Automated Aircraft Engine Damage Detection via Reference Model Alignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Manual inspection of aircraft engine components for damage is prone to human error, leading to missed defects, increased costs, and potential engine failure due to the time-consuming and fatigue-sensitive nature of the process.
Innovation Solution
An automated damage detection system utilizing sensors and processors to receive and align data with reference models, determining feature dissimilarities and classifying them to assess the probability of damage, which can include generating 3D information and updating reference models based on inspection data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual inspection is used to detect damage, then human inspectors can interpret images and videos, but inspection accuracy deteriorates due to fatigue and distraction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical human inspection process with an automated computer-based system that captures images or videos of engine components and uses algorithms to automatically detect defects, eliminating human fatigue and distraction while maintaining continuous operation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-inspection of engine components by the inspection system itself, where the computer automatically analyzes the captured images or videos without requiring human interpretation, allowing the system to perform its own diagnostic function
2Reliability
If manual inspection is used to detect damage, then inspectors can make defect decisions, but productivity deteriorates due to time-consuming processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual inspection mechanism with an automated computer-based inspection system that processes images or videos rapidly, significantly increasing inspection throughput while maintaining consistent defect detection reliability through algorithmic analysis
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary capture of images or videos of engine components before detailed analysis, allowing for rapid initial screening and enabling high-volume inspection processing by pre-processing the visual data for automated defect identification
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method of detecting damage to a component may include a first sensor and a processor. The method may include the steps of receiving, by the processor, a first data for the component from a first sensor, aligning, by the processor, the first data with a reference model, determining, by the processor, a feature dissimilarity between the first data and the reference model, classifying, by the processor, the feature dissimilarity, and determining, by the processor, a probability that the feature dissimilarity indicates damage to the component.