U.S. patent application number 13/324200 was filed with the patent office on 2012-07-05 for lubricant pump and lubricating system with pump heater.
This patent application is currently assigned to LINCOLN GMBH. Invention is credited to Milos Cvetanovic, Zdravko Paluncic, Andreas Schoenfeld.
Application Number | 20120171049 13/324200 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43902414 |
Filed Date | 2012-07-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120171049 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Paluncic; Zdravko ; et
al. |
July 5, 2012 |
LUBRICANT PUMP AND LUBRICATING SYSTEM WITH PUMP HEATER
Abstract
A lubricant pump is disclosed for delivering lubricant to at
least one lubricating point. The pump features a lubricant
container, a pump unit, a drive assigned to the pump unit, and at
least one lubricant outlet and a control unit assigned to the
drive. At least one heating element is also provided and can be
actuated by the control unit and/or another control unit.
Inventors: |
Paluncic; Zdravko;
(Ludwigshafen, DE) ; Schoenfeld; Andreas; (St.
Leon-Rot, DE) ; Cvetanovic; Milos; (Hockenheim,
DE) |
Assignee: |
LINCOLN GMBH
Walldorf
DE
|
Family ID: |
43902414 |
Appl. No.: |
13/324200 |
Filed: |
December 13, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
417/32 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16N 2250/08 20130101;
F01M 5/001 20130101; F16N 39/04 20130101; F16N 2250/04 20130101;
F16N 13/00 20130101; F16N 2270/56 20130101; F16N 11/00
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
417/32 |
International
Class: |
F04B 53/08 20060101
F04B053/08; F04B 49/00 20060101 F04B049/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 20, 2010 |
DE |
202010016721.3 |
Claims
1. A lubricant pump for delivering lubricant to at least one
lubricating point, featuring a lubricant container, a pump unit, a
drive assigned to the pump unit, at least one lubricant outlet and
a control unit assigned to the drive, characterized by the fact
that at least one heating element (e) is also provided and can be
actuated by the control unit and/or another control unit.
2. The lubricant pump according to claim 1, characterized by the
fact that at least one temperature sensor is also provided and
connected to the control unit and/or another control unit in order
to actuate the at least one heating element in dependence on the
temperature determined by the temperature sensor.
3. The lubricant pump according to claim 2, characterized by the
fact that at least one pressure sensor is also provided,
particularly assigned to the at least one lubricant outlet, and
connected to the control unit and/or another control unit in order
to actuate the at least one heating element in dependence on the
lubricant pressure determined by the pressure sensor.
4. The lubricant pump according to claim 3, characterized by the
fact that an agitating device is provided in the lubricant
container and can be actuated by means of the drive of the pump
unit and/or another drive, wherein a measuring device is assigned
to the drive of the agitating device in order to determine the
current consumption thereof and connected to the control unit
and/or another control unit in order to actuate the at least one
heating element in dependence on the current consumption.
5. The lubricant pump according to claim 4, characterized by the
fact that the control unit and/or the other control unit are
designed such that they detect a state in which the drive for the
agitating device is blocked due to excessively low temperatures,
based on an evaluation of the data of the temperature sensor, the
measuring device and/or the pressure sensor, and by the fact that
the control unit and/or the other control unit switches on the at
least one heating element in this state.
6. The lubricant pump according to claim 4, characterized by the
fact that the control unit and/or the other control unit are
designed such that they detect a state in which the pump unit is
unable to take in lubricant from the lubricant container due to
excessively low temperatures, based on an evaluation of the data of
the temperature sensor, the measuring device and/or the pressure
sensor, and by the fact that the control unit and/or the other
control unit switches on the at least one heating element in this
state.
7. The lubricant pump according to claim 4, characterized by the
fact that the control unit and/or the other control unit are
designed such that they detect a state in which an excessively high
flow resistance exists in a line connected to the lubricant outlet
due to excessively low temperatures, based on an evaluation of the
data of the temperature sensor, the measuring device and/or the
pressure sensor, and by the fact that the control unit and/or the
other control unit switches off the drive of the pump unit and/or
the drive of the agitating device in this state.
8. The lubricant pump according to claim 4, characterized by the
fact that the control unit, the temperature sensor, the measuring
device, the pressure sensor, the at least one drive and the pump
unit are accommodated in a common housing and/or arranged on a
common carrier.
9. A lubricating system with a lubricant pump according to claim 1
and a line that is connected to a lubricant outlet and a
distributor, characterized by the fact that the distributor
features a functional sensor that is connected to the control unit
and/or the other control unit in order to actuate the at least one
heating element in dependence on the operability of the
distributor.
