Aircraft Engine Shutdown Inhibitor for Erroneous Cutoff Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft propulsion engine shutdown systems are prone to inappropriate shutdowns due to pilot error or failure in adhering to emergency procedures, posing safety risks.
Innovation Solution
An inhibitor device with electronic circuitry monitors engine and flight parameters to selectively inhibit engine shutdowns, ensuring safe operation by preventing shutdowns during unsafe conditions and allowing shutdowns when necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the shut-off device is made easily actuatable by the control device for quick engine shutdown, then the response time for emergency shutdown is improved, but the risk of inappropriate shutdown due to pilot error increases
Solution Approach 1:
An inhibitor device is introduced as an intermediary component between the control device and the shut-off device. This inhibitor device monitors multiple parameters (engine parameters, flight phase, opposing engine status) and selectively blocks or permits the shutdown signal transmission, thereby preventing inappropriate shutdowns while maintaining the capability for rapid shutdown when truly needed
Solution Approach 2:
The inhibitor device implements a feedback mechanism by continuously monitoring the current operating state of the propulsion engine and the status of the opposing engine, and using this information to dynamically control whether the shut-off device can be actuated. This feedback loop ensures that shutdown is only permitted when safe operating conditions are detected
2Ease of operation
If the shutdown system is made simple and direct for ease of operation, then the ease of operation is improved, but the safety mechanisms against erroneous shutdown are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The inhibitor device performs preliminary checks of multiple safety conditions (engine parameters, flight phase, opposing engine status) before allowing the shutdown command to take effect. This preliminary action ensures that all necessary safety criteria are met before the actual shutdown occurs, preventing erroneous shutdowns while maintaining operational simplicity for the pilot
3Reliability
If multiple monitoring parameters are added to prevent inappropriate shutdown, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inhibitor device is designed as a multi-functional integrated system that simultaneously monitors multiple parameters (engine parameters, flight phase, opposing engine status) and performs both safety verification and shutdown permission control within a single device, rather than requiring separate monitoring systems for each function
Data Source
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AI summary
An inhibitor device is designed to prevent the inappropriate shutdown of an aircraft engine. By default, the inhibitor device allows actuation of the shut-off device and receives information indicating whether a fire-stop lever is in the activated or deactivated state, whether a throttle is in the idle or not state, and whether the engine is operating correctly or incorrectly. The inhibitor device (408) prevents actuation of the shut-off device when the fire-stop lever is in the deactivated state (403), the engine is in the correct operating state (404), and when, in addition, the throttle is in the non-idle state (405) or the throttle is in the idle state (405) and, furthermore, the opposing propulsion engine is in a failure (406) or in an incorrect operating state (407). An inappropriate shutdown of the propulsion engine can thus be prevented.