FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lubrication system for lubricating lube points
on the moving automobile components. More particularly, the invention relates
to system and method for electrically controlling frequency of flow of lubricating
oil and quantity of lubricating oil flowing into the multiple lube points located on
the moving automobile components without the use of a power source.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Lubrication is an important aspect of maintaining automobile machinery in proper
operating condition. Machine elements such as bearings, journals, brakes,
steering gears, shafts, ball joints and joints require proper lubrication between
their moving surfaces to decrease friction, prevent contamination, reduce wear
and dissipate heat. Improper lubrication is likely to lead to premature component
wear and component or system failure. Thus, in the automotive industry periodic
and timely lubrication of the multiple friction points in an automobile which all
have different tribological requirements is of utmost significance in order to
ensure reliability in terms of factors such as lasting temperature resistance, noise
damping or excellent friction values for the full lifetime of the automobile.
Conventional method for lubrication of moving components on automobile
machinery involves manual greasing of the moving components is well known in
the art. Further, advancement in the field led to the usage of automatic greasing
systems which may be based on pumping compressed air to deliver grease
through a network of piping to vital points on machinery for lubrication.
However, all these conventionally existing systems fail to address the necessity
3
for periodic and optimal requirement of greasing which varies substantially with
automobile usage. Another impediment of using the existing systems lies in the
incapacity of said systems in optimally deciding the frequency of lubricant that
should be applied on to the lube points of the moving parts of the automobile.
The other drawback of the conventional systems lie in the application of grease
as the lubricant on the multiple lube points of the moving parts of the
automobile. Few of the shortcomings of using grease as a lubricating agent are
(i) usage of grease as a lubricant would require leaving out empty pockets
between automobile components for its retention, (ii) due to inability of grease
to flow freely; thermal convection doesn’t take place and hence increases the risk
of heat induced oxidation and additive depletion, (iii) instable viscosity of grease
leads to wetness which further leads to dirt and mud accumulation if excessive
grease is used, (iv) churning of grease in gears and bearings results in high
energy-consumption losses and heat generation, (v) grease employs thickeners
in their formulation which increases the risk of incompatible thickeners clashing,
causing changes in grease consistency and other problems, (vi) grease
permanently suspends contaminants such as water and dirt and hence may not
transport the contaminants to filers, separators and settling zones, (vii) grease
must be repacked periodically, which involves a considerable cost associated with
labor, material and downtime and most importantly the grease volume is nearly
impossible to monitor and control leading to over- and under greasing which in
turn become the common causes of automobile component failures. Thus, there
is a dire need to develop an automated system ensures supply of optimum
amount of lubricant into multiple lube points of an automobile component,
periodic flow of lubricant into the lube points by employing a suitable lubricant
while reducing the complexity of the lubricant dispensing system.
4
When determining the optimal lubrication between moving automobile
components, many factors should be considered. These factors include but not
limited to the mode of operation of the machine, the type of automobile
component to be lubricated, the environment of the automobile, the operating
speed of the machine, the lubricant's viscosity, the lubricant's temperature, the
lubricant's composition, and the lubricant's condition.
In CN2652827Y is disclosed a system for pumping grease into the lube points of
an automobile. The aforesaid system utilizes two pumps in order to pump the
lubricant into the lube points, thereby increasing the system complexity.
Moreover, the lubrication frequency is preset in controller and hence cannot be
adapted to optimally adjusting the lubricating frequency based on the factors as
enumerated above. Another Chinese patent CN203450061U utilizes energy
system from hydraulic system to pump the lubricant where the lubricant being
used is oil. Further, the invention uses injection cylinders at lube points.
Additionally, the valves being used in the invention is placed before the end
distributors, hence increasing the need to use more number of valves. In yet
another Chinese patent CN203450061U, the disclosure proposes a system which
again utilizes energy from the hydraulic system to pump grease into the lube
points. The invention uses electronic timer to adjust the frequency of injection of
the grease into the lube points. Further, the system implements solenoid valves
connected to electronic timers which are pre-adjusted to switch on and off the
solenoid valve motors.
