JPS61190106A - Lubrication warning device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent serious damage of engine due to abormal deterioration of lubricant by providing deterioration warning means for producing a lubrication warning signal upon opening of a relief valve arranged in the lubricant flow path to lubricant filtering means. CONSTITUTION:Lubricant filtering means or an oil filter 6 will remove and clearify the impurities or deteriorated matter in the engine oil. While a relief valve 9 will protect the oil filter 6 from breakdown due to clogging. A decision circuit 10 will decide the opening of relief valve 9. An arythmetic circuit 4 will execute correction and accumulation of running distance corresponding with a deterioration factor to produce a lubrication warning signal. While a warning lamp 5 will warn the lubrication. In such a manner, serious damage of engine due to abnormal deterioration of lubricant can be prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a lubricating oil change warning device for a vehicle that accurately warns the lubricating oil to be replaced when the lubricating oil has deteriorated abnormally.

(Prior Art) Lubricating oil used to lubricate moving parts such as a vehicle's engine and transmission deteriorates with use and needs to be replaced.

Traditionally, for example, the instruction manual requires that the engine oil be changed every certain mileage or period of time, and a label is posted in an easy-to-see place, but it is often forgotten. . If lubricating oil is used beyond its allowable deterioration level, it will interfere with its lubrication effect, so it is important to warn when it is time to replace it. It is not determined only by time, but is also greatly influenced by the usage status of the vehicle, so it is not appropriate to issue a warning based only on mileage or driving time.

Therefore, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-43299, physical quantities of driving that affect the degree of deterioration of lubricating oil, such as lubricating oil temperature and engine rotation speed, in addition to vehicle mileage and driving time, are detected moment by moment, and the detection results are reported. A warning device has been devised that adds up the lubricating oil and also integrates it over time, and issues a warning to change the lubricating oil when the integrated result reaches a predetermined deterioration tolerance limit value.

In this way, the usage status of the vehicle is taken into consideration and a fairly accurate warning of replacement timing is given.

On the other hand, since lubricating oil deteriorates over time regardless of vehicle operating conditions, the elapsed usage time of lubricating oil is accumulated, and a warning to change the lubricating oil is also issued when the accumulated value reaches an allowable limit value. It is preferable to do this, and in this way, a warning to change the lubricant will be issued based on the driving history for a vehicle with many miles traveled, and based on the elapsed usage time of the lubricant for a vehicle with little mileage. become. When the lubricating oil is replaced, the warning calculation result is cleared and the system returns to its original state.

By the way, lubricating oil such as engine oil may deteriorate abnormally depending on the engine structure, engine load, or outside temperature. This may cause serious damage to the engine, etc.

(Object and Structure of the Invention) The present invention focuses on the method of clogging the lubricating oil filtration means and opening the relief valve of the lubricating oil filtration means when the lubricating oil rapidly deteriorates and sludge etc. in the lubricating oil rapidly increases. , was created to solve the above problem, and the purpose is to accurately warn that the lubricating oil should be replaced when it has deteriorated abnormally.To achieve this purpose, the oil temperature setting temperature of the lubricating oil As described above, when the relief valve provided in the lubricating oil flow path to the lubricating oil filtering means opens, a warning for lubricating oil replacement is issued.

(Example) The present invention will be explained below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle lubricating oil change warning device according to the present invention.

In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the lubricating oil is engine oil, using engine rotation speed, vehicle speed, and oil temperature as physical quantities that change depending on the driving state of the vehicle.

In the figure, 1 is a crank angle sensor that detects engine rotation speed, 2 is a vehicle speed sensor that detects vehicle speed, 3 is an oil temperature sensor that detects engine oil temperature, and = 3 - 4 is a deterioration coefficient for each physical quantity in advance. 4x is a calculation circuit that corrects and integrates the mileage according to the deterioration coefficient, compares it with the limit value, and outputs an oil change warning signal if the integrated value is larger; 5 is an oil change warning. It's a lamp.

