JPH0763035A - Oil deterioration detecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To detect oil deteriorating condition certainly by means of simple constitution, by providing an oil deterioration detecting means which detects quantity of fine insoluble content to be captured by a fine insoluble content capturing filter provided in a specific position. CONSTITUTION:This device is composed of a fine insoluble content capturing filter 16 and a flow measurement section 17, and is provided in a bypass oil passage 10b branching from an oil circulating passage 10. Meshes of the fine insoluble content capturing filter 16 are formed in a size over micell of detergent dispersant added into oil and under meshes of an element 13a. The fine insoluble content occurring in the oil forms micell with the fine insoluble content adhering to the micell formed by the detergent dispersant, and is captured and removed by the filter 16. As a result, it is possible to remove extremely minute fine insoluble content. Consequently, deterioration condition of the oil can be certainly detected by the simple constitution.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an oil deterioration detecting device used for lubricating oil of an internal combustion engine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Lubricating oil used in internal combustion engines is
Since it deteriorates after long-term use, it is necessary to change oil as appropriate. Originally, it is desirable to determine the oil-refreshing time by sequentially confirming the actual deterioration state of the lubricating oil, instead of uniformly determining the traveling distance. That is, the well-known deterioration index of oil, such as generation of n-pentane insoluble matter due to mixing of abrasion powder, sand, fuel, etc., increase in viscosity due to the same cause, generation of combustion products and oxidation of base oil It is desirable to judge the lubricating performance of the oil by comprehensively evaluating these indexes by sequentially examining the increase in acid value and the decrease in total base number due to the consumption of additives.

However, since it is difficult to detect all of these indexes due to the structure of the apparatus, some oil deterioration detecting apparatuses have been developed which detect any one of the deterioration indexes 1 to 3 to judge the oil change timing. ing. Specifically, for example, there are JP-A-63-266342 (absorbance measuring method), JP-A-3-142349 (impedance measuring method), and JP-A-62-193549 (transmissivity measuring method).

[0004]

However, the conventional oil deterioration detection device has a problem that it is difficult to put it into practical use because its structure is very complicated and expensive. In addition, the method of detecting any one of the above-mentioned deterioration indicators to determine the oil-filling time is independent when comparing these individual deterioration indicators, although the deterioration indexes are generally correlated. Since it shows the tendency of change, it was difficult to accurately judge the deterioration condition of oil from only one deterioration index.

Therefore, it has been desired to establish a new index having a correlation with all of the above-mentioned deterioration indexes and to develop a simple device capable of accurately determining the oil-refreshing time by such indexes. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an oil deterioration detection device that can accurately detect the deterioration state of oil with a simple configuration.

[0006]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention relates to an oil deterioration detecting device for lubricating oil of an internal combustion engine, which is located on the downstream side of an oil filter for removing insoluble matter in the oil or Provided in parallel with the above filter,
The filter is a fine insoluble matter trapping filter having a size larger than the micelle formed by the detergent dispersant added to the oil and smaller than the filter eye of the filter, and the fine insoluble matter trapped by the fine insoluble matter trapping filter. The gist is that an oil deterioration detecting means for detecting the quantity is provided.

[0007]

In the oil deterioration detecting apparatus having the above structure, the fine insoluble matter is captured by the fine insoluble matter capturing filter provided on the downstream side of the filter used for the oil filter or in parallel with this filter, and the fine insoluble matter is captured. The fine insoluble content is detected by the oil deterioration detecting means.

Here, the fine insoluble matter means sludge, abrasion powder, etc. adhered to the micelle formed by the detergent dispersant,
The amount of the fine insoluble matter increases almost linearly in proportion to the oil usage time. Further, the tendency of change of the fine insoluble matter is consistent with the tendency of change of each deterioration index of the above-mentioned, and by using the fine insoluble matter as a new index, the deterioration index of the above-mentioned is comprehensive. Can be determined on a case-by-case basis. Therefore, by tracking the amount of fine insoluble matter, the deterioration state of oil can be accurately detected.