Further, US1987619A is generally related to means to automatically deliver a
lubricant (oil) to various parts required to be lubricated-in a machine and more
particularly is designed for lubricating various elements ‘in the '5 chassis of a
motor driven vehicle and to be driven from any convenient movable part
5
appurtenant to the chassis. However, the invention nowhere discloses the
mechanism to determine the optimal lubrication between moving automobile
components.
Furthermore, US6085869A is related to modular combined grease oil system for
lubricating moveable parts of a machine and for recovering oil for reuse. The
system includes a lubrication unit for automatically applying a lubricant such as
grease to various points on a machine, such as the clamping unit of an injection
molding machine, after a predetermined number of operation cycles. However,
the invention nowhere discloses the mechanism to determine the optimal
lubrication between moving automobile components. Additionally, the aforesaid
patent system uses a pump i.e. artificial draft for forced lubrication (electric
pump/air operated pump) without usage of engine speed in determining the
frequency of lubrication.
Further, US9399934 discloses a lubricant system for an unmanned aerial vehicle
(UAV) engine and lubrication oil heating strategy uses a solenoid actuated
electric oil pump to deliver lubrication oil to the engine from a lubrication oil
reservoir by energizing and de-energizing the solenoid to operate a pump
mechanism of the electric oil pump. The aforesaid system a controller (ECU) for
controlling the operation of electric oil pump only consider limited factors for
controlling the operation of electric pump such as speed and air temperature.
Still further, US9399934 is limited to controlling the lubrication interval of the
engine and does not disclose the mechanism to regulate the frequency of flow of
lubricating oil to multiple lube points on the moving components of the
automobiles. The aforesaid patent application uses a pump i.e. e. artificial draft
for forced lubrication. Further, said disclosed system uses engine speed to vary
6
time for which the solenoid is energized i.e. amount of lubricant flowing. The
aforesaid disclosure does not change the frequency of lubrication.
Furthermore, US20100163327A1 proposes a system and method of operating
electronic oil pump where electronic oil pump is connected to an engine by
means of a fluid coupling for delivering lubricant to the engine. The system
implements an electrically connected to the electronic oil pump for controlling
actuation of the electronic oil pump aforesaid system a controller (ECU) however
only considers limited factors for controlling the operation of electric pump such
as speed and air temperature. Still further, US9399934 is limited to controlling
the lubrication interval of the engine and does not disclose the mechanism to
regulate the frequency of flow of lubricating oil to multiple lube points on the
moving components of the automobiles. Additionally, said invention utilizes
gravity which is limited to feeding lubricant to the component but is not utilized
in the manner to obviate the need to deploy pumps in the operation.
Further, US9109748B2 discloses inter alia a mechanism to control the lubrication
supplied to the bearing system which is based on the ‘spike energy value’ which
may be caused by low lubrication levels in a bearing system, temperature
overheating, excessive loading, unbalance, misalignment, looseness. The system
also ensures that that time intervals between lubrications are recorded.
However, the above system fails to come up with a mechanism for providing
customized lubrication intervals for the multiple components on the automobile
prone to friction. Additionally, the system is based on a different mechanism i.e.
vibration sensing (the vibration amplitude).
Furthermore, US5878842A teaches a volumetric lubricant dispensing apparatus
for delivering a precise volume of lubricant, such as oil, to a rotating machine
7
element. The delivery mechanism includes a piston and cylinder assembly.
Further, the system utilizes a plurality of sensors to record operating conditions
of the machine, element, environment, and lubricant where apparatus is
controlled either manually or with the aid of a controller unit such as a
microprocessor. However, yet again the system fails to come up with come up
with a mechanism for providing customized lubrication intervals for the multiple
components on the automobile prone to friction.
