A float valve for controlling a liquid level includes a valve main body which forms a throughflow duct, a valve narrowing which is formed by the throughflow duct, and a float mounted above the valve narrowing as a valve element. The valve element is freely movable, closes the valve narrowing via its weight, and is lifted from a valve closing position via a liquid. The float has a low center of gravity so that the float always rights itself to a standing position.

A system for monitoring lubrication of a drive train, including a lubricant pressure sensor operable to detect a pressure of the lubricant in the drive train and configured to provide a lubricant pressure signal; lubricant volume sensor operable to detect a volume of the lubricant in the drive train and configured to provide a lubricant volume signal; non-contact temperature sensor operable to detect a temperature of the drive train and configured to provide a non-contact temperature signal; and logic management system in communication with the lubricant pressure sensor, the lubricant volume sensor, and the non-contact temperature sensor; the logic management system being configured to receive and process the lubricant pressure signal, the lubricant volume signal, and the non-contact temperature signal; wherein when the lubricant pressure signal reaches a predetermined minimum pressure level and the lubricant volume signal reaches a predetermined minimum volume level, the logic management system displays non-contact temperature measurement data to a display device.

A gearbox housing includes a housing body enclosing a housing interior and having a passage opening for a gearbox output shaft surrounded by a connecting surface. A plurality of bores is formed in the housing body and extends through the housing body wall to fill oil into or drain it out of the housing interior, detect the oil level in the housing interior and vent the housing interior. The bores, which are provided as an oil filling opening, an oil draining opening, a venting opening and a level measuring opening during operation, are positioned in such a manner that they can be introduced into the housing body from two adjacent housing sides. This enables machining with a single clamping, with the result that changeover times are unnecessary and the housing body is consequently easy to manufacture.

The invention relates to a lubrication system and a-method for controlling the lubrication system. The lubrication system comprises a bypass line by which it is possible to lead a part of the oil flow in the oil line past a component to be lubricated and back to the oil sump, a first valve configured to regulate the oil flow through the bypass line and a control unit. The control unit is configured to receive information from at least one parameter related to the oil flow to said component to estimate a required oil flow to said component in view of said parameter and to regulate the first valve such that a part of the oil flow in the oil line is led to the bypass line and that a remaining part of the oil flow, which corresponds to the required oil flow, is led to said component.

A vehicle sensor system includes a fluid sensor configured to be disposed onboard a vehicle system and at least partially extend into a gearbox of a traction motor of the vehicle system. The fluid sensor is configured to output data representative of an amount of a lubricating fluid in the gearbox. The system also includes a positioning system configured to output data representative of movement or an absence of movement of the vehicle system, and one or more processors configured to determine the amount of the lubricating fluid in the gearbox based on the data that is output by the fluid sensor responsive to the data output by the positioning system indicating that the vehicle system has not moved or has moved by less than a designated distance for at least a designated, non-instantaneous period of time.

A system is provided in one example embodiment and may include a first reservoir for a lubricant; a second reservoir for the lubricant, wherein the first reservoir and the second reservoir are interconnected; a first pumping element to pump the lubricant from the first reservoir at a first flow rate; a second pumping element to pump the lubricant at a second flow rate, wherein the first flow rate and the second flow rate are different; and a gearbox coupled to the first pumping element and the second pumping element. The first reservoir may have a larger volume than the second reservoir and the first flow rate may be higher than the second flow rate.

A vehicle sensor system includes a fluid sensor configured to be disposed onboard a vehicle system and at least partially extend into a gearbox of a traction motor of the vehicle system. The fluid sensor is configured to output data representative of an amount of a lubricating fluid in the gearbox. The system also includes a positioning system configured to output data representative of movement or an absence of movement of the vehicle system, and one or more processors configured to determine the amount of the lubricating fluid in the gearbox based on the data that is output by the fluid sensor responsive to the data output by the positioning system indicating that the vehicle system has not moved or has moved by less than a designated distance for at least a designated, non-instantaneous period of time.

Detecting the occurrence of loss of effective lubrication in high-speed machinery components is provided. The imminent catastrophic failure may be predicted when torque or power transfer is lost. An estimate of when failure will likely occur throughout the operation of the machinery may be determined as well as the damage state after the liquid lubrication supply has ended or becomes inadequate to lubricate the machinery components effectively. By monitoring the concentration of gas species and the rate of change in concentration of the gas in the gearbox or machinery enclosure after the supply of the primary lubricant ends, determinations may be made about the time to failure and the damage state. The determinations may be based on thermomechanical and chemical processes, on measurement of a baseline system, or by setting a threshold of expected change in gas concentration. These determinations may be transmitted for further decision making and response.

A gearbox includes a housing including a lubricant reservoir, at least one gear system arranged in the housing, at least one lubricant delivery passage operable to direct a flow of lubricant from a lubricant reservoir onto the at least one gear system, at least one lubricant return passage operable to guide the flow of lubricant to the lubricant reservoir, and a lubricant-out sensor fluidically connected to the at least one lubricant return passage. The lubricant-out sensor is operable to detect a non-pressure based parameter of the lubricant.

A method for operating an electrically actuable feed pump in a hydraulic circuit, which draws in fluid from a fluid sump with a normal supplying of fluid. The fluid circulated in the hydraulic circuit can be returned back, and air is sucked in at least partially with an undersupply of fluid. The electric motor is integrated in a control circuit, which is provided with a control unit, which actuates the electric motor based on an actual rotational speed and a setpoint rotational speed with an actuation rotational speed. The evaluation unit compares the actual rotational speed to a reference rotational speed and in particular always with an identical current consumption. The evaluation unit then determines based on the comparison whether a fluid undersupply is present.