Aircraft Engine Health Monitoring via Fault Code Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine engines often lack dedicated sensors for monitoring critical parameters such as vibration, and existing controllers are not configured to process these signals without requiring extensive retrofitting and re-certification, leading to potential damage from excessive vibrations.
Innovation Solution
A health evaluation device is integrated into the engine's communication link to monitor health parameters, blocking normal operation signals when thresholds are exceeded and transmitting fault codes to the controller, allowing for health responses without altering the controller's configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dedicated sensors and controller configuration are added to monitor health parameters, then engine safety and reliability are improved, but device complexity and certification requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The health evaluation device serves as an intermediary component that sits between existing engine instruments and the controller. It monitors health parameters, evaluates their significance, and only intervenes when necessary by injecting fault codes. This approach enables enhanced monitoring without requiring modifications to the controller's core configuration or extensive retrofitting of the engine system.
Solution Approach 2:
The health evaluation device is designed to work with existing engine instruments and communication protocols without requiring dedicated sensors or controller reconfiguration. It universally interfaces with available measurement systems and provides health monitoring functionality through the existing communication link, thereby avoiding additional device complexity.
2Ease of manufacture
If health monitoring is implemented without re-certification, then ease of manufacture and installation are improved, but measurement precision and reliability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The health evaluation device is pre-configured with thresholds and evaluation logic before installation. It continuously monitors health parameters and is ready to immediately inject fault codes when parameters exceed predetermined thresholds, ensuring measurement precision is maintained without requiring post-installation calibration or re-certification of the controller.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback monitoring of health parameters against predetermined thresholds. When parameters exceed thresholds, the health evaluation device provides feedback by injecting appropriate fault codes into the communication link, ensuring accurate health assessment without compromising measurement precision or requiring controller re-certification.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for operating an aircraft engine. A health parameter for the engine received from a first instrument is monitored by a health evaluation device communicatively coupled to a communication link between an engine controller and a second instrument which generates an operation parameter signal indicative of an engine operating condition. The health parameter is compared, by the health evaluation device, to a predetermined threshold. When the health parameter is below the threshold, the health evaluation device causes the operation parameter signal to be transmitted from the second instrument to the controller. When the health parameter reaches the threshold, the health evaluation device prevents the operation parameter signal from being transmitted from the second instrument to the controller, and transmits to the controller a fault signal to elicit a health response therefrom, the fault signal containing at least two mutually-exclusive fault codes associated with the operating condition.