Thus, it is highly desirable to be able to develop an automated lubricated system
adapted to determine optimum amount of lubricating oil to be supplied to each
individual moving automobile component needing lubrication and supply the
lubricant at the determined lubricating interval for each moving automobile
component while reducing the complexity of the lubricant dispensing system.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to overcome the aforementioned and other
drawbacks existing in prior art systems and methods.
More particularly, it is an object of the invention is to develop a system for
automatically controlling the amount and frequency of flow of lubricating oil into
multiple lube points of an automobile based on hours of operation of the engine.
Still another object of the invention is to develop a method for automatically
controlling the amount and frequency of flow of lubricating oil into multiple lube
points of an automobile based on hours of operation of the engine.
Further object of the invention is to provide lubrication without the use of
external power source i.e. via natural draft (gravity).
8
Yet another object of the invention is to design a technique for determining the
minimum height at which the lubricating oil storage sub-tank should be placed
above the lube points.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be
apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following detailed
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a
preferred form of the present invention is illustrated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
The present application discloses an auto-lubrication system for regulating
frequency of flow of lubricating oil into an automobile having plurality of lube
points (X,Y,Z) to be lubricated. The system further includes a lubricating oil
storage sub-tank (2) configurably positioned at a minimum height (H) which is
higher than the multiple lube points (X,Y,Z), thereby ensuring feeding of the
lubricating oil to multiple lube points (X,Y,Z) via gravity through plurality of flow
pipes (10,11,12). Furthermore, the system includes an electro-control unit (ECU,
6) configured to electrically control duration of actuation of the multiple
controlling devices (9) based on one or more inputs from an engine (5) disposed
in the automobile. Further, the system includes multiple valves (8) configured to
control flow of the lubricating oil to corresponding each of the multiple lube
points (X,Y,Z). In an aspect, the frequency of flow of the lubricating oil into each
of the multiple lube points (X,Y,Z) is based on lubrication intervals. Further, in
another embodiment, the controlling devices (9) are configured for electronically
controlling opening and closing of a plurality of valves (8).
In another aspect, the present application discloses a method for regulating
frequency of flow of lubricating oil into an automobile having plurality of lube
9
points (X,Y,Z) to be lubricated. The method further includes configuring
positioning of a lubricating oil storage sub-tank (2) at a minimum height (H)
which is higher than the multiple lube points (X,Y,Z), thereby ensuring feeding
of the lubricating oil to the multiple lube points (X,Y,Z) via gravity through
multiple flow pipes (10,11,12). Furthermore, the method includes electrically
controlling duration of actuation of a plurality of controlling devices based on one
or more inputs from engine (5) disposed in the automobile, by an electro-control
unit (ECU,6). Moreover, the method includes controlling flow of the lubricating oil
by multiple valves (8) to each of the corresponding lube points (X,Y,Z). In an
embodiment, frequency and amount of the flow of the lubricating oil into each of
the lube points (X,Y,Z) is based on lubrication intervals.
The above and additional advantages of the present invention will become
apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed
description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The drawings refer to embodiments of the invention in which:
Fig.1 illustrates a wired block diagram of an Auto-lubricating system configured
to electronically regulate frequency of lubricant flowing into the automobile lube
points (X,Y,Z) according to an embodiment of the invention.
Fig.2 illustrates a lubricating oil storage sub-tank (2) configurably positioned at a
minimum height required for functioning of the system disclosed in Fig.1.
Fig.3 is a flowchart illustrating working of the Electro-Control Unit (ECU,6).
10
Fig.4a illustrates a categorization of the lube points (X,Y,Z) according to an
embodiment of the invention.
Fig.4b illustrates another categorization of the lube points (X,Y,Z) according to
an embodiment of the invention.
Fig.4c illustrates yet another categorization of the lube points (X,Y,Z) according
to an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE
INVENTION
Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the
art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely
exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structure. While
the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed
without departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims.
