WIRELESS ENGINE MONITORING SYSTEM WITH MULTIPLE HOP AIRCRAFT COMMUNICATIONS CAPABILITY AND ON-BOARD PROCESSING OF ENGINE DATA

• US 20130332010A1
• Filed: 06/06/2012
• Published: 12/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: ZIARNO, James J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,026,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0085 Devices for aircraft health monitoring, e.g. monitoring flutter or vibration
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/14 Testing gas-turbine engines or jet-propulsion engines
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0213 Modular or universal configuration of the monitoring system, e.g. monitoring system having modules that may be combined to build monitoring program; monitoring system that can be applied to legacy systems; adaptable monitoring system; using different communication protocols

Abstract

An engine monitoring module includes a housing configured to be mounted at the aircraft engine and a first wireless transmitter carried by the housing. A memory is carried by the housing and a processor is carried by the housing and coupled to the memory and the first wireless transmitter and configured to collect and store in the memory engine data relating to at least one engine parameter sensed during operation of the aircraft engine by a plurality of engine sensors that transmit the engine data via the first wireless transmitter. A wireless receiver is located within the aircraft and configured to receive the engine data transmitted from the first wireless transmitter. A second wireless transmitter is located within the aircraft and operatively connected to the wireless receiver and configured to receive and transmit the engine data.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for an aircraft engine, comprising:

an engine monitoring module comprising;

a housing configured to be mounted at the aircraft engine,

a first wireless transmitter carried by the housing,

a memory carried by the housing,

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

collect and store in said memory engine data relating to at least one engine parameter sensed during operation of the aircraft engine by a plurality of engine sensors and transmit the engine data via the first wireless transmitter;

a wireless receiver located within the aircraft and configured to receive the engine data transmitted from the first wireless transmitter; and

a second wireless transmitter located within the aircraft and operatively connected to the wireless receiver and configured to transmit the engine data.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said second wireless transmitter comprises a UHF transmitter configured to transmit the engine data over an air-to-ground communications signal.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said second wireless transmitter is configured to transmit the engine data over a satellite communications link.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said first wireless transmitter is configured to transmit the engine data and a data address linked to an identifier of the aircraft engine.

5. The system according to claim 1, and further comprising a wireless local area network (LAN) formed within the aircraft to which the wireless receiver and second wireless transmitter are connected.

6. A monitoring system for an aircraft engine, comprising:

an engine monitoring module comprising;

a housing configured to be mounted at the aircraft engine,

a first wireless transmitter carried by the housing,

a memory carried by the housing,

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

collect and store in said memory engine data relating to at least one engine parameter sensed during operation of the aircraft engine by a plurality of engine sensors and transmit the engine data via the first wireless transmitter; and

a wireless receiver located within the aircraft and configured to receive the engine data transmitted from the first wireless transmitter, and further comprising a processor located within the aircraft and configured to receive the engine data from the wireless receiver during the flight of the aircraft and process the engine data and determine engine operating parameters.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein said processor is configured to determine engine operating parameters based on the sensed engine data.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein said processor at the aircraft determines an engine shutdown during flight of the aircraft.

9. The system according to claim 6, and further comprising a second wireless transmitter located within the aircraft and operatively connected to the wireless receiver and configured to receive the engine data and transmit the engine data.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said second wireless transmitter comprises a UHF transmitter configured to transmit the engine data over an air-to-ground communications signal.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein said second wireless transmitter is configured to transmit the engine data over a satellite communications link.

12. The system according to claim 9, and further comprising a wireless local area network (LAN) formed within the aircraft to which the wireless receiver and second wireless transmitter are connected.

13. The system according to claim 6, wherein said first wireless transmitter is configured to transmit the engine data and a data address linked to an identifier of the aircraft engine.

14. A method of monitoring an aircraft engine, comprising:

mounting an engine monitoring module at the aircraft engine, said engine monitoring module comprising a housing that is mounted at the aircraft engine, a first wireless transmitter carried by the housing, a memory carried by the housing, and a processor coupled to the memory and the first wireless transmitter;

collecting and storing in the memory engine data relating to at least one engine parameter sensed during operation of the aircraft engine by a plurality of engine sensors;

transmitting the engine data via the first wireless transmitter to a wireless receiver located within the aircraft; and

transmitting the engine data via a second wireless transmitter located within the aircraft.

15. The method according to claim 14, and further comprising transmitting the engine data via the second wireless transmitter over a satellite communications link.

16. The method according to claim 14, and further comprising transmitting the engine data over an Ultra High Frequency (UHF) communications signal as an air-to-ground communications signal.

17. The method according to claim 14, and further comprising assigning a data address to the engine monitoring module and linking the data address to an engine serial number for tracking the aircraft engine.

18. The method according to claim 14, and further comprising receiving the engine data at a wireless local area network (LAN) in the aircraft to which the second wireless transmitter and wireless receiver are connected.

19. The method according to claim 14, and further comprising receiving engine parameters within the engine monitoring module collected from the plurality of engine sensors formed as wireless engine sensors configured into an engine wireless sensor network.

20. A method of monitoring an aircraft engine, comprising:

mounting an engine monitoring module at the aircraft engine, said engine monitoring module comprising a housing that is mounted at the aircraft engine, a first wireless transmitter carried by the housing, a memory carried by the housing, and a processor coupled to the memory and the first wireless transmitter;

collecting and storing in the memory engine data relating to at least one engine parameter sensed during operation of the aircraft engine by a plurality of engine sensors;

transmitting the engine data via the first wireless transmitter to a wireless receiver located within the aircraft having a processor connected thereto; and

processing the engine data during the flight of the aircraft to determine engine operating parameters.

21. The method according to claim 20, and further comprising determining engine operating parameters based on the sensed engine data.

22. The method according to claim 21, and further comprising deciding an engine shutdown during flight of the aircraft.

23. The method according to claim 20, and further comprising assigning a data address to the engine monitoring module and linking the data address to an engine serial number for tracking the aircraft engine.

24. The method according to claim 20, and further comprising receiving sensed engine parameters within the engine monitoring module collected from the plurality of engine sensors formed as wireless engine sensors configured into an engine wireless sensor network.

25. The method according to claim 20, and further comprising transmitting the engine data via a second wireless transmitter on the aircraft.

26. The method according to claim 25, and further comprising receiving the engine data at a wireless local area network (LAN) in the aircraft to which the second wireless transmitter and wireless receiver are connected.

27. The method according to claim 25, and further comprising transmitting the engine data via the second wireless transmitter over a satellite communications link.

28. The method according to claim 25, and further comprising transmitting the engine data via the second wireless transmitter over a air-to-ground communications signal.

29. The method according to claim 28, and further comprising transmitting the engine data over an Ultra High Frequency (UHF) communications signal as the air-to-ground communications signal.