Distributed Control System Smart Actuators Real-Time Diagnostics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft and aircraft engine components often operate beyond their specifications due to unnoticed wear, leading to potential failure and unexpected component failure, even within their theoretical life, as existing monitoring systems fail to detect performance degradation in real-time.
Innovation Solution
A fully distributed control system architecture with smart actuators and sensors that use model-based principles for real-time performance assessment and self-diagnosis, allowing components to track degradation and communicate out-of-specification conditions to the master controller, enabling proactive maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If components operate beyond their specifications due to unnoticed wear, then productivity is maintained, but reliability deteriorates leading to potential failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where smart sensors continuously monitor component performance parameters and compare them against specified limits. When degradation is detected, the system provides feedback to the master controller, which can then alert operators or automatically adjust operations to prevent failure, thus maintaining both productivity and reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The smart sensors and actuators perform self-diagnosis and self-monitoring of their own performance status. They automatically detect when they are operating outside specifications and communicate this information without requiring external inspection, enabling the system to maintain reliability while continuing productive operation
2Reliability
If real-time performance monitoring is implemented, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system is segmented into distributed smart sensors and actuators that each independently monitor their own performance. This segmentation allows reliability monitoring to be implemented at the component level without requiring a complex centralized monitoring system, as each smart component autonomously tracks its own health status
Solution Approach 2:
The smart sensors and actuators serve multiple functions: they perform their primary control function while simultaneously monitoring their own performance and providing diagnostic information. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated monitoring equipment, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while still achieving real-time reliability assessment
Data Source
AI summary
A system for controlling operation of an aircraft engine includes a master controller, a control node coupled to a component of the aircraft engine and to the master controller, wherein the control node includes a computing device for performing diagnosis of the component. The computing device is configured to assess performance of the component during operation of the aircraft, determine whether the component is performing within specification, and if not performing within specification, indicate that the component is out of specification.