It will be apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present
invention may be practiced without specific details of the well known
components and techniques. In other instances, well known components or
methods have not been described in detail but rather in Figures in order to avoid
unnecessarily obscuring the present invention. Further specific numeric
references should not be interpreted as a literal sequential order. Thus, the
specific details set forth are merely exemplary. The specific details may be varied
from and still be contemplated to be within the scope of the present invention.
The features discussed in an embodiment may be implemented in another
embodiment.
11
Moreover occasional references to the conventional lubricating systems are made
in order to better distinguish the present inventive disclosure discussed later in
greater detail. Few of the details pertaining to the locking mechanism are wellknown
in the art, and therefore, are described herein only in the detail required
to fully disclose the present invention.
Improving upon the conventional techniques discussed at length above
(background), in the present disclosure the novel and inventive system disclosed
in the present invention clearly makes the Auto-lubricating system and method
as disclosed in the present application advantageous over the existing arts as
would also become clearer to the knowledgeable in the art with the particulars of
the aforesaid techniques being described below in greater detail.
Turning now to Figures, Fig. 1 shows a wired block diagram of an Autolubricating
system configured to electronically regulate frequency of lubricant
flowing into the automobile lube points according to an embodiment of the
invention. In an embodiment, the aforesaid system includes a lubricating oil
storage sub-tank (2) configurably positioned at a minimum height which is
higher than the multiple lube points, thereby ensuring feeding of the lubricating
oil to the multiple lube points via gravity through flow pipes (10,11,12). In an
embodiment, the flow pipes (10, 11, 12) feed the lubricating oil to the lube
points/lubrications points on an automobile via valves.
Further, in an aspect, the aforesaid system includes an electro-control unit
(ECU,6) configured to electrically control duration of actuation of a multiple
controlling devices based on one or more inputs from an engine disposed in the
automobile. In another embodiment the controlling devices may be
12
electromechanically and electrically controlled devices (9) including but not
limited to such as, for example, servomotors and solenoid valves.
Furthermore, in another embodiment the valves are configured to control flow of
the lubricating oil to corresponding each of the lube points (X, Y, Z). In an
aspect, the frequency of flow of the lubricating oil into each of the lube points
(X,Y,Z) is based on lubrication intervals. In an aspect, X,Y,Z may be three sets
comprising of multiple lube points each. In another aspect, X,Y,Z may refer to
lube points with different needs of lubrication in terms of: frequency of
lubrication and quantity of lubricant needed per lubricating cycle where the
quantity of lubricant needed per lubricating cycle is in essence regulated by
regulating time of opening and closing of the valves (8). In another embodiment,
the controlling devices (9) are configured for electronically controlling opening
and closing of the valves (8). In another aspect, the lubrication intervals are
categorized into very frequent lube points, moderately frequent lube points and
less frequent lube points. Further, in a preferred embodiment, the lubrication
intervals are determined by the ECU (6) based on the number of hours of
working of the engine (5) which represents duration of engine operation, thereby
also facilitating in controlling of the opening and closing of the valves (8). In an
embodiment, the ECU (6) controls opening and closing of the valves by
controlling duration of actuation of the controlling devices which in turn controls
opening and closing of the valves. In another embodiment, the ECU (6) is
electrically connected to the oil storage sub-tank for receiving lubricating oil level
values. In yet another embodiment, the ECU (6) electrically connected to a
display device for generating alerts based on the conditions including but not
limited to low lubricating oil levels and malfunctioning of the auto-lubrication
system. In an aspect, the system also has a By-pass push button (4) electrically
connected to the ECU (6) for instant lubricating of the lube points in event of
prolonged in-operation of the automobile.
13
Fig.2 shows a lubricating oil storage sub-tank (2) configurably positioned at a
minimum height required for functioning of the system disclosed in the present
invention. The “minimum height (H)” of the lubricating oil storage sub-tank is
designed for ensuring efficient functioning of the proposed system. The design
for the “minimum height (H)” requirement is discussed below.
