Nova Patents
EP0337593A2

Apparatus and method for exchanging oil for device having oil pan for circulating oil therebetween.

Abstract

Apparatus for exchanging waste oil with fresh oil in a device such as torque converter, based on a new finding that extracting waste oil from the pan thereof, supplying fresh oil thereinto and after the lapse of some pause time such extract and supply are repeated during said torque converter is kept to operate to circulate oil between the converter proper and the oil pan. The repetition of extract, supply and pause is automatically done according to the operation design stored in the computer (20) with determining the total amount of extracted waste oil and fresh oil to be supplied.

EP0337593A2, drawing sheet 1
Sheet 1 of 7

Term

Term ended

Projected expiry passed 6 February 2009, 17.6 years ago.

  1. Priority
  2. Filed
  3. Published
  4. Projected expiry
  5. Today

9 claims: 1 independent, 8 dependent

  1. 1
    Apparatus for exchanging oil comprising a pair of vessels one for waste oil to be taken and the other for fresh oil stored to supply, a pair of solenoid valves and pumps for extracting, waste oil and supplying fresh oil, a pair of conduits respectively extending from said vessels through said concerned valve and pump, each other ends of which is connected to one and common nozzle, means for determining the amount of waste and fresh oils, and means for controlling said valves and pumps.
  2. 2
    Apparatus as set forth in Claim 1, in which said means for determining the oil amount is a single load cell which is so arranged as to determine the total amounts of waste oil in said first vessel and fresh oil in said second vessel.
  3. 3
    Apparatus as set forth in Claim 2, in which said load cell is so arranged as to support a box in which said first and second vessels are placed.
  4. 4
    Apparatus as set forth in Claim 2, which comprises further a key board, an indicator and a warning device and in which said controlling means comprises a central processing unit which is connected respectively with a read-only memory, a random access memory, a clock and an input-output device so that said controlling means is connected through said input-output device with said valves, pumps, indicator and warning device for actuating thereof and with said load cell and key board to be actuated thereby.
  5. 5
    Apparatus as set forth in Claim 4, in which said controlling means is so programmed that said first solenoid valve and pump are actuated to extract waste oil in some amount to be taken into said first vessel through said single nozzle and said first conduit, then said second solenoid valve and pump are actuated to supply fresh oil in some amount from said second vessel through said second conduit and said single nozzle, and actuation thereof is paused for a some time period, which is repeated a few or several times to be stopped when the total amount of extracted and supplied oil which is determined by said single load cell reaches at a preset amount.
  6. 6
    Apparatus as set forth in Claim 5, in which when an amount of extracted oil is insufficient in comparison with a predetermined value said warning device is energized so that said nozzle may be rellevantly held.
  7. 7
    Apparatus as set forth in Claim 5, in which before stopping operation thereof either of additional extracting and supplying of oil is made so that the total amount of oils in the two vessels may be same with the total amount when beginning of the operation.
  8. 8
    Apparatus as set forth in Claim 7, in which after said additional operation, waste oil remained in said frist conduit is taken into said first vessel and then fresh oil remained in said second conduit is returned to said second vessel.
  9. 9
    Apparatus as set forth in Claim 8, in which before beginning operation thereof fresh oil is fed in such an amount as to just fill said second conduit.
Independent claims9