Patent ID: 8191403

Claim:
An apparatus for measuring the viscosity of a lubricating oil comprising: a piezo-resistive cantilever sensor for sensing a first oil viscosity parameter, the sensor comprising: a cantilever having a pressure receiving portion for receiving pressure exerted by the lubricating oil as the lubricating oil comes into contact with the pressure receiving portion, the cantilever further having a first resistive portion in electrical communication with the pressure receiving portion and having a second resistive portion in electrical communication with the pressure receiving portion; a first lead in electrical communication with the first resistive portion; and, a second lead in electrical communication with the second resistive portion; an electrical circuit amplification element in electrical communication with at least one of the first lead and the second lead for creating an output signal indicative of a change in the resistive characteristics of the first and second resistive portions as the lubricating oil comes into contact with the pressure receiving portion for sensing the first oil viscosity parameter; a processor in communication with the electrical circuit amplification element and having a memory associated therewith for receiving and storing the output signal and for determining quality of the lubricating oil by comparing the output signal with a stored resistance value; and, a user interface device in communication with the processor for receiving and communicating a lubricating oil quality signal through the interface device in response to the processor determining quality of the lubricating oil.