Aircraft Engine Oil Filter Bypass Control for Sensor Fault Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft propulsion system oil systems lack effective methods to identify and respond to faulted conditions in sensor assemblies, leading to potential failures in lubrication and cooling functions.
Innovation Solution
An engine oil system with a filter assembly, sensor assembly, and controller that uses temperature and differential pressure sensors to monitor oil conditions, employing a bypass valve control algorithm to adjust the bypass valve position based on measured parameters, identifying faulted conditions, and implementing a model to correlate temperature and pressure for precise control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If temperature and pressure sensors are used to monitor oil conditions, then the system can identify faulted conditions, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor assembly performs multiple functions: temperature monitoring, differential pressure monitoring, and fault condition identification. By combining these sensing capabilities in one integrated assembly, the patent reduces overall system complexity while improving reliability through comprehensive monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller receives feedback from temperature and pressure sensors, processes this information to identify faulted conditions, and adjusts the bypass valve accordingly. This feedback loop enables automatic fault detection and response without requiring complex manual monitoring systems.
2Reliability
If a bypass valve control algorithm is implemented to dynamically adjust valve position, then lubrication and cooling performance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bypass valve position is dynamically adjusted based on real-time temperature and pressure readings from the sensor assembly. The control algorithm continuously modifies valve position to optimize oil flow through the filter, ensuring reliable lubrication and cooling under varying operating conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The control algorithm changes the physical parameter of valve position based on measured temperature and pressure parameters. By dynamically adjusting the valve position parameter in response to changing oil conditions, the system maintains optimal lubrication and cooling performance.
3Reliability
If faulted conditions are identified using measured parameters, then system reliability is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical fault detection mechanisms with electronic sensing and computational analysis. Temperature and pressure sensors coupled with a control algorithm that identifies faulted conditions through parameter analysis provide reliable fault detection without requiring complex mechanical diagnostic systems.
Data Source
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AI summary
An engine oil system (34) includes a filter assembly (68), a sensor assembly (70), and a controller (72). The filter assembly (68) includes a filter (78) and a bypass valve (80). The filter assembly (68) forms a portion of an oil flow path (64) of the engine oil system (34). The sensor assembly (70) includes an inlet pressure sensor (70B), an outlet pressure sensor (70C), and a temperature sensor (70A). The controller (72) is configured to control a position of the bypass valve (80) in the open position or the closed position with an unfaulted control routine using a temperature (TOIL) measured by the temperature sensor (70A) and a differential pressure (ΔPOIL) measured by the inlet pressure sensor (70B) and the outlet pressure sensor (70C), execute a bypass valve control algorithm configured to identify a faulted condition and an unfaulted condition of the sensor assembly (70), and identify the faulted condition or the unfaulted condition using the bypass valve control algorithm. The faulted condition is identified where the temperature (TOIL) or the differential pressure (ΔPOIL) is outside of an expected temperature range or an expected differential pressure range, respectively.