On the other hand, 6 is an oil filter as a lubricating oil filtration means for removing and purifying impurities and altered substances in engine oil; 7.8
9 is an engine oil passage, and 9 is used to prevent oil filter 6 from being damaged by pushing down ball 9a to release the pressure when oil filter 6 becomes clogged and there is a difference in fluid pressure between oil passages 7 and 8. It is a relief valve for I
Reference numeral 0 denotes a determination circuit that determines whether the relief valve 9 has opened due to the depression of the ball 9a, and is comprised of a relay as will be described later. The oil temperature sensor 3 is provided in the oil passage 7 near the oil filter 6 or the relief valve 9a.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the lubricating oil warning operation of one embodiment of the lubricating oil change warning device according to Zero' invention.

Perform initial settings at the time of factory shipment (F-1). When the driver gets in the car, turn the ignition key to ACC (accessory)
When turned to the position, the operation of the warning lamp is confirmed (F-2),
Then turn the ignition key to 5TART (start)
Turn it to the position to start the engine and drive off. During driving, the output from various sensors that detect driving conditions such as crank angle sensor 1, vehicle speed sensor 2, and oil temperature sensor 3 are read (F-
3) Multiply each output by the determined oil deterioration weighting coefficient K! (F-4), thus correct the actual mileage y (F-5), and calculate the driving history Y by integrating (F-6).
). On the other hand, the elapsed usage time after initial settings is accumulated (F-
7).

When the accumulated driving history value Y or the accumulated value t of elapsed usage time calculated in this way exceeds the limit value Yc or tc (F-8, F-9), the calculation circuit 4 outputs a warning signal for oil change. and lights up warning lamp 5 (F-10)
. Memorize whether the integrated value Y is larger or smaller than the limit value Yc (F-11), and then when the driver turns the ignition key to the OFF position, check to see if there is an oil change warning (F-12). , If a warning has been issued, the driver should change the oil (F-13), and then reset the driving history cumulative value Y and the cumulative usage time t (F-13).
-14).

When the oil change warning is not issued (F-12), the process returns to step (F-2) and the above steps are repeated.

After confirming the operation of the warning lamp in step (F-2), the ignition key is turned to the 5TART position to start the engine and it is determined whether or not the relief valve 9 is open (F-15). (This determination will be described later.) If the opening occurs, a replacement warning is issued by lighting the warning lamp 5 (F-10>).

FIG. 2 shows a circuit for determining whether the relief valve is open or not. In the figures, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 indicate the same components.

The relief valve 9 is configured such that a conductive outer cylinder 92 is housed within an insulating sleeve 91, and a conductor is formed inside the conductive outer cylinder 92. A spacer 94 is provided at the bottom of the conductive outer cylinder 92. When the ball 9a is in the uppermost position, it comes into contact with the upper constriction of the conductive outer cylinder 92, and an electrical connection is established between the two. The insulating sleeve 91 serves to electrically insulate the conductive outer cylinder 92 of the relief valve 9 from the outer block and further from the oil filter housing.

11 is a battery power source of the vehicle, 12 is an amplifier that amplifies the signal detected by the oil temperature sensor 3, and 13 is a relay. The determination circuit 10 is composed of a normally closed relay, one end of which is connected to the ball 9a of the relief valve 9, the other end is grounded, and one end of the normally closed contact 10b is connected to the relay 13.
is connected to the contact point 13b of the relief valve 9 and the conductive outer cylinder 92 of the relief valve 9, and the other end is connected to the warning lamp 5.

In FIG. 2, when the oil filter is not clogged and is functioning normally, the hydraulic pressures of the oil flowing through the oil passages 7 and 8 are approximately equal, so the relief valve 9 is closed. Therefore, the conductive outer cylinder 92 of the relief valve 9 and the conductive ball 9a are electrically connected.

On the other hand, the output signal of the oil temperature sensor 3 is amplified by the amplifier 12, and when the oil temperature exceeds a certain set temperature (for example, 30° C.), a current of a predetermined value or more flows through the coil 13a of the relay 13, and the contact 13b closes.

Therefore, when the engine oil temperature is below the set temperature and the oil filter is functioning normally, the contact 13b of the relay 13 is open and the warning lamp 5 does not light up.

However, when the engine oil temperature exceeds the set temperature, the contact 13b of the relay 13 closes. At this time, since the oil pressures in the oil passages 7 and 8 are approximately equal, the relief valve 9 remains closed, and as a result, the harness 14a, the conductive outer cylinder 92. Ball 9a.