By Bernoulli’s Equation,
-------------(I)
g = acceleration due to gravity
(portion of energy (head) which is lost to
resistance to flow)
For Point 01,
P1 = O (Open to atmosphere)
V1= V (Velocity of flow in pipe)
h1= H + h (Total potential head from Datum)
For Point 02,
P2 = O (Open to atmosphere)
V2=V (Velocity of flow in pipe)
h2 = 0 (Datum)
14
Substituting these values in (I), we get:
H + h = ΔH
For the worst case scenario, oil level is taken as minimum (i.e. oil tank is near
empty).
i.e. h =0
Therefore, H = ΔH
Hence, minimum height required is equal to head loss.
Calculation for Head Losses
As flow velocity is low (˜1 ml/sec), Flow is considered laminar
Therefore, h = Losses due to viscosity (Lv) + Losses due to bends (LB)
+Losses due to temperature change (LT)
Losses due to viscocity
f = Friction factor
L = Length of Pipe
V = Velocity of fluid
d = Diameter of Pipe
Losses due to Bends
k = Bend Loss factor
Losses due to Temperature Change ≈ 0
Reason: As temperature increases, viscosity decreases hence flow rate would
only increase which is a clear benefit.
15
Hence, substituting values to derive the value of H,
where:
μ = Coefficient of Viscosity
F = Flow Rate
Substituting the value of = 3.1416, g = 9.81 m/s2& and rounding off to 2-
digits, we get:
“H” corresponds to minimum Height required for system to function.
Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating working of the Electro-Control Unit (ECU) module
as implemented in the proposed system. The ECU takes input from engine in the
form of engine running hours. In one preferred embodiment, a pre-selected
mode by the user also affects the frequency of lubrication i.e. based on usage on
road, field or stationary mode. The description of different modes is as follows:
16
1. Road Mode: The vehicle is running on road. Category Z lubricant points
require frequent lubrication whereas other categories (X,Y) require less
frequency of lubrication due to no or little presence of mud and dust.
2. Field Mode: The vehicle is running in field i.e. performing field functions.
All three categories require extensive lubrication, especially those directly
exposed to mud and dust.
3. Stationary Mode: The engine is kept running while the vehicle is not
moving, (For e.g. in case of Gensets usage or water pumps, where only the PTO
power of tractor is used). In this case, lubricating points need to be lubricated at
a minimum.
Further, different components need different quantity of lubrication based on the
application i.e. road mode, field mode and stationary mode. In an embodiment,
quantity of lubricant dispensed remains constant once the mode is selected. This
would help in optimization of lubrication frequency and quantity according to the
application of the vehicle.
In another embodiment, the ECU is configured to operate at plurality of modes;
where in each mode represents a set of instructions about the frequency of
lubrication to each of the lube points (X,Y,Z) and the amount of time the valves
(8) are to be kept open. Each modes defines the frequency at which of
lubrication should happen based on the engine hour reading. The modes are
chosen by the operator according to his working needs.
Thus, the lubrication interval is defined by two inputs: one selection by the user
and other the engine reading. However, the mode selection by the user can be
optional and the ECU can be made to work purely on a single input of engine
hours.
17
The ECU consists of ‘n’ timers, each corresponding to a particular category of
lubricating points. In the figure, the lubrication points have been divided on 3
categories (X, Y, Z). Hence, 3 timers receive a collective input of engine working
hours and based on a pre-set lubrication interval (fixed or according to mode
selected by the user or fixed). After each output to relay, the timer is reset.
Further, when the by-pass button is pressed, take place the two processes which
take place are:
1. All three valves are opened
2. All ECU timers are reset.
Furthermore, Fig. 4a-4c illustrates various lube points according to an exemplary
embodiment of the invention. In an embodiment, the figures show 21 lube
points on a tractor and categorize them to determine the frequency of lubrication
i.e. number of times the point is lubricated in a given time and the amount of
lubrication required for the 21 lube points.
More particularly, Fig. 4a illustrates a categorization of the lube points according
to an embodiment of the invention. The Front axles, front axle hubs and the rear
wheel hubs put together are 6 in number and based on the estimation by the
ECU which is further based on the number of hours of working of the engine is
determined that the aforesaid lube points require less frequent lubrication and
high quantity of lubricant.
