JPH0311728Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] "Industrial application field" This invention is applicable to problems with lubricating oil, such as deterioration of lubricating oil used in machinery and equipment, and an increase in the amount of foreign substances such as metal wear particles in lubricating oil. The present invention relates to a light transmission type lubricating oil abnormality detector that transmits light through lubricating oil and detects from the transmitted light.

"Conventional technology" Lubricating oil is widely used in the sliding parts of mechanical equipment to reduce friction between two solid bodies, thereby reducing wear and heat generation. is considered very important. This deterioration of lubricating oil leads to poor lubrication of the sliding parts of mechanical equipment, leading to abnormal wear of parts.
It is a major cause of equipment failure, and when abnormal wear occurs on the sliding parts of mechanical equipment, metal wear particles and the like will be dispersed in the lubricating oil. Therefore, detecting the degree of abnormality in the lubricating oil used in mechanical equipment makes it possible to discover abnormalities in the sliding parts of mechanical equipment before they lead to serious equipment failures, and improves the stability of mechanical equipment. This is a very effective method for measuring driving.

However, conventional methods for detecting the degree of abnormality in lubricating oil include, for example, passing lubricating oil through a very fine filter, trapping foreign matter such as metal wear particles in the oil, and The amount of foreign matter such as metal wear powder was measured by observing and measuring the amount of particles. This method was very time-consuming due to the amount of lubricating oil and lacked quantitative properties.

The transmission of light has also been used to detect abnormalities in lubricating oil. However, there are a wide variety of lubricating oils actually used in the field, and the permeability of the lubricating oil also varies depending on the type of oil, and the optimal lubricating oil is selected depending on the type of mechanical elements in the lubricated part of mechanical equipment and the lubrication conditions. has been done. The absorbance of fresh lubricating oil differs depending on the type of lubricating oil, as shown in FIG. FIG. 6 shows the absorbance of new lubricating oils A to M when the absorbance of lubricating oil A is 0 and the absorbance is 100% when the completely light-shielded state, that is, the amount of transmitted light is 0 (dark state), is 100%. For example, lubricant K
has a significantly higher absorbance than lubricating oil A, and even if the two lubricating oils are the same in terms of light transmittance measurements, etc., the degree of abnormality in the lubricating oils will be different.

For this reason, in the past, it was necessary to calibrate the measuring instrument for each lubricating oil to be measured using new oil as a reference and oil that has deteriorated to the extent that it is considered abnormal. However, it was not possible to immediately determine the degree of abnormality in the lubricating oil or in the sliding parts of mechanical equipment. Alternatively, it is necessary to prepare all samples of new oil and deteriorated oil for each of the lubricating oils A to M, and the number of samples is large, making storage inconvenient.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a light transmission type lubricating oil abnormality detector that can easily detect the degree of abnormality in various lubricating oils with relatively simple operations.

"Means for Solving Problems" According to this invention, transmitted light from a sample lubricating oil is converted into an electrical signal, and the electrical signal is supplied to an adjustment circuit. This adjustment circuit uses a switch to change the range and zero point according to the sample lubricating oil, and these ranges and zero points are set according to the representative new oil state and the representative deteriorated state of each type of sample lubricating oil. , the degree of lubricant abnormality is displayed from the output of the adjustment circuit.

``Example'' Next, an example of the light transmission type lubricating oil abnormality detector according to this invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, a sample lubricating oil 11 collected, for example, from a lubricating part of mechanical equipment is placed in a transparent container 12 made of, for example, transparent glass, and a light emitting element 13 Light is incident from In this example, one end of the optical fiber 14 is arranged perpendicularly to the side surface of the transparent container 12 with a certain minute interval, and the other end of the optical fiber 14 is arranged vertically to the side surface of the transparent container 12.
3.It is installed without any light leaking. The light transmitted through the sample lubricating oil 11 is received by the light receiving element 15. For this purpose, one end of the optical fiber 16 is provided on the same straight line as the optical fiber 14, facing the transparent container 12, and, like the optical fiber 14, is arranged perpendicularly to the transparent container 12 with a small constant interval. The other end of the optical fiber 16 is attached to the light receiving element 15 without light leakage. Light emitting element 13
is controlled by a light emitting element drive and dimming circuit 17.

The light emitted by this light emitting element 13 passes through the optical fiber 14 and is transmitted to the transparent container 1 without being diffused.
Transmits according to the absorbance of the sample lubricating oil 11 in 2,
The light is transmitted to the light emitting element 15 through the optical fiber 16 and converted into an electrical signal. In order to easily attach and fix the transparent container 12 to the center between the optical fibers 14 and 16 if necessary, a container holding portion 18 made of an elastic material such as rubber that has high attachment tolerance is provided.
are fixed relative to the optical fibers 14,16. Furthermore, a light emitting element 13 and a light receiving element 15
A temperature compensation circuit 19 can be provided to compensate for variations due to temperature changes.

