Wireless engine monitoring system for environmental emission control and aircraft networking

• US 10,035,609 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2016
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ziarno, James J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jelani A
• Application Number:
  US15/063,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20170259942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/00 Controlling gas-turbine plants; Controlling fuel supply in air- breathing jet-propulsion plants controlling air intakes F02C7/057; controlling turbines F01D; controlling compressors F04D27/00; controlling in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/80 Diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/15117 Radio link, wireless
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45071 Aircraft, airplane, ship cleaning manipulator, paint stripping
• 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: 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 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

A wireless engine monitoring system for an aircraft engine includes a housing and wireless transceiver that receives engine data, including engine data relating to environmental engine emissions. A processor processes the engine data and generates an alarm report when the environmental engine emissions exceed a threshold.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for an aircraft engine that facilitates compliance with limitations on environmental emissions established by a jurisdiction, comprising:

a plurality of wireless engine sensors associated with the aircraft engine and each configured to sense an engine parameter as engine data and transmit the engine data;

a plume sensor carried by said aircraft and configured to measure particle emissions in an exhaust plume as exhaust plume data and transmit the exhaust plume data;

an engine monitoring module comprising;

a housing configured to be mounted at the aircraft engine,

a wireless transceiver carried by the housing and configured to receive the engine data and exhaust plume data from the engine sensors and the plume sensor,

a memory carried by the housing, and

a processor carried by the housing and coupled to the memory and the wireless transceiver and configured to;

collect and store in said memory the engine data and exhaust plume data, and

process the engine data and exhaust plume data and determine engine performance parameters as related to engine emissions and calculate environmental engine emissions from the aircraft and generate an alarm report into the aircraft when the environmental engine emissions exceed a threshold imposed by a jurisdiction when the aircraft is located within that jurisdiction; and

at least one communications device positioned within a flight deck of the aircraft that receives the alarm report and includes a display configured to display the alarm report to crew in the flight deck.

2. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the engine data and exhaust plume data for the environmental engine emissions comprises the exhaust concentration of at least one of total hydrocarbons (THC), total organic gases (TOC), particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide, and oxides of nitrogen.

3. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to process the engine data and exhaust plume data based on a phase of the flight of the aircraft and generate an alarm report when the environmental engine emissions exceed the threshold for a respective phase of flight.

4. The monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein the phase of flight includes at least one of the aircraft'"'"'s taxiing, take-off, climb, cruise, descent, final approach and taxiing.

5. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the engine data comprises data regarding the sensed exhaust gas temperature (EGT) of the aircraft engine during flight.

6. The monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising a ground based receiver that receives the engine data and exhaust plume data relating to the environmental engine emissions and a processor coupled to the ground based receiver and configured to correlate the engine data and exhaust plume data relating to the environmental engine emissions to a phase of flight of the aircraft engine and perform an analysis to determine a maintenance schedule for the aircraft engine.

7. The monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein said processor is configured to perform an analysis of the engine data and exhaust plume data relating to the environmental engine emissions and the phase of flight of the aircraft engine using a Bayesian network.

8. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of wireless engine sensors are configured to sense a low compressor speed (N1), a high compressor speed (N2), engine oil pressure, engine oil temperature and fuel flow of the aircraft engine.

9. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of wireless engine sensors are configured to measure at least one of barometric pressure, air moisture content, wind speed, and air temperature.

10. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the plume sensor is located on the aircraft adjacent an aircraft engine.

11. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said plume sensor comprises an infrared or laser sensor.

12. A monitoring system for an aircraft engine that facilitates compliance with limitations on environmental emissions established by a jurisdiction, comprising:

a plurality of wireless engine sensors associated with the aircraft engine and each configured to sense an engine parameter as engine data and transmit the engine data;

a plume sensor carried by said aircraft and configured to measure particle emissions in an exhaust plume as exhaust plume data and transmit the exhaust plume data;

an engine monitoring module comprising;

a housing configured to be mounted at the aircraft engine,

a wireless transceiver carried by the housing and configured to receive the engine data and exhaust plume data from the engine sensors and the plume sensor,

a memory carried by the housing, and

a processor carried by the housing and coupled to the memory and the wireless transceiver and configured to;

collect and store in said memory the engine data and exhaust plume data, and

process the engine data and exhaust plume data based on phase of flight of the aircraft and determine engine performance parameters as related to engine emissions and calculate environmental engine emissions from the aircraft and generate an alarm report when the environmental engine emissions exceed a threshold imposed by a jurisdiction when the aircraft is located within that jurisdiction or generate an alarm report when the environmental engine emissions exceed the threshold or a respective phase of flight.

13. The monitoring system according to claim 12, wherein the engine data and exhaust plume data for the environmental engine emissions comprise the exhaust concentration of at least one of total hydrocarbons (THC), total organic gases (TOC), particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide, and oxides of nitrogen.

14. The monitoring system according to claim 12, wherein the phase of flight includes at least one of the aircraft'"'"'s taxiing, take-off, climb, cruise, descent, final approach and taxiing.

15. The monitoring system according to claim 12, wherein said wireless transceiver is configured to transmit the alarm report into the aircraft.

16. The monitoring system according to claim 15, comprising at least one communications device positioned within the flight deck that receives the alarm report and includes a display configured to display the alarm report to crew in the flight deck.

17. The monitoring system according to claim 12, wherein the engine data includes data regarding the sensed exhaust gas temperature (EGT) of the aircraft engine during flight.

18. The monitoring system according to claim 12, further comprising a ground based receiver that receives the engine data and exhaust plume data relating to the environmental engine emissions and a processor coupled to the ground based receiver and configured to correlate the engine data and exhaust plume data relating to the environmental engine emissions to a phase of flight of the aircraft engine and perform an analysis to determine a maintenance schedule for the aircraft engine.

19. The monitoring system according to claim 18, wherein said processor is configured to perform an analysis of the engine data and exhaust plume data relating to the environmental engine emissions and the phase of flight of the aircraft engine using a Bayesian network.

20. The monitoring system according to claim 12, wherein said plurality of wireless engine sensors are configured to sense a low compressor speed (N1), a high compressor speed (N2), engine oil pressure, engine oil temperature and fuel flow of the aircraft engine.

21. The monitoring system according to claim 12, wherein said plurality of wireless engine sensors are configured to measure at least one of barometric pressure, air moisture content, wind speed, and air temperature.

22. The monitoring system according to claim 12, wherein the plume sensor is located on the aircraft adjacent an aircraft engine.

23. The monitoring system according to claim 12, wherein said plume sensor comprises an infrared or laser sensor.