More particularly, Fig. 4b illustrates another categorization of the lube points
according to an embodiment of the invention. The steering ball joints, brake
shaft mounts, axle beam assembly and steering cylinders, leveling rod (left),
leveling rods (right) and top links put together are 11 in number and based on
the estimation by the ECU which is further based on the number of hours of
18
working of the engine is determined that the aforesaid lube points require
moderately frequent lubrication and moderate quantity of lubricant.
More particularly, Fig. 4c illustrates yet another categorization of the lube points
according to an embodiment of the invention. The brake pedal boss (left and
right), clutch pedal boss (1), C.A. shafts put together are 6 in number and based
on the estimation by the ECU which is further based on the number of hours of
working of the engine determines that the aforesaid lube points require highly
frequent lubrication and less quantity of lubricant.
Further, in an embodiment, the present invention implements a method for
regulating frequency of flow of lubricating oil into an automobile having lube
points to be lubricated. The method, in an embodiment includes the steps of
configuring positioning of a lubricating oil storage sub-tank at a minimum height
which is higher than the lube points, thereby ensuring feeding of the lubricating
oil to the lube points via gravity through flow pipes followed by electrically
controlling duration of actuation of a plurality of controlling devices based on one
or more inputs from engine disposed in the automobile, by an electro-control
unit (ECU) and controlling, by the valves (8) flow of the lubricating oil to
corresponding each of the lube points (X,Y,Z), where the frequency of the flow
of the lubricating oil into each of the plurality of lube points is based on
lubrication intervals.
In another embodiment, the controlling devices are configured for electronically
controlling opening and closing of the valves. In another aspect, the lubrication
intervals are categorized into very frequent lube points, moderately frequent lube
points and less frequent lube points. Further, in a preferred embodiment, the
lubrication intervals are determined by the ECU (6) based on the number of
hours of working of the engine which represents duration of engine operation,
19
thereby also facilitating in controlling of the opening and closing of the valves
(8). In an embodiment, the ECU (6) controls opening and closing of the valves
by controlling duration of actuation of the controlling devices (9) which in turn
controls opening and closing of the valves (8). In another embodiment, the ECU
(6) is electrically connected to the oil storage sub-tank (2) for receiving
lubricating oil level values. In yet another embodiment, the ECU (6) electrically
connected to a display device for generating alerts based on the conditions
including but not limited to low lubricating oil levels and malfunctioning of the
auto-lubrication system. In an aspect, the system also has a By-pass push button
(4) electrically connected to the ECU (6) for instant lubricating of the lube points
(X,Y,Z) in event of prolonged in-operation of the automobile.
Furthermore, the proposed system implements techniques based on the hours of
engine operation (E.g. Even If an engine runs with different speeds (say one at
100 rpm and other at 200 rpm, the frequency of lubrication will be same for
both. The proposed system uses ‘Hours used per unit time’ values to vary
frequency of lubrication.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention.
Furthermore, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to
those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact
construction and operation shown and described. While the preferred
embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing
from the invention, which is defined by the claims.

WE CLAIM:
1. An automatic-lubrication system for regulating frequency of flow and
quantity of lubricating oil flowing into an automobile having plurality of
lube points (X,Y,Z) to be lubricated, the system comprising:
a lubricating oil storage sub-tank (2) configurably positioned
at a minimum height (H) which is higher than the plurality of lube
points (X,Y,Z), thereby ensuring feeding of the lubricating oil to
the plurality of lube points (X,Y,Z) via gravity through plurality of
flow pipes (10,11,12);
an electro-control unit (ECU,6) configured to electrically
control duration of actuation of a plurality of controlling devices (9)
based on one or more inputs from an engine (5) disposed in the
automobile; and
a plurality of valves (8) configured to control frequency of
flow and quantity of the lubricating oil into each of the
corresponding plurality of lube points (X,Y,Z),wherein the frequency
of flow of the lubricating oil into each of the plurality of lube points
(X,Y,Z) is based on lubrication intervals, wherein the quantity of the
lubricating oil dispensed into each of the plurality of lube points
(X,Y,Z) is based on the pre-selected mode and wherein the plurality
of controlling devices (9) are configured for electronically
controlling opening and closing of the plurality of valves (8).
