Diagnostic system and diagnosing method, housing component of a lubricant container

1. A housing component of a lubricant container and a closure device for sealing an opening of the housing component from a lubricant present during operational use thereof in an internal space of the lubricant container, the housing component comprising:

at least one sensor device comprising at least one sensor for generating sensor signals corresponding to a respective operational condition and in the water content of the lubricant, wherein the at least one sensor is disposed on a portion which faces the inside of the housing part during insertion of the closure device in order to be placed in contact with the lubricant;

at least one transceiver for receiving the sensor signals from the sensor device and for signal transmission of the sensor signals to an external reception unit; and

a power supply device for supplying electric power to the sensor device and to the transceiver,

wherein the at least one sensor for determining the water content in the lubricant comprises a capacitor having capacitor electrodes, and the surface of at least one of the capacitor electrodes is coated in portions thereof with a protective layer.

2. The housing component according to claim 1 , wherein the protective layer is formed of Si oxide and/or a Si nitride and/or aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) and/or parylene and/or a polymer coating.

3. The housing component according to claim 1 , wherein the surface of only one electrode of the capacitor is coated in portions thereof.

4. The housing component according claim 1 , wherein the housing component is a closure device and the closure device comprises a screw adapted for insertion into a threaded reception of an inlet opening or outlet opening, or a bolt having a securing element for closing the respective inlet opening or outlet opening by the bolt.

5. The housing component according to claim 1 , wherein the housing component comprises a function module having a signal transmission device which is functionally communicated with the sensor device so as to be able to transmit measurement values determined by the sensor device to an external reception and/or transmission device.

6. The housing component according to claim 5 , wherein the capacitor electrodes in the function of sensor electrodes comprise antennae.

7. The housing component according to claim 1 , wherein the function module additionally comprises a device for determining the operational condition of the transmission mechanism and a temperature sensor for detecting temperature of the lubricant and/or a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure of the lubricant, and wherein the function module only detects a sensor value for the operational condition of the lubricant or only stores a sensor value for the operational condition of the lubricant detected by the sensor device in a memory device and/or only transmits it to the signal transmission device if it is determined with aid of the device for determining the operational condition that the detected operational condition of the transmission mechanism is above or below a predetermined operational condition of the transmission mechanism.

8. The housing component according to claim 7 , wherein the function module is configured such that the control device initiates measurement of the operational condition in the lubricant or the determination of the operational condition of the transmission mechanism at predetermined time intervals.

9. The housing component according to claim 1 , wherein

the function module comprises a control device which is functionally communicated with the sensor device or with the memory and which upon reception of a request for transmission of measurement data received from the signal transmission device activates the performance of a measurement by the sensor device and supplies at least one detected sensor value from the sensor device or at least one sensor value stored in the memory device to the signal transmission device, and

the signal transmission device is configured to transmit the at least one received sensor value to an external reception and/or transmission device.

10. The housing component according to claim 9 , wherein the function module is configured such that the control device initiates measurement of the operational condition in the lubricant or determination of the operational condition of the transmission mechanism at predetermined time intervals.

11. The housing component according to claim 9 , wherein the function module is configured to switch the antenna device between an energy-saving standby mode and an active transmission and/or reception mode,

in the standby mode the transmission and reception module determines at predetermined time intervals whether a minimum signal strength is present as a result of a query by an external reception and/or transmission device, and

based on the determination of such a query by the control device the transmission and reception module transmits information corresponding to this query via the antenna device to the external reception and/or transmission device.

12. The housing component according to claim 9 , wherein the function module is configured to provide to the signal transmission device the respective most recent measurement value or a predetermined number of most recent measurement values concerning the operational condition of the lubricant.

13. The housing component according to claim 9 , wherein the query is registered as a query with regard to sending of a measurement value or of information concerning the lubricant only if an address specified with the query is identical with a predetermined address stored in the function module.

14. The housing component according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor device comprises a planar capacitor which is constituted by two capacitor parts facing each other.

15. The housing component according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor device comprises a plate capacitor having two capacitor plates and the sensor surface of the first end portion which faces the inside of the housing part in the closing condition of the closure device and is intended for entering into contact with the lubricant is configured partly as a groove, with two mutually facing surfaces of the side walls of the groove each forming an outer side of a respective one of the capacitor plates.