Automated Maintenance System for Aircraft Component Defect Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current maintenance methods and systems are inefficient and often require extended turnaround times due to labor-intensive processes and lack of automation in detecting and repairing complex components, especially in aircraft components.
Innovation Solution
A maintenance system and method utilizing an electronic control unit (ECU) to generate digital models of components, detect defects, classify them, and determine repair strategies, which includes scanning for three-dimensional data, applying machine learning, and using additive manufacturing for repairs, thereby automating the detection, classification, and repair process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional manual inspection and repair methods are used, then labor flexibility is maintained, but turnaround time increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual visual inspection and mechanical measurement with automated optical scanning systems that capture three-dimensional data of components. The system automatically generates digital models, detects defects through algorithmic analysis, and classifies repair requirements, eliminating the need for manual inspection processes and significantly reducing turnaround time.
Solution Approach 2:
The maintenance system performs self-diagnosis and self-evaluation by automatically detecting defects, classifying them into categories, and determining repair strategies without requiring manual assessment. The system independently evaluates whether components need repair or replacement based on predefined criteria, enabling autonomous maintenance decision-making.
2Measurement precision
If automated scanning and digital modeling are implemented, then defect detection accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic control unit serves multiple functions within the system: it processes scanner data, generates digital models, detects defects, classifies them into categories, and determines repair strategies. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single multi-functional device, the patent reduces overall system complexity while maintaining high measurement precision through automated analysis.
3Productivity
If manual repair processes are used, then adaptability to unknown component designs is maintained, but productivity and efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates accurate digital copies (three-dimensional models) of components through automated scanning. These digital models serve as precise replicas that can be analyzed, measured, and used for repair planning without physical manipulation. The digital copies enable rapid identification of defect locations and characteristics, significantly improving repair efficiency while maintaining adaptability to various component designs.
Data Source
AI summary
A maintenance method for servicing a component includes generating, via an electronic control unit, a digital model of the component, detecting, via the electronic control unit, a defect of the component, classifying, via the electronic control unit, the defect as a defect type, and evaluating the defect to determine, according to the defect type, whether to repair the defect or to replace a section of the component containing the defect. A maintenance system for servicing components may include a scanner and an ECU configured to create a digital model of a component, detect a defect of the component from the digital model and/or three-dimensional data of the component, classify the defect as a defect type of a plurality of defect types, and/or evaluate the defect according to the defect type.