21
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lubrication intervals,
determined by the ECU (6) is categorized into: lube points requiring less
frequent lubrication and high quantity of lubricant, lube points requiring
moderately frequent lubrication and moderate quantity of lubricant and
lube points requiring highly frequent lubrication and less quantity of
lubricant.
3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frequency of flow of the
lubricating oil into each of the plurality of lube points (X,Y,Z) is further
based on a pre-selected mode among a plurality of modes.
4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ECU (6) is further
electrically connected to the oil storage sub-tank (2) for receiving
lubricating oil level values;
5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ECU (6) is further
electrically connected to a display device (3) for generating alerts based
on at least one of low lubricating oil level and malfunctioning of the autolubrication
system.
6. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a By-pass push
button (4) electrically connected to the ECU (6) for instant lubricating of
the lube points (X,Y,Z) in event of prolonged in-operation of the
automobile.
7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more inputs from
the engine (5) comprises one or more engine hour readings representing
duration of engine operation.
22
8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of controlling
devices (8) comprises at least one of servomotors and solenoid valves.
9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of modes
comprises road mode, field mode and stationary mode.
10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the minimum height (H) is
designed based on the relationship:
in which:
4.15 designates a constant, designates the coefficient of viscosity, F
designates the flow rate, L designates the length of pipe, designates the
density of lubricating oil, d designates the diameter of the pipe, 0.81
designates a constant, and k designates the bend loss factor.
11. A method for regulating frequency of flow and quantity of lubricating
oil flowing into an automobile having plurality of lube points (X,Y,Z) to be
lubricated, the method comprising:
configuring positioning of a lubricating oil storage sub-tank (2) at a
minimum height (H) which is higher than the plurality of lube points
(X,Y,Z), thereby ensuring feeding of the lubricating oil to the plurality of
lube points (X,Y,Z) via gravity through plurality of flow pipes (10,11,12);
23
electrically controlling duration of actuation of a plurality of controlling
devices (9) based on one or more inputs from engine (5) disposed in the
automobile; and
controlling, by a plurality of valves (8), frequency of flow and quantity of
the lubricating oil into each of the corresponding plurality of lube points
(X,Y,Z), wherein frequency of the flow of the lubricating oil into each of
the plurality of lube points (X,Y,Z) is based on lubrication intervals,
and wherein the quantity of the lubricating oil dispensed into each of the
plurality of lube points (X,Y,Z) is based on the pre-selected mode.
12. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the lubrication intervals is
categorized into: lube points requiring less frequent lubrication and high
quantity of lubricant, lube points requiring moderately frequent lubrication
and moderate quantity of lubricant and lube points requiring highly
frequent lubrication and less quantity of lubricant.
13. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frequency of flow of the
lubricating oil into each of the plurality of lube points (X,Y,Z) is further
based on a pre-selected mode among a plurality of modes.
14. The method as claimed in claim 9, comprising receiving values of the
lubricating oil, by the ECU (6) from the oil storage sub-tank (2).
15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of modes
comprises road mode, field mode and stationary mode.
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16. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the plurality of controlling
devices (8) comprises at least one of servomotors and solenoid valves.
17. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the minimum height (H) is
designed based on the relationship:
in which:
4.15 designates a constant, designates the coefficient of viscosity, F
designates the flow rate, L designates the length of pipe, designates the
density of lubricating oil, d designates the diameter of the pipe, 0.81
designates a constant, and k designates the bend loss factor.
Automatic lubrication system and method for regulating frequency and
quantity of lubricant supplied to the automobile lube points.