The amount of fine insoluble matter can be easily detected by measuring the flow rate, pressure, etc. of the oil that has passed through the fine insoluble matter capturing filter. Therefore, the device configuration is simplified. On the other hand, normally, the state in which sludge, abrasion powder, etc., which are finely insoluble components, adhere to the micelles formed by the detergent dispersant (hereinafter referred to as "adhered micelles") is stably dispersed in the oil. From the viewpoint of lubrication performance, it is said that it can be used continuously for a long time. However, when the adhered micelles are no longer able to newly attach the fine insoluble matter, the fine insoluble matter and the adherent micelles are agglomerated and enlarged due to the decrease in dispersibility, and they are separated in the oil and the lubricating performance of the oil is increased. It is said to lower the. Therefore, it is desirable that the oil-refreshing period be immediately before such aggregation and enlargement occurs. In the present invention,
Since the amount of the fine insoluble matter that is captured by the fine insoluble matter capture filter and increases in proportion to the period of use is detected, it is possible to detect the time immediately before the above-mentioned flocculation and enlargement as the oil change time.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The first embodiment is an example in which a bypass oil passage is provided in an oil circulation passage of a gasoline engine and the oil deterioration detecting device of the present invention is installed in this bypass oil passage, and FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram thereof.

The oil circulation path 10 is connected to the engine lubrication section 1
4 is a path for supplying oil to the oil passage 4, and an oil pan 11, an oil pump 12, and an oil filter 1 are provided in the path 10.
3 and the engine lubrication unit 14 are provided. Incidentally, succinimide was added to the oil as a detergent dispersant.

The oil pump 12 sucks the oil stored in the oil pan 11 and discharges it to the oil filter 13. The pressure regulating valve 12a provided in parallel with the oil pump 12 is opened when the pressure on the discharge side of the oil pump 12 exceeds a set pressure and communicates with the suction side of the oil pump 12 to set the pressure on the discharge side. It is a valve that regulates pressure.

The oil filter 13 is a full-flow type, that is, a type that completely filters the oil discharged from the oil pump 12. The oil filter 13 has a relief valve 13 in consideration of clogging and cold start.
b is provided. The element 13a used for the oil filter 13 is formed to be relatively coarse (5 to 30 microns). After passing through the element 13a, the oil is supplied to the engine lubricating portion 14 via the oil passage 10a.

The engine lubrication section 14 refers to each bearing section, sliding section, etc. in the engine, and is a section which needs to reduce friction and wear of the friction surface with oil. According to the oil circulation path 10 described above, the oil that has passed through the engine lubrication portion 14 passes through the oil pan 11, the oil pump 12, and then the oil filter 13, so that wear powder of a predetermined size in the oil, combustion generation In addition, insoluble matter such as deteriorated products of oil itself is removed and cleaned. After that, the purified oil passes through the oil passage 10a and is again supplied to the engine lubrication unit 1.
4 is supplied. Here, the predetermined size refers to a size equal to or larger than the mesh size of the element 13a.

A bypass oil passage 10b is formed in the oil circulation passage 10 so as to branch from an intermediate portion between the delivery side of the oil filter 13 and the engine lubrication portion 14 and communicate with a separate oil pan 11. This bypass oil passage 10b is formed. In addition, the oil deterioration detecting device of the present invention is provided.

The oil deterioration detecting device comprises a fine insoluble matter capturing filter 16 and a flow rate measuring unit 17 as oil deterioration detecting means. The oil deterioration detecting device constitutes an oil deterioration alarming device together with the ECU 18 and the alarm lamp 19. Fine insoluble matter capturing filter 16
Is formed to have a size that is equal to or larger than the micelle of the detergent-dispersant added to the oil and smaller than the size of the element 13a. In this embodiment, since succinimide is used as the detergent-dispersant, the mesh size is 1.5 μm or more, which is the size of the micelle formed by succinimide, and less than the mesh size (5 to 30 μm) of the above element. Is formed in. Incidentally, in order to capture the fine insoluble matter more accurately,
The size of the filter mesh is preferably set to a value near the size of the micelle.

The flow rate measuring unit 17 is provided on the downstream side of the fine insoluble matter trapping filter 16 and is rotated by the oil after passing through the fine insoluble matter trapping filter 16 and rotated by a gear 17.
The pulse of a is output as a flow rate. Since the flow rate of this oil decreases as the amount of the fine insoluble matter captured by the fine insoluble matter capturing filter 16 increases, it is possible to trace the fine insoluble matter amount by following this flow rate.

The ECU 18 is composed of a well-known arithmetic control circuit, and is connected so as to input the pulse output from the flow rate measuring unit 17 and output it to the alarm lamp 19. The alarm lamp 19 is provided on the dashboard of a driver's seat of an automobile (not shown) and is turned on by an output from the ECU 18. An alarm such as an alarm buzzer may be used instead of the alarm lamp 19.

