Microserver engine control card

• US 20050165534A1
• Filed: 01/28/2004
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rtx Corporation
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Padykula, Peter J., Loda, David C., Wood, C. Bruce, Stetson, Douglas P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,844,385 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/99
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

An integrated system for monitoring a deployed product on a movable platform, gathering data about the deployed product, and disseminating the, data about the deployed product is disclosed. The system includes a server located on the movable platform capable of communication with the server from a remote location. The server communicates with a source of data about the deployed communicates with a source of data about the deployed product. The system further includes a portal onto which data gathered by the server may be downloaded and with which one can upload information to the server. The server may be provided in the form of a card adapted to be mounted into a pre-existing electronic controller of the deployed product.

Claims

1. A gas turbine engine, comprising:

a compressor section;

a combustion section downstream of the compressor section;

a turbine section downstream of the combustion section;

a casing surrounding the compressor sector, combustion section and turbine section;

an electronic controller mounted to the casing, the electronic control box controlling and monitoring operation of the engine and having a microserver.

2. The engine of claim 1, wherein the microserver resides on a card.

3. The gas turbine engine of claim 2, wherein the microserver card hosts a web page, wherein the webpage has an IP address available for a plurality of Internet protocols.

4. The gas turbine engine of claim 2, wherein the microserver card generates a wireless system surrounding the engine and adapted to connect to the Internet.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 2, wherein the microserver card is communicably coupled to other cards within the electronic control box.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the microserver is communicably coupled to sensors installed on the engine.

7. The gas turbine engine of claim 6, wherein the microserver is hard-wired to the sensors.

8. The gas turbine engine of claim 6, wherein the microserver communicates with the sensors wirelessly.

9. The gas turbine engine of claim 8, wherein the microserver communicates by way of radio frequency identification tags.

10. The gas turbine engine of claim 4, wherein the microserver card connects to the Internet by way of a local area network.

11. The gas turbine engine of claim 4, wherein the microserver card connects to the Internet by way of cellular network.

12. The gas turbine engine of claim 4, wherein the microserver card connects to the Internet by way of satellite.

13. A system for communicating with a deployed product, comprising:

an electronic controller mounted to the deployed product;

a microserver card mounted in the electronic controller, the microserver receiving data about the deployed product and hosting a web page through which the received data is accessible, the web page having an IP address available for a plurality of Internet protocols; and

a computing device remote from the deployed product, the computing device adapted to wirelessly access the microserver web page.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the deployed product is an aircraft engine.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the microserver card is communicably coupled to other cards in the electronic control box.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the microserver card is communicably coupled to sensors installed on the deployed product.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the microserver card wirelessly communicates with the sensors.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the computing device accesses the microserver web page by way of a local network.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the computing device accesses the microserver web page by way of a cellular network.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the computing device accesses the microserver web page by way of satellite.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the computing device is selected from the group of computing devices consisting of personal computers, personal digital assistants, cellular phones, laptop computers, wireless PC tablets and computer networks.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the deployed product is an aircraft.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the microserver is a server for all computing devices on board the aircraft and a client to the Internet.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein the microserver card performs as a client to the Internet.

25. The system of claim 13, wherein the microserver card performs as a server to the computing device remote from the deployed product.

26. The system of claim 13, wherein the microserver card generates a local wireless intranet in and around the deployed product, the local wireless intranet adapted to operate in conjunction with the Internet, the local wireless intranet also being adapted to operate independently of the Internet.

27. The system of claim 13, wherein the microserver card acts as a coordinating server in communication with other computing devices, servers, and systems onboard the deployed product.

28. The system of claim 13, wherein the microserver card hosts software tools for data analysis.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the software tools for data analysis are accessible from the computing device remote from the deployed product.

30. The system of claim 13, wherein the microserver card hosts technical publications about the deployed product.

31. , The system of claim 30, wherein the technical publications are accessible from the computing device remote from the deployed product.

32. A deployed product, comprising:

a housing;

an electronic controller mounted to the housing; and

a microserver card mounted in the electronic control box, the microserver hosting a web page and generating a wireless system around the deployed product, the web page having an IP address available for a plurality of Internet protocols.

33. The deployed product of claim 32, wherein the housing is an aircraft engine and the electronic control box is an engine controller.

34. The deployed product of claim 32, further including a plurality of sensors operatively associated with the deployed product, the microserver receiving signals from the sensors.

35. The deployed product of claim 34, wherein the microserver receives the signals from other cards within the electronic control box.

36. The deployed product of claim 34, wherein the microserver received the signals wirelessly from the servers.

37. A method of communicating with a deployed product, comprising:

installing a microserver card into an electronic controller of a deployed product;

hosting a web page on the microserver card, the web page having an IP address available for a plurality of Internet protocols; and

accessing the web page wirelessly over the Internet.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the microserver card is installed in an electronic control box of an aircraft engine.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the deployed product is an aircraft.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the web page serves as a portal through which passengers onboard the aircraft can access the Internet and computing devices remote from the aircraft can communicate with the aircraft.

41. The method of claim 37, wherein the web page is accessed using a computing device selected from the group of computing devices consisting of desktop computers, personal digital assistants, cellular phones, laptop computers, and wireless PC tablets.

42. The method of claim 37, wherein the web page is accessed over a local area network.

43. The method of claim 37, wherein the web page is accessed over a cellular network.

44. The method of claim 37, wherein the web page is accessed by way of satellite.

45. The method of claim 37, further including communicating signals from sensors installed on the deployed product to the microserver card.

46. An electronic controller for an engine, comprising:

means for controlling the engine; and

a microserver for generating a wireless system adapted to connect to the Internet.

47. The electronic controller of claim 46, wherein the engine is a gas turbine engine.