Aircraft Maintenance Detection via Operational Data Comparison

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional health monitoring systems for aircraft systems, such as engines, often detect inadequate maintenance only after performance degradation or failure occurs, missing early signs of maintenance issues during idle periods and leading to costly consequences.

Innovation Solution

A system and method that uses data processors to compare operational data from sensors with scheduled maintenance data to detect inadequate maintenance conditions, generating signals for notification and storage, allowing for proactive identification of maintenance deficiencies before performance degradation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional health monitoring systems monitor system performance and vital signs, then system performance can be tracked, but inadequate maintenance during idle periods cannot be detected until failure occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedetection of inadequate maintenanceVSAvoidmaintenance status information

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of inadequate maintenance by comparing operational event data with scheduled maintenance data before system failure occurs. This allows early identification of maintenance deficiencies during idle periods, enabling preventive action before reliability deteriorates.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If conventional systems only monitor operational periods, then active system performance can be detected, but idle period maintenance issues remain undetected

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemaintenance condition detectionVSAvoiddetection delay

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system ensures continuous monitoring by continuously comparing operational event data from sensors with scheduled maintenance data, regardless of whether the system is in operation or idle. This continuous comparison eliminates detection delays and maintains measurement precision across all system states.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Reliability

If periodic maintenance procedures are not executed correctly, then system wear increases, but conventional systems cannot detect the incorrect execution until failure occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem reliabilityVSAvoidmonitoring system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by continuously comparing actual operational events with scheduled maintenance requirements and generating alerts when discrepancies are detected. This feedback mechanism enables early detection of incorrect maintenance execution, allowing corrective action before reliability deteriorates, without requiring complex additional hardware.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS9256990B2Apparatus for detecting inadequate maintenance of a system

Publication Date: 2016.02.09 PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP

AI summary

Apparatus 10 for detecting inadequate maintenance of a system 12 of an aircraft or other vehicle is provided. The apparatus comprises: computer readable medium or media 14 configured to store data 18 relating to operation or non-operation of the system 12 over a period of time; and a data processing unit 16 configured to evaluate the data to identify at least one event indicative of the inadequate maintenance of the system.