Method and system for predicting the operation of an aircraft by similarity analysis using distributed storage and calculation capacities

• US 10,032,321 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Safran Aircraft Engine Company
• Original Assignee: Snecma (Safran SA)
• Inventors: Lacaille, Jerome Henri Noel
• Primary Examiner(s): Antonucci, Anne Marie
• Application Number:
  US15/171,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20160358387A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0221 Preprocessing measurements, e.g. data collection rate adjustment; Standardization of measurements; Time series or signal analysis, e.g. frequency analysis or wavelets; Trustworthiness of measurements; Indexes therefor; Measurements using easily measured parameters to estimate parameters difficult to measure; Virtual sensor creation; De-noising; Sensor fusion; Unconventional preprocessing inherently present in specific fault detection methods like PCA-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/18 for evaluating statistical data , e.g. average values, frequency distributions, probability functions, regression analysis forecasting specially adapted for a specific administrative, business or logistic context G06Q10/04
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B

Abstract

A method of estimating future change in operation of a monitored aircraft (A), including the following steps performed by a computer on board the monitored aircraft, to calculate a current state of the monitored aircraft (E_CA) from measurements (VF_A) of variables related to operation of the monitored aircraft, to send a request to analyze the similarity of the calculated current state with previous states (E_PB) of similar aircraft, and to analyze change in operation (S_PB) of each similar aircraft having a similar previous state to determine a probable change (F_PA) in operation of the monitored aircraft. The method includes a step performed by a computer (B) on board each aircraft, to compare the calculated current state (E_CA) with previous states (E_PB) of similar aircraft, and send the change in operation (S_PB) corresponding to an identified similar previous state. The invention includes an on board system capable of implementing the method.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring an aircraft, including a computer on board the monitored aircraft performing the steps of:

collecting measurements made by sensors of variables related to current operation of the monitored aircraft,

calculating a current state of the monitored aircraft from the collected measurements,

sending a request to analyze the similarity of the calculated current state with previous states of aircrafts similar to the monitored aircraft,

receiving and analyzing a change in operation of each similar aircraft having a previous state similar to the calculated current state to estimate a probable change in the future operation of the monitored aircraft, and

if the estimated probable change is an abnormal change, sending an alert to a monitoring center on the ground to anticipate maintenance on the monitored aircraft.

2. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of storing the calculated current state in a database on board the monitored aircraft.

3. The method according to claim 2, further including the step of storing the collected measurements in the database on board the monitored aircraft.

4. The method according to claim 1, in which the step of sending a request to analyze the similarity of the calculated current state includes sending said calculated current state to a storage center.

5. The method according to claim 1, in which the step of sending a request to analyze the similarity of the calculated current state includes sending said calculated current state by broadcasting to the similar aircrafts.

6. The method according to claim 1, including a step performed by a computer on board a similar aircraft of comparing the calculated current state of the monitored aircraft with previous states of said similar aircraft to identify a similar previous state, and a step of replying to the request to analyze the similarity of the calculated current state of the monitored aircraft that includes sending the change in operation of the similar aircraft corresponding to the identified similar previous state.

7. The method according to claim 6, in which the change in operation corresponding to an identified similar previous state is only sent if said change is an abnormal change.

8. Method according to claim 7, in which the step of sending a request to analyze the similarity of the calculated current state includes sending said calculated current state to a storage center, and further including a step in which the similar aircraft retrieves the calculated current state of the monitored aircraft from the storage center, and in which the step of replying to the request to analyze the similarity of the calculated current state includes sending the change in operation corresponding to the identified similar previous state to the storage center.

9. The method according to claim 8, in which the step of receiving and analyzing a change in operation of each similar aircraft having a previous state similar to the calculated current state to estimate a probable change in the future operation of the monitored aircraft is preceded by a step in which the monitored aircraft receives the change in operation of each similar aircraft having an identified similar previous state from the storage center.

10. An aircraft monitoring system to be placed on board a monitored aircraft, including a computer configured:

to collect measurements made by sensors of variables related to operation of the monitored aircraft,

to calculate a current state of the monitored aircraft from the collected measurements,

to send a request to analyze the similarity of the calculated current state with previous states of aircrafts similar to the monitored aircraft,

to receive and analyze a change in operation of each similar aircraft having a previous state similar to the current state to estimate a probable change in the future operation of the monitored aircraft,

if the estimated probable change is an abnormal change, to send an alert to a monitoring center on the ground to anticipate maintenance operations on the monitored aircraft.

11. The system according to claim 10, in which the computer is further configured to compare previous states of the monitored aircraft with a current state of a similar aircraft to identify one or several similar previous states.

12. The system according to claim 10, also comprising a database to store the current state of the monitored aircraft.

13. An infrastructure for an operational diagnostic of a fleet of similar aircrafts, including a system according to claim 10 on board each aircraft in the fleet and a storage center configured to store the request for a similarity analysis of the current state of a monitored aircraft and the change in operation of each aircraft similar to the monitored aircraft having a previous state similar to the current state.