The electrical signal from the light-receiving element 15 is amplified by an amplifier 21 as necessary and supplied to an adjustment circuit 22. The adjustment circuit 22 is configured to be able to set a zero point and a range depending on the type of sample lubricating oil 11. In this example, the zero point adjustment circuit 23 and the range adjustment circuit 24 are connected in cascade. In the zero point adjustment circuit 23, the output of the amplifier 21 is supplied to an inverting input terminal of an operational amplifier 25, and its non-inverting input terminal is connected to a power supply terminal 27 through a resistor 26, and variable resistors 28, 29, and 30 are connected to each other. It is connected to three fixed contacts of the changeover switch 31 through the switch, and the movable contact of the changeover switch 31 is grounded. By switching the changeover switch 31, the value to be subtracted from the output of the amplifier 21 is switched and the zero point is set.

The output of the zero point adjustment 23 is connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 32 in the range adjustment circuit 24 through a resistor 33.
Supplied through. Variable resistors 34, 35,
36 are switched and connected by a changeover switch 37. By switching the changeover switch 37, the gain of the range adjustment circuit 24 is switched and the range is set.

In this embodiment, both the zero point and the range can be set to any of the three settings, and this is determined as follows. In Figure 6, the absorbance of various lubricating oils is roughly divided into Group L, which is relatively transparent and light-colored lubricating oils A to E, Group D, which is quite dark lubricating oil J to M, and Group L and Group D. The lubricating oils are divided into three groups, Group M, which has a color depth between G and I, and each group is represented by one characteristic.

That is, for representatives of these three groups, the relationship between the amount of wear particles in the lubricating oil and the absorbance is determined in advance, and this relationship is as shown in FIG. 2, for example.
This figure shows the characteristics of lubricating oils of Group M and Group D, with new lubricating oil A of Group L being used as a reference. In this way, not only the absorbance of new oil differs depending on the lubricating oil, but also the absorbance characteristics with respect to the amount of wear debris in the lubricating oil differ depending on the type of lubricating oil. Now let the absorbances of groups L, M, and D for the amount m of wear particles in the lubricating oil be b ₁ , b ₂ , and b _{3 ,} respectively.
Let the absorbance of each new oil of these groups L, M, and D be a ₁ , a ₂ , and a ₃ . The changeover switch 31 is connected to the fixed contact L, and the variable resistor 28 is adjusted so that when the output of the amplifier 21 corresponding to _a1 is supplied to the zero point adjustment circuit 23, the output becomes zero, and the changeover switch 31 is are connected to the fixed contacts M and D, respectively, and when the outputs of the amplifiers 21 corresponding to a ₂ and a ₃ are supplied to the zero point adjustment circuit 23, the variable resistors 29 and 30 are adjusted respectively, and the zero point adjustment circuit 23
so that the output of becomes zero.

In addition, when the changeover switch 37 is connected to the fixed contact L in the range adjustment circuit 24 and the output of the amplifier 21 corresponding to b ₁ is supplied, the variable resistor 34 is adjusted so that the output of the range adjustment circuit 24 becomes 100% absorbance.
Make it so. Similarly, when the changeover switch 37 is connected to the fixed contacts M and D, respectively, and the output of the amplifier 21 corresponding to b ₂ and b ₃ is supplied, the variable resistors 35 and 36 are adjusted respectively, and the range adjustment circuit 24
so that the output is 100% absorbance.

The output of the adjustment circuit 22 is output from 0 to AD converter 38.
It is converted into a digital value of 100 and displayed on the display 39. Further, in this example, the output of the AD converter 38 is supplied to comparators 41, 42, and 43, and for example, absorbance of 50% or less, 50% to 80%, and 80% or more are detected, respectively, and the detection output indicates normality. element 44, caution display element 45, danger display element 46
is displayed.

FIG. 3 shows a plot of the absorbance of lubricating oil in lubricating parts in actual mechanical equipment. In this figure, data marked with ● indicates that some kind of abnormality was discovered. As mentioned earlier, for example, absorbance 80
% or more is dangerous, absorbance 50% or more but less than 80% is caution,
By distinguishing the absorbance of less than 50% from normal, that is, by determining which of the display elements 44 to 46 is displayed, it is possible to immediately determine whether there is an abnormality in the lubricating oil or in the lubricating part of the mechanical equipment.

In addition, as shown in Fig. 4, the absorbance of the lubricating oil changes depending on the usage time of the lubricating oil, and by observing the change, that is, the measured value on the display 39 for each measurement can be determined as shown in Fig. 4. By plotting, for example, it can be easily determined that machine a in the figure has stricter load conditions and lubrication conditions than machine b, and that it is time to replace the lubricating oil.

As shown in FIG. 5, for example, the lubricating oil abnormality detector of this invention has three parts along the longitudinal direction of the upper surface of a shallow box-like case 47, into which the transparent container 12 is inserted. An opening 48 is formed. Although not shown in the figure, a container holder 18 (FIG. 1), into which the transparent container 12 is mounted, is attached inside the case 47, facing the opening 48. An operating section 49 is provided in the center of the upper surface of the case, and the operating section 49 includes a power on button 51, a power off button 52, a button 53 for setting groups L, M, and D.
54, 55, and a measurement button 56 are provided. Button 5
1 is turned on, the changeover switch 31 in FIG.
37 is connected to the fixed contact L, and similarly the buttons 52, 5
When switch 3 is turned on, changeover switches 31 and 37 are connected to fixed contacts M and D. In this way, settings are made depending on the type of lubricating oil. When the measurement button 56 is pressed, the drive and dimming circuit 17 is controlled, during which time light is emitted from the light emitting element 13 and measurement is performed.

The remaining part of the upper surface of the case is a display section, which includes a display section 57 of the display device 39 and display elements 44, 45, 4.
6 display portions are provided, and furthermore, the letters L, M, and D are provided.
is attached, and when setting buttons 53, 54, and 55 are pressed, arrows 58 are indicated at the positions of letters L, M, and D. This instruction is provided in this example when the display unit 57 and the liquid crystal display are used.

In the above, the display device 39 and the display elements 44 to 46
One of these may be omitted. Further, a meter-type display may be used instead of the display 39. In that case, it is also possible to divide the range of the meter's rotating pointer into three areas: normal, caution, and danger, and to immediately determine which of the three conditions the meter is in based on the position of the rotating pointer. Further, the determination of the three indications of normality, caution, and danger may be performed by an analog circuit.

In the above, lubricating oils are divided into three groups, but they may be divided into four or more groups, or if the target lubricating oils are limited, the zero point and range settings can be adjusted according to the characteristics of each lubricating oil. You may also do so.

``Effect of the invention'' As described above, according to this invention, the range and zero point are set by changing the changeover switch according to the type of lubricating oil sample, and these ranges and zero points are set for the lubricating oil grouped. By setting the characteristics in advance based on representative characteristics, there is no need to calibrate with new oil each time the type of sample lubricating oil changes.
Even if the characteristics of the sample lubricating oil are relatively significantly different, anyone can easily and quickly determine the degree of abnormality in the lubricating oil and the abnormality in the lubricated parts of mechanical equipment on site, and quantify lubrication management. It is now possible to easily quantify the degree of damage to lubricated parts of mechanical equipment.
This makes it possible to reduce the labor and costs involved in preventing and analyzing unnecessary lubricating oil replacements and abnormalities in mechanical equipment, leading to a reduction in the operating cost of the equipment as a whole. Since the zero point and range are set by the representative of each group, the zero point and range at the time of shipment of this detector are
It is easy to adjust the range settings, and when using this detector, the number of switching positions of the changeover switch is small, making it easy to operate, and there is no need to prepare samples of new or deteriorated oil.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a lubricating oil abnormality detector according to this invention, Fig. 2 is a curve diagram showing an example of the relationship between the amount of wear particles in lubricating oil and absorbance shown for each lubricating oil group, and Fig. Figure 3 is a curve diagram showing an example of the relationship between the absorbance of lubricating oil and the degree of abnormality in an actual machine, Figure 4 is a curve diagram showing an example of the relationship between absorbance of lubricating oil and usage time in an actual machine, and Figure 5 is a curve diagram showing an example of the relationship between the absorbance of lubricating oil and the usage time in an actual machine. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of the external appearance of the lubricating oil abnormality detector, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing examples of the absorbance of various lubricating oils. 11: Sample lubricating oil, 12: Transparent container, 13: Light emitting element, 15: Light receiving element, 22: Adjustment circuit, 2
3: Zero point adjustment circuit, 24: Range adjustment circuit, 3
9: Display device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Utility Model Registration Claim] A light emitting element that projects light onto a lubricating oil sample, a light receiving element that receives the transmitted light of the projected light from the lubricating oil sample and converts it into an electrical signal, and electricity from the light receiving element. A signal is supplied, and the zero point and range are switched by a changeover switch according to the type of the sample lubricating oil, and these zero points and ranges are representative of the new oil state and the representative of the deteriorated state of each type of the sample lubricating oil. A light transmission type lubricating oil abnormality detector comprising: adjustment circuits respectively set corresponding to the above, and display means to which the output of the adjustment circuit is supplied and indicates the degree of deterioration of the sample lubricant according to the output. .