A conductive path consisting of harness 14b is formed, and contact 10b of relay 10 is open. If the oil fill 9 becomes clogged with sludge or the like in this state, the oil pressure will differ between the oil passages 7 and 8, and if the difference exceeds a specified value, the ball 9a of the relief valve 9 will be pushed down, and the relief valve 9 will be pushed down. will be released. As a result, the harness 14a that had been formed until then, the conductive outer cylinder 92. The conductive path passing through the ball 9a and the harness 14b is interrupted. For this purpose, the normally closed contact 10b of the determination circuit 10 is closed, and the relief valve 9
When it is determined that the warning lamp 5 is open, the warning lamp 5 is energized from the power source 11 and turned on.

In this case, it is conceivable to provide a differential circuit so that the warning lamp 5 does not light up due to instantaneous opening due to vibrations of the vehicle, pulsation of the oil pump, or the like.

For reference, the increase in pressure in the oil passage 7 due to clogging of the oil filter is only 0.2 to 0.4 kg/- even after running for tens of thousands of miles.

However, when sludge begins to accumulate in the oil, the amount increases to several thousand meters.
Even when driving, the weight is over 1 kg/-, and the relief valve 9 is closed.
remains open.

By the way, engine oil has a high viscosity at low temperatures, so its fluidity is low, and when it is pumped, the relief valve 9 may open regardless of whether the oil filter is clogged. Even if the relief valve 9 opens below the temperature, the contact 13b of the relay 13 is not closed, so the warning lamp 5 does not light up.

In this way, when the oil filter 9 becomes clogged when the engine oil temperature is higher than the set temperature, the warning lamp 5 is turned on to indicate that the engine oil has deteriorated abnormally due to sludge. It can encourage exchange.

Note that oil deterioration in such a case is different from the deterioration limit based on driving history or elapsed oil use time, so a warning lamp may be flashed to distinguish the oil deterioration.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the relief valve.

In this embodiment, a relief hole 16 is formed in the oil filter mounting block 15, a bimetal valve 17 is attached to the oil passage 7 side of the relief hole 16, and the relief hole 16 is closed with a projection 17a attached to the head of the bimetal valve 17. It is composed of

When the oil temperature is lower than the set temperature (for example, 30° C.), the bimetal valve 17 is bent upward and the protrusion 17a is separated from the relief hole 16, so that the oil passes through the relief hole 16 and escapes into the passage 8. Therefore, the relief valve 9 does not open.

However, when the oil temperature exceeds the set temperature, the bimetal valve 17 does not warp and the relief hole 16 remains closed. If the oil filter becomes clogged in this state, the ball 9a is pushed down due to the hydraulic pressure difference and the relief valve 9 is opened.

By providing the bimetal valve 17 and the relief hole 16 in this way, the relief valve 9 is opened by the liquid pressure only when the oil temperature is higher than the set temperature, so the relay of the embodiment shown in FIG. 13° amplifier 12. Oil temperature sensor 3
becomes unnecessary.

Note that a valve that opens and closes depending on the oil temperature, such as a wax valve, may be used instead of the bimetal valve.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, in the present invention, when the relief valve opens when the lubricating oil temperature exceeds the set temperature, it is determined that the lubricating oil has deteriorated abnormally and a warning to replace it is issued. Therefore, serious damage to the engine due to abnormal deterioration of the lubricating oil will not occur.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a lubricating oil change warning device for a vehicle according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is an electric circuit of the main part of the VT device shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a lubrication oil change warning device according to the embodiment. The flowchart of the oil change warning operation, FIG. 4, shows a modification of the relief valve forming a part of the lubricating oil change warning device according to the present invention. 1... Crank angle sensor, 2... Vehicle speed sensor, 3...
...Oil temperature sensor, 4...Arithmetic circuit, 5...Warning lamp, 6...Oil filter, 7.8...Oil passage, relief valve, 9a...Ball, 10...Judgment Circuit, 11...power supply, 13...relay.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A predetermined physical quantity that changes depending on the driving condition of the vehicle is detected, the physical quantity is added up based on a predetermined calculation formula, and then integrated over time. When the integrated value exceeds a predetermined limit value, lubricating oil is replaced. In vehicle lubricant change warning devices that issue warnings,
A deterioration warning means is provided which outputs a warning signal for lubricant replacement when the temperature of the lubricating oil is higher than a set temperature and a relief valve provided in the lubricating oil flow path to the lubricating oil filtering means is opened. A lubricating oil change warning device for vehicles.