APU Starter Performance Detection via Starting Time Deviation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods lack effective means to detect the decline phase of an aircraft auxiliary power unit (APU) starter, leading to rapid performance deterioration and potential failures, which can cause flight delays and maintenance challenges.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that monitor APU starter performance by calculating the average and deviation index of starting time data over a specified period, determining whether the starter is in a stable, decline, or failure phase, and sending warnings based on predefined threshold values to predict and prevent failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If breakdown maintenance is used for APU starter, then maintenance cost is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to rapid performance deterioration within 30 hours of flight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent calculates average starting time and deviation index in advance to detect performance deterioration before failure occurs. By monitoring the deviation index of starting time across multiple flights, the system identifies when the starter enters the decline phase (when deviation exceeds threshold), enabling proactive maintenance scheduling before the 30-hour failure window is reached.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes a feedback loop where starting time data is continuously collected, averaged, and compared against threshold values. The deviation index provides real-time feedback on starter health status, allowing the system to adjust maintenance schedules dynamically based on actual performance degradation rather than fixed intervals.
2Productivity
If breakdown maintenance is used for APU starter, then maintenance frequency is reduced, but productivity deteriorates due to flight delays caused by sudden failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the critical parameter (starting time) from the complex APU operation data and focuses monitoring efforts on this single metric. By calculating the deviation index of starting time alone, the system avoids the need to monitor and analyze all possible APU parameters, simplifying the monitoring system while maintaining high effectiveness in detecting starter deterioration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms raw starting time data into a meaningful deviation index parameter that directly indicates starter health status. By changing the parameter from absolute starting time to relative deviation from the average, the system creates a clear threshold-based indicator that simplifies decision-making for maintenance scheduling.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for detecting performance of an APU starter, comprising: obtaining APU-related messages at multiple time points within one time period; obtaining running parameters of the APU starter according to the messages, the running parameters comprise starting time STA; calculating average value AVG and deviation index δ of the starting time within said time period; determining whether performance of the APU starter is in a stable phase, decline phase or failure phase according to the deviation index δ.