10. The lubricating system according to claim 9, characterized by
the fact that another heating element is assigned to the
distributor and/or the line and can be actuated by the control unit
and/or another control unit in dependence on the data of the
functional sensor, the temperature sensor, the measuring device
and/or the pressure sensor.
11. The lubricant pump according to claim 1, characterized by the
fact that at least one pressure sensor is also provided,
particularly assigned to the at least one lubricant outlet, and
connected to the control unit and/or another control unit in order
to actuate the at least one heating element in dependence on the
lubricant pressure determined by the pressure sensor.
12. The lubricant pump according to claim 11, characterized by the
fact that an agitating device is provided in the lubricant
container and can be actuated by means of the drive of the pump
unit and/or another drive, wherein a measuring device is assigned
to the drive of the agitating device in order to determine the
current consumption thereof and connected to the control unit
and/or another control unit in order to actuate the at least one
heating element in dependence on the current consumption.
13. The lubricant pump according to claim 1, characterized by the
fact that an agitating device is provided in the lubricant
container and can be actuated by means of the drive of the pump
unit and/or another drive, wherein a measuring device is assigned
to the drive of the agitating device in order to determine the
current consumption thereof and connected to the control unit
and/or another control unit in order to actuate the at least one
heating element in dependence on the current consumption.
14. The lubricant pump according to claim 2, characterized by the
fact that an agitating device is provided in the lubricant
container and can be actuated by means of the drive of the pump
unit and/or another drive, wherein a measuring device is assigned
to the drive of the agitating device in order to determine the
current consumption thereof and connected to the control unit
and/or another control unit in order to actuate the at least one
heating element in dependence on the current consumption.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention pertains to a lubricant pump for
delivering lubricant to at least one lubricating point, as well as
to a lubricating system with such a lubricant pump. The lubricant
pump features, e.g., a lubricant container, a pump unit, a drive
assigned to the pump unit, at least one lubricant outlet and a
control unit assigned to the drive.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Some known lubricant pumps are provided with a functional
monitoring system that delivers a corresponding malfunction signal
to a monitoring device, e.g., if an impermissibly high pressure at
the lubricant outlet indicates that the lines leading to the
lubricating points are blocked. It is also known that the drive of
the pump unit or the drive of an agitator blade that may be
provided in the lubricant container automatically switches off at
an excessively high load and, if applicable, also delivers a
malfunction signal. When such a malfunction signal is registered in
the monitoring device, the pump usually is completely stopped and
needs to be reactivated by an operator after the cause of the
malfunction is eliminated. This is a time-consuming and
labor-intensive procedure.
[0003] Such an intervention by the operator in order to activate
the pump is also required if no malfunction of the pump has
occurred, but the viscosity of the lubricant merely has increased
at low temperatures to such a degree that the function of the
lubricant pump is impaired. Consequently, it has already been
proposed to provide a heater that heats parts of the lubricant
pump. Such heaters are usually switched on individually without
realizing a demand-actuated operation of the heater.
[0004] The present invention, in contrast, is based on the
objective of making available a lubricant pump and a lubricating
system of the aforementioned type that are particularly suitable
for use in extremely cold areas such as, e.g., in arctic
environments.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] According to the invention, this objective is essentially
attained with the characteristics of Claim 1. According to the
basic concept of the invention, the lubricant pump additionally
features at least one heating element that can be actuated in a
demand-based fashion by the control unit assigned to the drive
and/or a separate control unit. In other words, the heater
according to the present invention can always be purposefully
utilized when a malfunction of the lubricant pump can be attributed
to increased lubricant viscosities at low temperatures. In such
instances, the pump therefore no longer needs to be completely
stopped and the cause of the malfunction no longer needs to be
eliminated by an operator, but the lubricant pump rather can be
automatically restarted by actuating the heating element.
[0006] An increased viscosity of the lubricant at low temperatures,
as can occur, e.g., in arctic environments or under harsh winter
conditions, can cause different malfunctions within a lubricant
pump. For example, blocking of the driving motor may occur if the
resistance becomes excessively high for movement of the agitator
blade in the lubricant container. It would also be possible that
the flow resistance in one of the lubricant lines exceeds the
permissible system pressure such that a conventionally provided
pressure control valve opens. This causes the lubricant to be
delivered into the open rather than to the lubricating points.
Another malfunction may consist of the pump element being unable to
take in lubricant of increased viscosity from the lubricant
container. The utilization of a heater in the lubricant pump only
makes it possible to eliminate the malfunctions in the first and
the last above-cited instance. However, an excessively high flow
resistance in one of the lubricant lines cannot be eliminated by
using a heater within the lubricant pump. According to the
invention, it is therefore proposed that the control unit activates
the heating element individually and in dependence on the
respective malfunction.
