Title of Invention

CENTRALISED AUTOMATIC LUBRICATION SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBILES

Abstract

The present invention relates to a centralised automatic lubricating system for automobiles wherein the lubrication of various parts of an automobile are done automatically and from a central point. The centralised automatic lubricating system consists of the following modules namely a pump system, a motor that drives the pump, an electronic timer & control unit which can control the timing of lubrication depending on the vehicle conditions, and a set of valves that regulate the flow of lubricant to the lubrication points.

Full Text

CENTRALISED AUTOMATIC LUBRICATION SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBILES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates to a centralised automatic lubricating system for automobiles. DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART Automobiles have moving parts and need periodic lubrication to maintain their functional stability, more particularly lubrication is important in an automobile to protect the moving parts from wear and tear. In order to function properly and to reduce premature wear, most motor vehicles require that joints in the chassis, steering mechanisms and other structures be lubricated periodically. Such lubrication is typically done in vehicles every 8,000 to 10,000 miles to ensure that premature wear does not develop. However, with most long ranging vehicles like trucks, bus, etc., periodic application of lubricant is not sufficient. Since they may cover the 3-5,000 miles range in matter of a week, and such vehicles are typically configured so that a much greater distance can be travelled between periodic maintenance. Additionally, the significant weight of heavy vehicles leads quickly to premature wear if the components are not frequently lubricated, and the significant cost of such automobiles necessitates that they be properly maintained. To further complicate the lubrication process, a heavy vehicle may have a plurality of lubrication-receiving points which are disposed at various locations around the automobiles that need periodic applications of lubrication. If each of these points were to be manually lubricated as is commonly done, considerable time would be lost. Currently the manual lubrication is done by unskilled personnel leading to frequent breakdown and failures of the moving parts in automobiles. Manual lubrication has various disadvantages in that it is always a hit or miss system wherein the lubrication applied is not systematic and may not cover all parts. Further, manual lubrication leads to under lubrication and results in premature wear and tear of parts. The inherent limitation of manual lubrication is that the effectiveness of lubrication depends on the skill of the person carrying out the lubrication. The manual lubrication in automobiles is normally done on idle condition of the vehicle which reduces the effective operating time of the automobiles and would be more effective if they are applied when the vehicle is in moving condition. Whereby, it is desirable to provide a centralized automatic lubrication system for automobiles which can distribute and dispense lubrication in a systematic manner without manual interventions and thereby avoid the problems/disadvantages noted above and overcome other problems encountered in conventional methods. SUMMARY OF INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a centralised automatic lubrication system which functions more reliably than earlier systems, requires less complex programming, eliminates and overcomes many of the disadvantages/drawbacks of the prior art devices and systems. The object of the present invention is attained by automatically lubricating various parts of an automobile from a central point using a novel system of the present invention. It is another object of the present Jnvention to provide a method and apparatus for automatic and systematic lubrication of the various parts of an automobile and can be fitted / retrofitted to various vehicles like cars, trucks, buses, earth moving equipments and other heavy vehicles. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a lubrication distributing system which reaches all the lubrication-receiving points every time. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a centralised automatic lubrication system that offers a substantial saving of the lubricant compared to manual lubrication. It is still a another object of the present invention to provide a centralised automatic lubrication system wherein lubrication can be applied when the vehicle is in moving condition thus providing for improved operating time and less down time of the automobile. Accordingly another object of the present invention is to provide a complete/comprehensive lubrication and distribution system. It is another object of the present invention to use electronic timing system to determine the periodicity of lubrication. It is yet another object of the present invention to use a microcontroller for the timing system. These and other features of the present invention will be disclosed and are apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS So that the manner in which the features, advantages and objects of the invention, as well a s others which will become apparent, may be understood in more detail, more particular description of the invention briefly summarized above may be had by reference to the embodiment thereof which is illustrated in the appended drawings, which form a part of this specification. It is to be noted, however, that the drawings illustrate only a preferred embodiment of the invention and is therefore not to be considered limiting of the invention's scope as it may admit to other equally effective embodiments. Fig 1 is a schematic diagram of the proposed centralised automatic lubrication system. Fig 2 is a detailed view of the lubrication pump. Fig 3 is a schematic diagram of a typical lubrication points in a bus. PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention provides a centralised automatic lubricating system for vehicles/automobiles wherein the Lubrication of various parts of an automobile are done automatically and from a central point. The centralised automatic lubricating system consists of the following modules: 1. A pump system, 2. A motor that drives the above pump, 3. An electronic timer & control unit which can control the timing of lubrication depending on the vehicle conditions, and 4. A set of valves that regulate the flow of lubricant to the lubrication points. Fig.l illustrates the overview of the proposed centralised automatic lubricating system. According to a feature of the invention the central control unit integrates the apparatus to be lubricated to determine the operating state thereof. The special pump system in accordance with the present invention comprises an electronic timer & control unit (2) and a DC motor (3). The electronic timer and control unit (2) controls the timing of lubrication depending on the vehicle condition. A DC motor (3) controls and drives the pump (1). The pump (1) distributes and dispenses the lubricant (e.g. Grease) from a lubricant storage reservoir/chamber to various parts of the automobile where the lubricant is to be applied. The purpose of the pump (1) is to continuously transport the lubricant to the lubrication point. The centralised automatic lubricating system further comprises of set of valves that regulate the flow of lubricant to the lubrication points. The pump dispenses measured quantities of lubricant to all the lubrication points of the automobile through the valves. The valves regulate the flow of lubricants to the lubrication point to supplied with lubricant at all times and saves substantial amount of lubricant. The DC motor (3) is aided by an electronic timer unit. The electronic timer unit controls the on and off timing of lubrication depending on the vehicle conditions. The timer unit is a microcontroller based system and is programmed to detect and give an alarm (either an audible or a light fitted in the vehicle) if there is a blockage in the main pump unit of the system in addition to the controlling of timings. The electronic timing system is a pre-programmed active time based system which determines the periodicity of lubrication. The electronic timing unit can be independently set the timing control according to the condition of the vehicle's moving parts. Fig 2 is a detailed view of the pump (1). The pump (1) has rotating grooves that move the lubricant from the storage cylinder to the valves in a smooth flow using a plunger cylinder arrangement. Pneumatic air pressure is used to operate the cylinder arrangement in order to dispense the lubricant automatically to all lubrication points in an automobile. The description of the parts in Fig 2 is listed below: I. Steering drag rod. 3. Spring pin. 5. Clutch assembly. 7. King pin bottom. 9. Spring shackle pin. II. Brake slack adjuster 13. Accelerator rod. 15. Gear Box. 17. Spring shackle pin. 19. Brake Slack adjuster. 21. Brake Slack adjuster. 23. Spring shackle pin. 25. Spring pin. 27. Propellor shaft. 29. Brake slack adjuster. 31. Spring shackle pin. 33. Kingpin top. 35. Spring pin. 2. Steering drag rod. 4. Accelerator rod. 6. King pin top. 8. Tie rod. 10. Spring shackle pin 12. Brake slack adjuster 14. Gear Box. 16. Spring pin. 18. Spring shackle pin. 20. Brake Slack adjuster. 22. Brake Slack adjuster. 24. Spring shackle pin. 26. Propellor shaft. 28. Brake slack adjuster. 30. Spring shackle pin. 32. Tie rod. 34. King pin bottom. Fig 3 provides an overview of a typical lubrication points in a bus (but may vary depending on the automobile) to which the pump (1) would distribute the lubrication. We claim: 1. A centralised and automatic lubrication system for automobiles to lubricate plurality of lubrication receiving points in an automobile comprising: a lubricant storage unit; a pump operatively connected to a motor to continuously transport the lubricant from said storage unit to said lubrication points; a microcontroller based electronic control and timer unit to selectively control the duration of lubrication in each said lubrication point depending upon the vehicle condition; and a set of valves cooperating with said microcontroller based electronic control to regulate the desired flow of lubricant to the said lubrication points. 2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the pump has rotating grooves that moves the lubricant from the storage cylinder to the valves. 3. A system according to claim 2 wherein the electronic timing unit is adapted to be independently set according to the condition of the vehicle's moving parts. 4. A system according to claim 3 wherein the microcontroller based system is adapted to detect and give an alarm if there is a blockage of lubricant in the system, the periodicity being an active time based system which can be predetermined and programmed. 5. A system according to claim 4 wherein the alarm can be an audible alarm or a light fitted in the vehicle. 6. A system according to claim 5 wherein said microcontroller is adapted to check the effective functioning of the system. 7. A system according to claim 1 wherein the said motor is a DC motor. 8. A system according to claim 1 wherein the amount of lubricant dispensed is measured every time. 9. A centralised and automatic lubrication system for automobiles to lubricate plurality of lubrication receiving points in an automobile substantially as hereindescribed and illustrated with reference to the accompanying figures.

Documents:

0673-che-2004 abstract-duplicate.pdf

0673-che-2004 claims-duplicate.pdf

0673-che-2004 description (complete)-duplicate.pdf

0673-che-2004 drawings-duplicate.pdf

673-che-2004-abstract.pdf

673-che-2004-claims.pdf

673-che-2004-correspondnece-others.pdf

673-che-2004-correspondnece-po.pdf

673-che-2004-description(complete).pdf

673-che-2004-description(provisional).pdf

673-che-2004-drawings.pdf

673-che-2004-form 1.pdf

673-che-2004-form 13.pdf

673-che-2004-form 26.pdf

673-che-2004-form 3.pdf

673-che-2004-form 5.pdf