Aircraft monitoring equipment

• US 20090306839A1
• Filed: 04/07/2009
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John S. Youngquist
• Original Assignee: Insight Avionics, Inc.
• Inventors: Toulmin, John W., Youngquist, John S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,473,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/14
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 15/00 Testing or calibrating of thermometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/021 Particular circuit arrangements G01K7/026, G01K7/12, G01K7/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/12 Avionics applications

Abstract

An aircraft monitoring system uses aircraft engine and system transducers to monitor critical engine and aircraft system parameters. Simple controls and graphical user interfaces facilitate the display of different kinds of critical information to the pilot. Such data may also be recorded for later downloading and analysis.

Claims

1. An aircraft monitoring instrument comprising:

a multi-color video display screen; and

a programmed data processor connected to drive said video display screen based on received signals representing fuel flow (FF) to plural combustion cylinders of an aircraft piston engine and exhaust gas temperature (EGT) for each said cylinder;

said data processor being configured to display;

(a) a graphic bar on said screen of EGT for each said combustion cylinder,

(b) an indication on said screen representative of FF which occurred during an engine fuel leaning process when a respective cylinder reached its peak EGT.

2. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 1, wherein:

said programmed data processor is also connected to receive signals representing cylinder head temperature (CHT) for each said cylinder and is configured to also display a graphic bar on said screen of CHT for each combustion cylinder.

3. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 1, wherein said data processor is configured to simultaneously display on said screen, for each cylinder, said indication representative of FF which occurred during an engine fuel leaning process when that respective cylinder reached its peak EGT.

4. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 3, wherein said data processor is configured to display each said indication as a digital numeric value of FF in visual association with its respectively corresponding cylinder'"'"'s graphic bar display of EGT.

5. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 3, wherein said data processor is configured to display each said indication as a value of at least one of:

(i) actual FF at peak EGT, (ii) variation of FF between actual FF at peak EGT and FF occurring at another point in time, (iii) a percentage of nominal, expected, recommended or actual FF measured at a predetermined time or condition, and (iv) an engine operating parameter other than FF, but related to and thus representative of FF.

6. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 1, wherein said programmed data processor is configured to display said indication representative of FF which occurred during an engine leaning process as an analog-type non-numeric graphic display on said screen.

7. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 1, wherein said data processor is configured to also display:

(c) a digital numeric display for each said combustion cylinder of its actual EGT variation from its peak EGT.

8. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 7, wherein said digital numeric display of actual EGT variation includes an indication identifying whether such displayed actual EGT variation is rich of peak (ROP) or lean of peak (LOP).

9. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 7, further comprising:

a user controllable input to the data processor configured to set a threshold value of EGT variation from peak EGT corresponding to a user'"'"'s desired fuel leaning for engine operation; and

wherein said data processor is configured to also display for each said combustion cylinder an indication of whether the displayed actual EGT variation for that cylinder is above or below the set threshold variation value.

10. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 9, wherein said indication of whether the displayed actual EGT variation is above or below the set threshold amount includes a color-coded display, a first color being used to indicate actual EGT variation in excess of the set threshold value and a second color being used to indicate actual EGT variation less than the set threshold value.

11. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 2, wherein the graphic bar display for each cylinder comprises superimposed bars of different width and color respectively representing CHT and EGT.

12. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 11, wherein the graphic bar display for each cylinder comprises a superimposed maximum desired “

red line”

CHT line of a contrasting color disposed across a bar representing EGT, which EGT bar is wider than a superimposed bar representing CHT.

13. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 12, wherein the display for each cylinder includes a color-coded digital numeric display of actual EGT and CHT values below its respective graphic bar display of EGT and CHT.

14. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 13, wherein the display includes a graphic bar and digital value display for turbine inlet temperature (TIT) of each turbocharger, if any, utilized by the monitored piston engine.

15. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 1, wherein said display further includes a sustained digital display of additional engine operating parameters including at least three of:

manifold pressure,

RPM,

fuel flow,

bus voltage,

oil temperature,

outside air temperature,

theoretical horsepower,

fuel endurance,

fuel used,

fuel remaining,

fuel endurance per tank,

fuel used per tank,

fuel remaining per tank,

total flight time remaining,

flight time remaining per tank, and

guidance fuel flow.

16. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 1, further comprising:

a fuel flow transducer configured to monitor in real-time a quantity of fuel flowing to combustion cylinders of an aircraft piston engine; and

thermocouple probes disposed to individually monitor at least the EGT associated with each said combustion cylinder.

17. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 16, further comprising:

at least one accelerometer mounted on said engine and thereat co-located with signal processing circuits which are configured to provide a succession of digital data representing real-time acceleration of engine mass vibrations for output to said programmed data processor; and

at least one engine revolution position detector providing an engine revolution position trigger signal that is synchronized with a predetermined rotational position of the piston engine;

wherein said programmed data processor is configured to also display a relative magnitude and phase angle for detected vibrations occurring at engine rotational frequency and related to dynamic propeller balance.

18. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 17, wherein said engine revolution position detector comprises a spark plug firing time detector co-located with a spark plug wire for a predetermined engine cylinder and coupled to at least a center conductor of a shielded cable carrying electrical spark ignition power to the spark plug.

19. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 18, wherein said spark plug firing time detector is electrostatically coupled to said center conductor within a shielded adapter housing affixed within shielded spark plug components.

20. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 18, wherein said spark plug firing time detector is inductively coupled to said center conductor via at least one conductive turn about a ferrite toroid encompassing said center conductor with a shielded adapter housing affixed within shielded spark plug components.

21. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 18, wherein said spark plug firing time detector comprises:

a longitudinally-split metal adapter housing of at least two pieces configured to be threadably interposed between a spark plug main body and a spark plug cap,

said adapter housing having internal threads at a distal end for mated engagement with external threads on a proximal end of the spark plug main body, said adapter housing also having an annular internal wedge-shaped lip on each of its at least two pieces, said internal lip engaging a cylindrical inside proximal end of the spark plug main body and thereby wedging said at least two pieces into increasing engagement with each other as the adapter'"'"'s distal end internal threads are screwed further onto the proximal mated externally threaded end of the spark plug main body.

22. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 1, further comprising:

a thermocouple (TC) probe resistance measuring circuit configured to inject a predetermined current into at least one thermocouple lead and to supply a resultant respectively corresponding measured voltage related to a corresponding measured TC resistance parameter.

23. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 22, wherein said thermocouple probe resistance measuring circuit comprises a capacitor connected to inject a controlled current of controlled polarity into a respectively corresponding positive or negative thermocouple lead and to measure a respectively corresponding resulting voltage associated therewith.

24. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 23, wherein said programmed data processor is configured to display measured thermocouple resistance values for at least one thermocouple probe supplying data to the programmed data processor.

25. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 24, wherein said display of measured thermocouple resistance values is color-coded to indicate which, if any, are of suspect thermocouple condition.

26. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 22, wherein said programmed data processor is configured to automatically log stored values for measured thermocouple resistances for all connected thermocouple probes at least once per aircraft flight.

27. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 1, further comprising an engine mounted module containing:

a fuel flow transducer; and

an acceleration transducer, analog-to-digital converter and a local data processing circuit connected to provide processed digital data over a digital data transmission path to another remotely located data processor.

28. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 1, wherein said programmed data processor is configured to derive and display an EGT frequency spectral analysis including low frequencies corresponding to engine exhaust valve rotation cycles per minute during engine operation.

29. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 1, further comprising:

an internal pressure sensor providing aircraft cabin atmospheric pressure data to said programmed data processor which is configured to log such data in correlation with other logged aircraft and/or engine operating conditions during aircraft flight.

30. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 1, further comprising:

an internal pressure sensor connected in operation to monitor aircraft vacuum pressure available to power certain other aircraft instruments,

said programmed data processor being configured to display at least an alarm when vacuum pressure falls below a preset minimum value.

31. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 1, further comprising:

an internal accelerometer providing data representing aircraft airframe movements to said programmed data processor which is configured to log such data in correlation with other logged aircraft and/or engine operating conditions during aircraft flight.

32. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 1, further comprising:

a removable data storage device connectable via a plug-in socket to said programmed data processor, which processor is configured to display on said video display screen audio-video presentations stored on said removable data storage device, said programmed data processor also being connectable in operation to aircraft audio output circuits for output of an audio portion of said presentation, if any.

33. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 1, further comprising:

a data communication port for connection of said programmed data processor to receive outputs of at least one of (i) an air data computer (ADC) and (ii) a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver; and

wherein said programmed data processor is configured to log data from said communication port during flight.

34. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 1, further comprising:

a fuel tank selection switch input port for connection, in operation, of said programmed data processor to an external circuit providing a signal indicating which of plural aircraft fuel tanks is currently providing fuel to the engine; and

wherein said programmed data processor is configured to provide fuel tank data separately for each one of said plural fuel tanks and to display such separately provided fuel tank data on said video display screen, said fuel tank data presenting at least one of;

(i) fuel remaining in each fuel tank, (ii) fuel used from each fuel tank, (iii) total fuel remaining in all tanks, (iv) total fuel used from all tanks, (v) flight time remaining for fuel remaining in each tank, and (vi) flight time remaining for total fuel remaining in all tanks.

35. An aircraft monitoring instrument comprising:

a display screen;

a programmed data processor connected to drive said display screen based on received signals; and

a thermocouple probe resistance measuring circuit configured to inject a predetermined current into at least one thermocouple lead and to supply a resultant respectively corresponding measured voltage value to said programmed data processor, said processor being configured to derive and display a thermocouple resistance value based on said predetermined current and said measured voltage.

36. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 35, wherein said predetermined current is injected and a resulting voltage value is measured simultaneously with provision of a temperature measuring thermocouple voltage value from the same thermocouple.

37. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 35, wherein said thermocouple probe resistance measuring circuit comprises a capacitor connected to inject a controlled current (I) of controlled polarity into a respectively corresponding positive or negative thermocouple lead and to measure a respectively corresponding resulting voltage (V) associated therewith.

38. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 37, wherein said programmed data processor is configured to display measured thermocouple resistance values for each thermocouple probe supplying data to the programmed data processor.

39. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 38, wherein said display of measured thermocouple resistance values is color-coded to indicate which, if any, are of suspect thermocouple condition.

40. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 35, wherein said programmed data processor is configured to automatically log stored values for measured thermocouple resistances for all connected thermocouple probes at least once per aircraft flight.

41. An aircraft monitoring instrument comprising:

a display screen mounted, in use, for observation by an aircraft pilot;

a programmed data processor connected to drive said display screen based on received signals; and

an engine mounted module containing;

a fuel flow transducer; and

an acceleration transducer, analog-to-digital converter and local data processing circuit connected to provide processed digital data to said programmed data processor.

42. An aircraft monitoring instrument comprising:

a display screen;

a programmed data processor connected to drive said display screen based on received signals; and

wherein said programmed data processor is configured to derive and display an EGT frequency spectral analysis including low frequencies corresponding to engine exhaust valve rotation cycles per minute during engine operation.

43. An aircraft monitoring instrument comprising:

a display screen;

a programmed data processor connected to drive said display screen based on received signals; and

an internal pressure sensor providing atmospheric pressure data representative of altitude to said programmed data processor which is configured to log such data in correlation with other logged aircraft and/or engine operating conditions during aircraft flight.

44. An aircraft monitoring instrument comprising:

a display screen;

a programmed data processor connected to drive said display screen based on received signals; and

an internal pressure sensor connected in operation to monitor aircraft vacuum pressure available to power certain other aircraft instruments,

said programmed data processor being configured to display at least an alarm when vacuum pressure falls below a preset minimum value.

45. An aircraft monitoring instrument comprising:

a display screen;

a programmed data processor connected to drive said display screen based on received signals; and

an internal accelerometer providing data representing aircraft airframe movements to said programmed data processor which is configured to log such data in correlation with other logged aircraft and/or engine operating conditions during aircraft flight.