[0007] Independently of the above-described characteristics, the
control device of a lubricant pump of the initially cited type is,
according to a basic principle of the present invention, realized
and designed in such a way that the above-described malfunctions
caused by an increased viscosity of the lubricant at excessively
low temperatures are detected by the control device and
corresponding countermeasures are initiated.
[0008] According to an additional development of this inventive
principle, it is proposed that the lubricant pump additionally
features at least one temperature sensor that is connected to the
control unit and/or another control unit in order to actuate the at
least one heating element in dependence on the temperature
determined by the temperature sensor. Due to this temperature
sensor, the control unit is able to detect whether a malfunction
can be attributed to an increased viscosity of the lubricant due to
an excessively low temperature and to then individually eliminate
this malfunction by switching on the heating element.
[0009] According to another embodiment of the invention, at least
one pressure sensor is provided in the lubricant pump and
preferably assigned to the lubricant outlet. The pressure sensor is
preferably connected to the control unit or another control unit in
order to actuate the at least one heating element in dependence on
the lubricant pressure determined by the pressure sensor. If the
flow resistance in one of the lubricant lines exceeds the
permissible system pressure due to excessively low temperatures,
however, the use of a heating element in the lubricant pump does
not eliminate the cause of the malfunction. In this respect, an
unnecessary operation of the heating element can be prevented in
dependence on the lubricant pressure determined by the pressure
sensor.
[0010] An agitating device such as, e.g., an agitator blade may be
provided in the lubricant container. This agitating device can be
actuated by the drive of the pump unit and/or by another drive. A
measuring device is preferably assigned to the drive of the
agitating device in order to determine the current consumption
thereof and connected to the control unit and/or another control
unit in order to actuate the at least one heating element in
dependence on the current consumption. Consequently, the measuring
device enables the control unit to determine whether the driving
motor is blocked due to an excessively high resistance of the
agitator blade in the lubricant container that is caused by an
increased viscosity of the lubricant at low temperatures. Instead
of measuring the current consumption of the drive, the measuring
device may also measure another variable that is suitable for
determining the state of the lubricant in the lubricant container
and then evaluated by the control unit. Such a variable may
consist, e.g., of the torque required for driving the agitator
blade and/or the speed of the agitator blade.
[0011] It is preferred to design the control unit in such a way
that it detects a state in which the drive for the agitating device
is blocked due to excessively low temperatures, based on an
evaluation of the data of the temperature sensor, the measuring
device and/or the pressure sensor. In this respect, it is preferred
that the control unit switches on the at least one heating element
in this state in order to increase the temperature of the lubricant
in the lubricant pump and the lubricant container, respectively.
The quantity of heat can be controlled with the heating time, if
applicable, in dependence on the ambient temperature. It is
preferred that the heating process begins prior to a lubrication
cycle, wherein the ambient temperature is initially measured and a
quantity of heat that prevents the agitator blade from being
blocked is subsequently supplied.
[0012] According to another embodiment of the invention, the
control unit is designed in such a way that it detects a state in
which the pump unit is unable to take in lubricant from the
lubricant container due to excessively low temperatures, based on
an evaluation of the data of the temperature sensor, the measuring
device and/or the pressure sensor. In this state, the control unit
preferably also switches on the heating element provided in the
lubricant pump in order to supply heat to the pump system.
According to another embodiment of the invention, it is proposed to
design the control unit such that it detects a state in which an
excessively high flow resistance exists in a line connected to the
lubricant outlet due to excessively low temperatures, based on an
evaluation of the data of the temperature sensor, the measuring
device and/or the pressure sensor. It is preferred that the control
unit switches off the drive of the pump unit and/or the drive of
the agitating unit in this state because an actuation of the
lubricant pump would cause the lubricant to be delivered into the
open via the pressure control valve rather than to the lubricating
point. This malfunction cannot be eliminated by heating the pump
system because the viscosity of the lubricant increases in the
lubricant lines outside the pump. Consequently, it is also
unnecessary to output a malfunction signal, but rather preferred to
wait until the ambient temperature increases and the resistances in
the lines drop.
[0013] A particularly compact and protected construction of the
inventive lubricant pump can be achieved in that the control unit,
the temperature sensor, the measuring device, the pressure sensor,
the at least one drive and the pump unit are accommodated in a
common housing and/or arranged on a common carrier. The housing may
also fulfill a certain insulating function in order to retain the
heat generated by the heating element within the region of the pump
through which the lubricant flows.
