Multi-Engine Aircraft Power Control for Load Response and Wear Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional multi-engine aircraft systems apply identical operational control rules to engines, leading to high cyclic usage, wear, and reduced reliability due to fluctuating mechanical and electrical loads, resulting in increased operating costs and slower engine response to load demands.
Innovation Solution
A controller system identifies unique engine characteristics for each engine, applying distinct operating rules with varying target rates of engine power change to optimize power distribution and responsiveness, ensuring some engines maintain steady-state power while others rapidly respond to load fluctuations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If identical operational control rules are applied to all engines, then device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but engine responsiveness to load fluctuations deteriorates and engine wear increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning individual operating rules to each engine based on its specific characteristics (age, loading cycles, maintenance history). Instead of uniform control, each engine receives customized control parameters that optimize its performance and responsiveness according to its local condition, thereby improving overall system responsiveness without significantly increasing operational complexity.
2Device complexity
If identical operational control rules are applied to all engines, then device complexity is reduced, but engine wear increases and maintenance costs rise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements parameter changes by dynamically adjusting operating parameters (power output, rate of change of power, operational mode) for each engine based on its accumulated loading cycles and characteristic parameters. This allows the system to optimize engine usage patterns, reducing excessive wear on older or more heavily loaded engines while maintaining overall system performance, thereby decreasing engine wear without requiring fundamental changes to the control system architecture.
3Productivity
If unique operating rules are applied to each engine based on individual characteristics, then engine responsiveness and operational efficiency are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by enabling each engine to effectively 'self-regulate' through customized operating rules that account for its individual characteristics. The control system automatically determines appropriate parameters for each engine based on stored characteristic data and current load requirements, eliminating the need for manual intervention or complex centralized coordination. This approach improves operational efficiency while keeping the control system manageable by leveraging the engines' own operational data.
4Reliability
If unique operating rules are applied to each engine, then wear reduction and reliability improvement are achieved, but the complexity of control increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-storing characteristic parameters for each engine (age, loading cycles, maintenance history, performance characteristics) before operation begins. The control system uses this pre-established data to quickly determine appropriate operating rules without requiring complex real-time analysis or coordination. This preliminary preparation enables customized control that improves reliability while minimizing control complexity, as the decision-making framework is established in advance rather than computed dynamically during operation.
Data Source
AI summary
An engine assembly for a multi-engine aircraft includes a plurality of engines including at least a first engine and a second engine, an engine load configured to be powered by each of the first engine and the second engine, and at least one controller. The at least one controller includes a processor in communication with a non-transitory memory storing instructions, which instructions when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: identify one or more engine characteristics for each of the first engine and the second engine, identify a first operating rule for the first engine and a second operating rule for the second engine using the identified one or more engine characteristics for each of the first engine and the second engine, and control a first engine power of the first engine using the first operating rule and control a second engine power of the second engine using the second operating rule.