deterioration diagnosis apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a liquid introduction unit that guides the oil to be inspected stored in the liquid storage unit to the oil passage. The inspection means includes a first liquid tank that constitutes the liquid storage section, and a second liquid tank in which the block is accommodated,
The first liquid tank has an oil supply hole connected to the upstream side of the oil circulation system and receiving the oil to be inspected.
The said 2nd liquid tank is connected to the downstream of the said oil circulation system, The oil discharge hole which returns the said to-be-inspected oil which passed the said oil channel | path is provided, respectively. Lubricating oil deterioration diagnosis device. The first liquid tank is provided with an overflow portion of stored oil to be inspected,
The block is disposed in the second liquid tank so that the oil passage extends in the vertical direction and an inlet of the oil passage is located below the overflow portion,
The liquid introduction means is composed of a rod-like member that bridges between the overflow portion and the inlet of the oil passage and guides an appropriate amount of the oil to be inspected along the surface thereof.
5. The deterioration diagnosis apparatus for lubricating oil according to claim 4, wherein the oil discharge hole of the second liquid tank is provided on the bottom surface of the second liquid tank.   6. The lubrication oil deterioration diagnosis apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the block is attached to a temperature-adjustable substrate. A first sensor pair consisting of a first light emitting element for generating inspection light of a predetermined first wavelength and a first light receiving element for receiving the inspection light;
A second sensor pair including a second light emitting element that generates inspection light having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, and a second light receiving element that receives the inspection light;
The first sensor pair is disposed on the upstream side of the oil passage, and the second sensor pair is disposed on the downstream side of the oil passage, respectively. Lubricating oil deterioration diagnosis device. A third light emitting element for generating the reference light of the first wavelength and a fourth light emitting element for generating the reference light of the second wavelength;
The lubrication according to claim 7, further comprising a temperature correction sensor pair including a third light receiving element and a fourth light receiving element that respectively receive the reference light through an air layer corresponding to the oil passage. Oil deterioration diagnosis device.

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