46. An aircraft monitoring instrument comprising:

a display screen;

a programmed data processor connected to drive said display screen based on received signals representing monitored aircraft engine operating parameters; and

a removable data storage device connectable via a plug-in socket to said programmed data processor, which processor is configured to display on said display screen audio-video presentations stored on said removable data storage device, said programmed data processor also being connectable in operation to aircraft audio output circuits for output of an audio portion of said presentation, if any.

47. An aircraft monitoring instrument comprising:

a display screen;

a programmed data processor connected to drive said display screen based on received signals representing monitored aircraft engine operating parameters; and

a data communication port for connection of said programmed data processor to receive outputs of at least one of (i) an air data computer (ADC) and (ii) a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver; and

wherein said programmed data processor is configured to log data from said communication port during flight.

48. An aircraft monitoring instrument comprising:

a display screen;

a programmed data processor connected to drive said display screen based on received signals; and

a fuel tank selection switch input port for connection, in operation, of said programmed data processor to an external circuit providing a signal indicating which of plural aircraft fuel tanks is currently providing fuel to the engine; and

wherein said programmed data processor is configured to maintain fuel tank data separately for each one of said plural fuel tanks and to display separate fuel tank data on said display screen.

49. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 48, wherein said displayed fuel tank data represents at least one of:

(i) fuel remaining in each fuel tank, (ii) fuel used from each fuel tank, (iii) total fuel remaining in all tanks, (iv) total fuel used from all tanks, (v) flight time remaining for fuel remaining in each tank, and (vi) flight time remaining for total fuel remaining in all tanks.

50. An aircraft monitoring instrument comprising:

a display screen;

a programmed data processor connected to drive said display screen based on received signals; and

at least one accelerometer mounted on a predetermined portion of said aircraft and co-located with signal processing circuits which provide a succession of digital data representing real-time acceleration of said predetermined portion to said programmed data processor; and

at least one engine revolution position detector providing an engine revolution position trigger signal that is synchronized with a predetermined rotational position of the piston engine;

wherein said programmed data processor is configured to also display a relative magnitude and phase angle for detected vibrations occurring at a harmonic of engine rotational frequency.

51. An aircraft monitoring instrument as in claim 50, wherein said predetermined portion is vibrationally coupled to at least one rotating member which rotates in synchronization with engine rotation.

52. A piston engine revolution position detector comprising:

a spark plug firing time detector co-located with a spark plug wire for a predetermined engine cylinder and coupled to a center conductor of a shielded cable carrying electrical spark ignition power to the spark plug while still maintaining the shielded condition of the center conductor.

53. A piston engine revolution position detector as in claim 52, wherein said spark plug firing time detector is inductively coupled to said center conductor via at least one conductive turn.

54. A piston engine revolution position detector as in claim 52, wherein said spark plug firing time detector comprises:

a longitudinally-split metal adapter housing having at least two pieces configured to be threadably interposed between a spark plug main body and a spark plug cap,

said adapter housing having internal threads at a distal end for mated engagement with external threads on a proximal end of the spark plug main body, said adapter housing also having an annular internal wedge-shaped lip on each of its at least two pieces, said internal lip engaging a cylindrical inside proximal end of the spark plug main body and thereby wedging said at least two pieces into increasing engagement with each other as the adapter internal threads are screwed further onto the external threads of a proximal mated end of the spark plug main body.

55. A thermocouple probe resistance measuring circuit which may be used without interrupting temperature measuring thermocouple output, said circuit comprising:

a thermocouple probe resistance measuring circuit and a programmed data processor,

said circuit being configured to inject a predetermined current (I) into at least one thermocouple lead and to supply a resultant respectively corresponding measured voltage value (V) to said programmed data processor, and

said programmed data processor being configured to calculate both a resistance value and a temperature value corresponding to said measured voltage (V).

56. A thermocouple probe resistance measuring circuit as in claim 55, wherein said thermocouple probe resistance measuring circuit comprises a capacitor connected to inject a controlled current of controlled polarity into a respectively corresponding positive or negative thermocouple lead and to measure a respectively corresponding resulting voltage associated therewith.

57. A thermocouple probe resistance measuring circuit as in claim 56, wherein said programmed data processor is configured to display on an output display measured thermocouple resistance values for each thermocouple probe supplying data to the programmed data processor.