Methods and systems for flight data based parameter tuning and deployment

• US 10,592,636 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2017
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Ren, Liling, Goussous, Faisal, Patel, Meet, Liverini, Filippo, Hwang, Sean, Lax, David, Darnell, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Cook, Brian S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khan, Iftekhar A
• Application Number:
  US15/462,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20180268100A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• Field of Search: 703 2
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 17/00 Systems involving the use of models or simulators of said systems G05B13/00, G05B15/00, G05B19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/10 Numerical modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/15 Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A system, computer-readable medium, and a method including receiving flight data engine measurements for at least one engine of the specific aircraft asset; receiving flight data aerodynamics measurements for the specific aircraft asset; combining a physics based parametric aerodynamic performance model tuned for the specific aircraft asset using the flight data aerodynamics measurements and a physics based engine model tuned for the specific aircraft asset using the flight data engine measurements; calculating, based on the combined tuned aerodynamic performance model and the tuned engine model, a performance model for the specific aircraft asset as a whole; and storing a record of the calculated performance model for the specific aircraft asset for a future deployment.

Claims

1. A method, implemented by a processor, of model tuning for a specific aircraft asset, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, at least one of recorded and streamed flight data engine measurements for at least one engine of the specific aircraft asset;

receiving, by the processor, at least one of recorded and streamed flight data flight dynamics measurements for the specific aircraft asset;

receiving, by the processor, at least one of recorded and streamed flight data aerodynamics measurements for the specific aircraft asset;

tuning, by the processor, a physics based parametric aerodynamic performance model for the specific aircraft asset using the flight data flight dynamics measurements and the flight data aerodynamics measurements and a physics based engine model for the specific aircraft asset using the flight data engine measurements, the tuning of the engine model and the aerodynamic performance model executed for each of a plurality of time periods to obtain a series of model parameter sets, one for each of the plurality of time periods;

aggregating deviations of the tuned engine model and the tuned aerodynamic performance model based on each of the model parameter sets to track a status of the specific aircraft asset'"'"'s status over a period of time;

combining, by the processor, the tuned aerodynamic performance model for the specific aircraft asset and the tuned engine model for the specific aircraft asset;

calculating, by the processor based on the combined tuned aerodynamic performance model and the tuned engine model, a performance model for the specific aircraft asset as a whole;

storing a record of the calculated performance model for the specific aircraft asset for a future deployment in a tangible computer-readable memory;

deploying the record of the calculated performance model for the specific aircraft asset to at least one of the specific aircraft asset and a ground-based system; and

optimizing at least one of performance of the aircraft based on the record of the calculated performance model deployed to the specific aircraft asset and one or more of aircraft route and profile for the specific aircraft asset based on the record of the calculated performance model deployed to the ground-based system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the flight data engine measurements, flight data flight dynamics data, and the flight data aerodynamics measurements are at least one of recorded data, streamed data, and a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the aerodynamic performance model comprises a reference baseline model to capture a behavior of a nominal or average aircraft of a given type and a parametric model tunable using flight data to capture a deviation between a performance of the specific aircraft asset.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the engine model comprises a physics based model of at least one of a numerical propulsion system simulation (NPSS), a mathematical presentation derived from a behavior of NPSS or experimental data, and combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the engine model comprises an instance thereof for each engine installed on the specific aircraft asset.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the engine model provides a thrust output truthful to actual operating conditions of the specific aircraft asset.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the performance model for the specific aircraft asset is defined by operating conditions and accurate for an entire flight envelope for the specific aircraft asset.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking a performance of the specific aircraft asset between flights and over a period of time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the specific aircraft asset is defined by its asset configuration and asset status.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein measurements are selected from the flight data engine measurements and the flight data aerodynamics measurements for the engine model and the aerodynamics model, respectively, separately or for the specific aircraft asset as a whole.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein aerodynamic coefficients for the determining the aerodynamic model are estimated by solving equations of motions for the specific aircraft asset using a collection of sample measurements relevant to flight dynamics for the specific aircraft asset.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the engine model is tuned exclusive of considerations of the aerodynamic performance model.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining estimated aerodynamic deviations for the aerodynamic performance model by comparing the estimated aerodynamic coefficients and baseline coefficients of a baseline aerodynamic model of the aerodynamic performance model.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the aerodynamic performance model comprises an aerodynamic deviation model and the aerodynamic deviation model is tunable using the estimated aerodynamic deviations.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising deploying the performance model to at least one of a system onboard the specific aircraft asset and a ground based system.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the deploying comprises:

deploying the engine model and the aerodynamic model to one of the onboard system and the ground based system; and

transmitting tuned model parameters, at least periodically, to the deployed engine model and aerodynamic model.