METHOD AND DEVICE FOR REMOTE ENDOSCOPY OF AN AIRCRAFT ENGINE

• US 20170030840A1
• Filed: 04/10/2015
• Published: 02/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2014
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Safran Aircraft Engine Company
• Original Assignee: Snecma (Safran SA)
• Inventors: BUGEAUD-REMOND, Florie, CHEVALIER, Lydie Marie-Helene, FOLLIOT, Christophe, LHERMENIER, Bemard, MARTIN, Jacques
• Application Number:
  US15/303,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20170030840A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/02 Details or accessories of testing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/8887 based on image processing techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/8851 Scan or image signal processing specially adapted therefor, e.g. for scan signal adjustment, for detecting different kinds of defects, for compensating for structures, markings, edges G01N21/8806 and G01N21/93 - G01N21/95692 take precedence; optical measurement of dimensions G01B11/00; optical scanning G02B26/10; image transformation G06T3/00; computerised image enhancement G06T5/00; image processing per se for flaw detection G06T7/0002
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/12 Circuits of general importance; Signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2476 Non-optical details, e.g. housings, mountings, supports
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24048 Remote test, monitoring, diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33298 Remote videoconferencing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35381 Convert in real time input peripheral data to processor data, ouput data format
• 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

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for aiding remote-diagnosis in the course of an endoscopy of an aircraft engine, comprising at least one endoscope used in situ by a first operator to capture images of said engine and to perform measurements, and at least one remote terminal used by at least one second operator to analyse said video images and to transmit a diagnosis to the operator.

The device according to the invention further comprises a wireless communication interface allowing the operator to exchange with the expert, in real time and interactively, the images captured and the results of the measurements performed.

Claims

1. Device for aiding remote-diagnosis in the course of an endoscopy of an aircraft engine;

comprising at least one endoscope (2) used in situ by a first operator (20) to capture images of said engine and to perform measurements, and at least one remote terminal (10) used by at least one second operator (22) to analyse said images and the results of said measurements in order to establish a diagnosis, the device further comprises a wireless communication interface allowing the first operator (20) to exchange with the second operator (22), in real time and interactively, the images captured and the results of the measurements performed, characterised in that said communication interface comprises a module (6) for the acquisition and automatic conversion of the video images from a data format specific to the endoscope (2) to a data format suitable for processing by a laptop computer (4) and by the remote terminal (10).

2. Device according to claim 1 wherein said communication interface further comprises an audio communication module.

3. Device according to claim 1 further comprising a memory for saving the information and data exchanged between the operator (20) and the second operator (22).

4. Device according to claim 1 wherein the endoscope (2) is connected to a video acquisition and conversion card of a laptop computer (4) suitable for communicating in real time with the remote terminal (10) via a wireless communication network.

5. Method for aiding remote-diagnosis in the course of an endoscopy of an aircraft engine characterised by the following steps:

capturing images and performing measurements of the engine by means of an endoscope connected to a laptop computer (4),

establishing a wireless connection between the laptop computer (4) and a remote terminal (10), to analyse said images and said measurements and to establish a diagnosis;

exchanging in real time and interactively the images captured and the results of the measurements performed between the laptop computer (4) and the remote terminal (10).

automatically converting the results of the measurements performed from a data format specific to the endoscope to a data format suitable for processing by the laptop computer (4) and by the remote terminal (10).

6. Computer program stored in memory on a storage medium and including instructions for carrying out the steps of the method when it is executed on a computer.