Method and apparatus for monitoring the condition of a lubricating medium
US6870160B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 13, 2002 |
| Grant date | Mar 22, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 22, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N21/33
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An apparatus for monitoring the condition of a lubricating medium includes a UV light source, a UV receiver, a processor electrically coupled to both the UV light source and the UV receiver, and a memory device electrically coupled to the processor. The memory device has stored therein a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to (a) communicate with the UV light source and the UV receiver so as to expose a sample of the lubricating medium to the UV light and generate a UV spectrum of the sample in response thereto, and (b) compare the UV spectrum of the sample to a model spectrum and generate a control signal if the UV spectrum of the sample has a predetermined relationship to the model spectrum.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.