FIG. 2 is a solid line showing a graph showing the correlation between the amount of fine insoluble matter captured by the fine insoluble matter capturing filter 16 and the traveling distance. As is clear from this graph, the amount of fine insoluble matter increases almost linearly as the travel distance increases. The fine insoluble matter includes all of those generated by the mixing of abrasion powder, sand, fuel, etc., those generated by the generation of combustion products and the oxidation of base oil, and those generated by the consumption of additives. Therefore, if this fine insoluble content is used as an index, it is possible to grasp all the trends of n-pentane insoluble content, viscosity, increase in total acid value, decrease in total base number, which were conventionally used as deterioration indexes, and deterioration of oil The situation can be detected accurately. As a comparative example, a graph showing the correlation between the amount of insoluble n-pentane and the traveling distance based on “ASTM D 893B”, which is a general method, is shown by a broken line in FIG. As is clear from this graph, the amount of insoluble n-pentane is not detected as an index for accurately detecting the deterioration state of the oil because it is detected only when the traveling distance becomes a certain value or more.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described. When fine insoluble matter such as sludge is generated in oil, these adhere to the micelles formed by succinimide to form fine insoluble matter adhered micelles (hereinafter referred to as "adherent micelles"), which are insoluble in fine particles. It will be captured and removed by the minute capture filter 16. That is, the adhering micelles that are captured and removed have a size exceeding the filter because fine insolubles adhere to the micelles of succinimide of about 1.5 microns, and as a result, they are extremely small. Insoluble matter can be removed.

The ECU 18 determines whether or not the flow rate as a pulse input from the flow rate measuring section 17 is lower than a predetermined flow rate. Here, the predetermined flow rate is set by empirically obtaining the flow rate at the time of idle rotation immediately before the coagulation and enlargement of the fine insoluble matter and adhered micelles. EC
When it is determined that the flow rate is lower than the predetermined flow rate, U18 outputs the warning flow to the alarm lamp 19 to notify the driver of this. still,
The state in which the flow rate is lower than the predetermined flow rate corresponds to the state in which a predetermined amount of the fine insoluble matter is accumulated on the fine insoluble matter trapping filter 16, and if the oil is continued to be used any more, the fine insoluble matter and the adhered micelle This is a state in which the lubricating performance of the oil is deteriorated due to coagulation and enlargement.

The effects of the first embodiment will be described below. (1) n-Pentane insoluble matter, which was conventionally used as a deterioration index,
The trends of viscosity, total acid number increase, and total base number decrease can all be grasped by the amount of fine insoluble matter used as the deterioration index this time. Further, the amount of fine insolubles increases almost linearly in proportion to the use time of oil. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to accurately detect the deterioration state of oil. (2) The amount of fine insoluble matter is determined by the fine insoluble matter capturing filter 16
The flow rate of the oil that has passed through can be easily detected by the flow rate measuring unit 17 measuring. Therefore, the device configuration is simplified. (3) If the driver changes the oil when the alarm lamp 19 provided on the dashboard is turned on, the driver can replace the oil with a new oil immediately before the lubricating performance of the oil deteriorates. Therefore, it is possible to improve the durability of the engine without causing a burden on the engine lubricating portion 14.

Next, the second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment is an example in which the oil deterioration detecting device of the present invention is installed in the oil circulation path of the diesel engine, and FIG.
Is a schematic configuration diagram thereof. The oil circulation path 50 is a path for supplying oil to the engine lubrication section 54, and an oil pan 51, an oil pump 52, an oil filter 53, and an engine lubrication section 54 are arranged in the path 50. Incidentally, succinimide was added to the oil as a detergent-dispersant, as in the first embodiment.

The oil pan 51, the oil pump 52, and the engine lubrication portion 54 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore their explanations are omitted. Oil filter 5 of the second embodiment
3 is a combination type in which a full flow type and a bypass flow type are arranged in parallel. That is, most of the oil discharged from the oil pump 52 is filtered by the full flow element 53a and supplied to the engine lubrication section 54 via the oil passage 50a, while part of the oil is filtered by the bypass element 53b. It returns to the oil pan 51 via 50b. Similar to the first embodiment, the oil filter 53 is provided with a relief valve 53c at the top. Further, the full-flow element 53a used for the oil filter 53 is relatively coarse (5 to 30 microns), and the bypass element 53b is fine (2 to 10 microns). However, the bypass element 53b is the full flow element 53a.
The eyes are finely set.

According to the above oil circulation path 50, the oil that has passed through the engine lubrication section 54 is stored in the oil pan 51,
After passing through the oil pump 52, most of it passes through the full-flow element 53a of the oil filter 53, so that abrasion powder of larger size than that of the filter, combustion products, and insoluble matter such as deteriorated products of the oil itself are removed. And cleaned.
After that, the cleaned oil is supplied again to the engine lubrication section 54 via the oil passage 50a. On the other hand, after passing through the oil pan 51 and the oil pump 52, some oil is
The fine insoluble matter is removed by passing through the bypass element 53b and returned to the oil pan 51 via the bypass oil passage 50b.

