Electronic Dip Stick

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Electronic Dip Stick

Real-Time Oil InformationManufacturer's oil change interval recommendations are guesses at best. Whether it is the Jeep owner's manual, the oil manufacturer, or the oil filter company you are using, they just don't know what your conditions are.


Photo Gallery: Inttellistick Electronic Engine Oil Dip Stick - JP Magazine

Photo Gallery: Inttellistick Electronic Engine Oil Dip Stick - JP Magazine


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How the Electronic Dipstick Works

The electronic dipstick uses the MIR fast-pulse technology to launch a signal--from a launch plate rather than an antenna--along a single metal wire rather than through air and measures the transit time of reflected electromagnetic pulses from the top of the dipstick down to a liquid surface. The air-liquid boundary is the discontinuity that reflects the pulse; the time difference between a pulse reflection at the top of the dipstick and a reflection at the air-liquid boundary indicates the distance along the line. The liquid level is thus measured from the top of the tank (the dielectric is air, which for all practical purposes does not vary with temperature or vapor content). The Transmission line for the dipstick may be configured as microstrip, coaxial cable, or twin lead, whichever suits the application.

The strength of the pulse reflected from the air-liquid boundary and from the subsurface liquid-liquid boundary can be measured. When the liquid has a low relative dielectric constant, such as JP-3 jet fuel, only a portion of the pulse is reflected at the air-liquid boundary, and the remaining portion continues into the liquid until another discontinuity is reached, such as an oil-water boundary or the tank bottom itself. Thus, the dipstick can also provide additional information about conditions within the tank. The photo above shows the entire dipstick assembly with its simple digital output display, although the output could be connected directly to an analog meter. The dipstick's 14-bit, high-resolution output provides continuous readout that is accurate to within 0.1% of the wire's maximum length, and it functions at temperatures from -55 to 85°C (-67 to 185°F). Already, companies have shipped products that use this technology of the future.