[0014] The invention also pertains to a lubricating system with a
lubricant pump of the above-described type and a line that is
connected to the lubricant outlet of the lubricant pump and to a
distributor. In this case, the distributor preferably features a
functional sensor that is connected to the control unit of the
lubricant pump and/or another control unit in order to actuate the
at least one heating element of the lubricant pump in dependence on
the operability of the distributor. In other words, it is possible
to refrain from the energy-intensive utilization of the heater if a
malfunction of the distributor occurs, namely even if the viscosity
of the lubricant increases within the lubricant pump due to
excessively low temperatures.
[0015] In addition, at least one other heating element that can be
actuated by the control unit and/or another control unit may also
be assigned to the distributor and/or the line. This actuation
preferably takes place in dependence on the data of the functional
sensor, the temperature sensor, the measuring device and/or the
pressure sensor. In this way, not only can temperature-related
malfunctions within the lubricant pump be eliminated, but also
malfunctions that are caused by the viscosity of the lubricant
increasing within the distributor or in a line leading to or away
from the distributor at low temperatures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] An embodiment example of the invention is described in
greater detail below with reference to the figures. In this
respect, all described and/or graphically illustrated
characteristics form the object of the invention individually
regardless of the composition thereof in the claims or the
references thereof to other claims. The only FIGURE schematically
shows a perspective representation of an inventive lubricant pump.
In order to provide a better overview, certain components of the
lubricant pump, such as the cover of the housing, are not
illustrated such that the individual components are visible in the
figure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] The inventive lubricant pump 1 features a lubricant
container 2, in which a supply of lubricant is stored. An agitator
blade or similar agitating device may be provided in the lubricant
container 2 in order to thoroughly mix and maintain the
free-flowing consistency of the lubricant that may consist, e.g.,
of lubricating grease. In the figure, a carrier 3 is provided on
the lower side of the lubricant container 2, wherein the carrier
can be closed with a housing cover and the components of the
lubricant pump 1 are arranged on this carrier.
[0018] In order to deliver lubricant from the lubricant container 1
to a lubricant outlet, the lubricant pump features a pump unit that
can be actuated by a driving motor 4. The driving motor 4 may also
drive the agitating device in the lubricant container 2.
[0019] In addition, a control 5 that can individually actuate the
driving motor 4 and the pump unit and/or the agitating unit is also
provided on the carrier 3. In the embodiment shown, a cartridge
heater 6 is also arranged on the underside of the lubricant
container 2 on the carrier 3 and can be actuated by the control 5.
In this case, the cartridge heater 6 is arranged in the vicinity of
the pump unit such that the cartridge heater can heat the lubricant
situated in the lubricant container 2, as well as the pump
unit.
[0020] The inventive lubricant pump 1 is furthermore equipped with
a pressure sensor 7 and a temperature sensor 8 that are also
arranged on the carrier 3. The pressure sensor 7 and the
temperature sensor 8 are connected to the control 5 that evaluates
the data acquired by the pressure sensor 7 and the temperature
sensor 8 and activates the driving motor 4 and/or the cartridge
heater 6 in dependence on the data of the sensors. The temperature
sensor 8 measures the ambient temperature. The pressure sensor 7
measures the lubricant pressure at the lubricant outlet or in the
line connected thereto. In addition, the control 5 may also
determine, e.g., the current consumption of the driving motor 4 or
the torque required for driving the pump unit and/or the agitator
blade with the aid of a corresponding measuring device.
[0021] In this way, the control 5 is able to detect different
malfunctions of the lubricant pump 1 that are caused by an
increased viscosity of the lubricant due to excessively low
temperatures. An evaluation of the ambient temperature and/or the
current consumption of the driving motor 4 makes it possible to
determine whether the driving motor is blocked due to an
excessively high resistance of the agitator blade in the lubricant
container 2. In motors that are protected against blocking, the
power supply is usually interrupted. The current consumption can be
evaluated on motors that do not feature this protection. An
evaluation of the ambient temperature and the data of the pressure
sensor 7 makes it possible to determine whether the flow resistance
in the lines connected to the lubricant outlet is so high that a
pressure control valve is actuated and lubricant is delivered into
the open. An evaluation of the ambient temperature, the current
consumption of the driving motor 4 and the data of the pressure
sensor 7 makes it possible to determine whether the pump unit is
able to take in grease from the lubricant container 2. If
applicable, the data of a functional sensor of a distributor, not
shown, may also be evaluated for this purpose, wherein said
distributor forms part of the lubricating system and is connected
to the lubricant outlet of the lubricant pump 1.
LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS
[0022] 1 Lubricant pump
[0023] 2 Lubricant container
[0024] 3 Carrier
[0025] 4 Driving motor
[0026] 5 Control
[0027] 6 Cartridge heater
[0028] 7 Pressure sensor
[0029] 8 Temperature sensor
* * * * *