In the oil deterioration detecting device of the second embodiment, the bypass element 53 as a fine insoluble matter capturing filter is used.
b and a flow rate measuring section 57 as an oil deterioration detecting means. Further, the oil deterioration detecting device is the ECU 5
8 and the alarm lamp 59 constitute an oil deterioration alarm device. Since the flow rate measuring unit 57, the ECU 58, and the alarm lamp 59 are the same as those in the first embodiment, their description will be omitted. Further, the correlation between the amount of fine insoluble matter captured by the bypass element 53b and the traveling distance is almost the same as in FIG.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described. When fine insoluble matter such as carbon sludge is generated in the oil, these form adhering micelles and are captured and removed by the bypass element 53b.
That is, the adhering micelles that are captured and removed have a size in excess of the mesh due to the adhering of fine insolubles to the micelles of succinimide of about 1.5 microns, and as a result, the fine insolubles are Can be removed.

By executing the same processing as that of the first embodiment, the ECU 58 accurately determines the situation immediately before the oil lubrication performance deteriorates, lights the alarm lamp 59, and informs the driver of the oil change timing. be able to. The effects of the second embodiment are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment, and will be omitted.

The tendency of change in the amount of fine insoluble matter used as an oil deterioration index is the same for both the gasoline engine and the diesel engine. It can be used as a deterioration index common to the engine.

It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and can be carried out in various modes without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example,
A pressure sensor may be provided as the oil deterioration detecting means instead of the flow rate measuring unit. That is, the pressure after passing through the fine insoluble matter trapping filter decreases with an increase in the amount of the fine insoluble matter to be trapped. Therefore, by tracing this pressure, the fine insoluble matter amount can be traced. Further, in the case of being configured as an oil deterioration alarm device, if the ECU outputs to the alarm lamp when the detected pressure becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined pressure, the same effect as that of the above embodiment can be obtained. A combination of a pressure switch and an alarm lamp may be adopted instead of the combination of the pressure sensor, the ECU and the alarm lamp.

Further, if the oil temperature or the engine speed is separately detected and output to the ECU to correct the flow rate or pressure detected by the flow rate measuring unit or the pressure sensor, the fine insoluble matter trapped by the fine insoluble matter trapping filter is captured. The dissolved amount can be grasped more accurately. Specifically, when the pressure is output to the ECU, the pressure is corrected by compensating the viscosity change or the like according to the oil temperature, or the pressure is corrected by compensating the flow rate change or the like according to the engine speed. This makes it possible to detect the amount of fine insoluble matter more accurately.

Further, although succinimide was used as the detergent dispersant in the above examples, the detergent dispersant is not particularly limited to this, and any succinimide may be used as long as it has a property of stably dispersing fine insoluble matter such as sludge. Good. Also in this case, the fine insoluble matter trapping filter is formed to have a size larger than the size of the micelle of the detergent-dispersant used and smaller than the size of the full flow element.

[0033]

As described in detail above, according to the oil deterioration detecting device of the present invention, the deterioration condition of oil can be accurately detected with a simple structure. Therefore, it is possible to detect the time immediately before the oil lubrication performance deteriorates as the oil change time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing a correlation between a fine insoluble matter amount and a traveling distance.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10, 50 ... Oil circulation path, 10b, 50b
... Bypass oil passage, 11, 51 ... Oil pan,
12,52 ... Oil pump, 13,53 ...
・ Oil filter, 13a ... Element, 1
4, 54 ... Engine lubrication section, 16 ... Fine insoluble matter capturing filter, 17, 57 ... Flow rate measuring section,
18, 58 ... ECU, 19, 59 ... Alarm lamp, 53a ... Full flow element,
53b ... bypass element,

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kaku Naito 1-1-1, Showa-cho, Kariya city, Aichi prefecture

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An oil deterioration detecting device for lubricating oil of an internal combustion engine, which is provided on a downstream side of an oil filter for removing insoluble matter in the oil or in parallel with the filter, wherein a filter is added to the oil. Fine insoluble matter trapping filter having a size larger than the micelles formed by the detergent dispersant and smaller than the filter mesh, and oil deterioration detection for detecting the amount of fine insoluble matter trapped by the fine insoluble matter trapping filter An oil deterioration detecting device comprising: