A control unit has as agitation mode in which a command is executed for a first switching valve so that the oil supply/discharge direction is switched so as to supply oil to a first oil supply/discharge port located at a low position and discharge oil from a second oil supply/discharge port located at a high position, whereby oil in an oil bath is agitated via a circulation pump from a low position to a high position is the oil bath; and a filter mode in which, after the agitation mode is executed, a command is executed for the first switching valve so that the oil supply/discharge direction is switched so as to discharge oil from the first oil supply/discharge port located at a low position and supply oil to the second oil supply/discharge port located in a high position, whereby impurities in the oil sent to a filter mechanism are filtered.

Systems and techniques that facilitate detecting fuel in oil, lube degradation, and foreign object contamination through optical and/or color characterization are provided. A signature component can generate a digital signature corresponding to a lubricant in a lubrication circuit of an engine. The digital signature can be based on optical or visual properties of a sensor array coupled to the lubrication circuit and exposed to the lubricant, wherein the optical or visual properties of the sensor array can depend on a health of the lubricant. An analysis component can characterize the health of the lubricant by comparing, via a machine learning algorithm, the digital signature with a baseline digital signature corresponding to a desired health-level of the lubricant. In some embodiments, a light emitter component can emit a first light onto the sensor array, and a light receiver component can receive a second light emitted by the sensor array in response to the first light. The signature component can then generate the digital signature based on the first light and the second light. In some embodiments, an image capture component can capture an image of the sensor array. The signature component can then generate the digital signature based on the captured image.

Provided is a sensor that can appropriately sense the amount of abrasion powder (conductive substance) in a mechanical device of any size, and thereby to provide a sensor that can be generally used for preventive maintenance of any mechanical parts. The sensor includes a first electrode and a second electrode. A voltage is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode to accumulate conductive substance between the first and second electrodes in order to sense a decrease in electric resistance between the first and second electrodes. The distance between the first electrode and the second electrode is adjustable.

A filter element sensor module having a housing, a sidewall of the housing including a recessed portion. The sensor module including a sensor assembly being provided within the housing about a sensor port interface being provided at one end of the housing. The sensor module also including processing circuitry being configured to receive signals from the sensor assembly and communication module, the communication module being configured to transmit one or more sensed parameters from the sensor assembly.

The present disclosure relates to a method and an apparatus for liquid condition assessment in a liquid lubrication system for a work system operable in at least two different modes, the method comprising measuring monitored liquid condition data, determining a current operating modes of the work system, then based on the current operating modes selecting a corresponding model, modeling corresponding simulated liquid condition data based on the model, assessing the liquid condition by comparing the monitored liquid condition data with the simulated liquid condition data thereby providing a significantly normal distributed data set for the liquid condition assessment.

A lubricant container part 7 is provided to a robot arm drive unit 5 pertaining to a first arm 2, 2a and a second arm 3, 3a which displace relative to each other via a reduction mechanism 4, and a receiving member 9, 9a having a recess 10 forming a concave shape facing vertically upward is provided below the liquid level 8 of a lubricant 6 inside the lubricant container part 7, and through this configuration, even when time elapses after stopping of the robot, the lubricant can be extracted from the receiving member 9, 9a in a manner suitable for observing the state of iron powder included in the lubricant 6.

A powertrain, a control apparatus, and a motor control unit. The powertrain includes a drive motor and a transmission device. The transmission device disconnects a transmission connection between the drive motor and a wheel based on a result of a comparison between a temperature or a viscosity of a lube oil and a preset parameter value, and a rotational speed of the drive motor varies with the result of the comparison between the temperature or the viscosity of the lube oil and the preset parameter value. The drive motor stirs the lube oil through idling, to make the temperature of the lube oil rise rapidly. The powertrain, the control apparatus and the motor control unit provided can improve fluidity of the lube oil at very low temperatures, so that a lube oil pump can be started smoothly.

A deterioration estimation device includes a storage device and an execution device. The storage device is configured to store mapping data defining a mapping that outputs an output variable indicating the degree of deterioration of oil when an input variable is input. The mapping includes, as the input variable, a color variable that is a variable indicating a color of the oil and a hydrogen ion variable that is a variable indicating a hydrogen ion concentration of the oil. The execution device is configured to execute an acquisition process that is a process of acquiring the input variable and a calculation process of inputting the input variable acquired through the acquisition process to the mapping to output a value of the output variable.

A system and method for monitoring a service life of lubricant that is applied to vehicle components is disclosed. The method includes receiving at least one input parameter. The input parameter relates to the vehicle's operation. The method also includes determining a remaining service life of a lubricant. The lubricant is applied to a driveline component of the vehicle. The determination of the remaining service life of the lubricant is based on the receiving of at least one input parameter.

A method for monitoring a condition of a mechanical system having an oil lubricated component. The method includes: (a) identifying a start of a load cycle, (b) measuring a load of the oil lubricated component, (c) measuring a temperature of a lubricating oil for the oil lubricated component, (d) calculating a first system performance parameter value for a load cycle, (e) repeating steps (a) to (d) for a plurality of load cycles, and (f) comparing a plurality of first system performance parameter values calculated to identify a change in the first system performance parameter values over the plurality of load cycles. The first system performance parameter value for the load cycle is selected from a friction coefficient for the oil lubricated component, a temperature increase coefficient for the lubricating oil for the oil lubricated component, and a temperature rise rate coefficient for the lubricating oil for the oil lubricated component.