Electromechanical actuator and effector health management system and method

• US 7,877,231 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2008
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Busch, Darryl G., Hadden, George D., Benson, Dwayne M., Bharadwaj, Raj M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wachsman; Hal D
• Application Number:
  US12/177,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20100023301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 702/182, 702/35, 702/38, 702/58, 702/115, 702/150, 702/185
• US Class Current: 702/182
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4065 Monitoring tool breakage, life or condition
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/14106 Reconfiguration of components or graceful degradation, degrade
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33315 Failure detection and reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0291 Switching into safety or degraded mode, e.g. protection and supervision after failure

Abstract

A system and method are provided for supplying electromechanical actuator (EMA) health status information to a control system. A determination is made as to whether the EMA has experienced a fault. If the EMA has experienced a fault, a fault-based position limit and a fault-based rate limit of the EMA are determined, based on the fault. A design position limit and a design rate limit of the EMA are supplied. An updated position limit of the EMA is determined based on at least the design position limit and the fault-based position limit, and an updated rate limit of the EMA is supplied based on at least the design rate limit and the fault-based rate limit.

Claims

1. A method of determining updated electromechanical actuator (EMA) limits, comprising the steps of:

determining, in a health management system, whether the EMA has experienced a fault;

if the EMA has experienced a fault, determining, in the health management system, and based on the fault, a fault-based position limit and a fault-based rate limit of the EMA;

supplying a design position limit and a design rate limit of the EMA to the health management system;

determining, in the health management system, an updated position limit of the EMA based on at least the design position limit and the fault-based position limit; and

determining, in the health management system, an updated rate limit of the EMA based on at least the design rate limit and the fault-based rate limit.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

supplying the updated position and rate limits of the EMA from the health management system to a controller.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, in the health management system, whether the EMA has experienced electric power degradation;

if the EMA has experienced electric power degradation, determining, in the health management system, a degradation-based position limit and a degradation-based rate limit of the EMA; and

determining, in the health management system, the updated position limit based at least additionally on the degradation-based position limit; and

determining, in the health management system, the updated rate limit of the EMA based at least additionally on the degradation-based rate limit.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

monitoring, using the health management system, an electrical characteristic of an electrical power source that supplies electrical power to the EMA; and

determining, in the health management system, whether the EMA has experienced electric power degradation based on the monitored electrical characteristic.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring, using the health management system, EMA temperature;

determining, in the health management system, a temperature-based position limit and a temperature-based rate limit of the EMA;

determining, in the health management system, the updated position limit based at least additionally on the temperature-based position limit; and

determining, in the health management system, the updated rate limit of the EMA based at least additionally on the temperature-based rate limit.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the EMA has experienced a fault, determining, in the health management system, and based on the fault, a fault-based bandwidth of the EMA;

supplying a design bandwidth of the EMA to the health management system; and

determining, in the health management system, an updated bandwidth of the EMA based at least on the design bandwidth and the fault-based bandwidth.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

supplying the updated position, rate, and bandwidth limits of the EMA from the health management system to a controller.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon determining that the EMA has experienced the fault, sending a test signal from the health management system to the EMA; and

monitoring, in the health management system, the EMA response to the test signal; and

based on the EMA response to the test signal, confirming, in the health management system, whether the EMA experienced the fault.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining, in the health management system, the fault-based position limit and the fault-based rate limit of the EMA only if it is confirmed that the EMA experienced the fault.

10. A method of controlling an electromechanical actuator (EMA), comprising the steps of:

determining, in a health management system, whether the EMA has experienced a fault;

if the EMA has experienced a fault, determining, in the health management system, and based on the fault, a fault-based position limit and a fault-based rate limit of the EMA;

supplying a design position limit and a design rate limit of the EMA to the health management system;

determining, in the health management system, an updated position limit of the EMA based on at least the design position limit and the fault-based position limit;

determining, in the health management system, an updated rate limit of the EMA based on at least the design rate limit and the fault-based rate limit;

supplying the updated position and rate limits of the EMA from the health management system to a controller; and

controlling the EMA based on the updated position and rate limits.

11. An electromechanical actuator (EMA) health management system, comprising:

memory having stored therein data representative of a design position limit and a design rate limit of the EMA;

a fault determination module in operable communication with the EMA, the fault determination module configured to determine whether the EMA has experienced a fault and, if the EMA has experienced a fault, to determine a fault-based position limit and a fault-based rate limit of the EMA;

a fusion module in operable communication with the memory and the fault determination module to receive therefrom the design position limit and the design rate limit and the fault-based position limit and the fault-based rate limit, respectively, the fusion module configured to determine (i) an updated position limit of the EMA based on at least the design position limit and the fault-based position limit and (ii) an updated rate limit of the EMA based on at least the design position limit and the fault-based rate limit.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a controller in operable communication with the fusion module to receive therefrom the updated position limit and the updated rate limit of the EMA.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a power monitor module in operable communication with the EMA, the power monitor module configured to determine whether the EMA has experienced electric power degradation and, if the EMA has experienced electric power degradation, to determine a degradation-based position limit and a degradation-based rate limit of the EMA,

wherein;

the fusion module is further in operable communication with the power monitor module to receive the degradation-based position and rate limits therefrom, and

the fusion module is operable to determine (i) the updated position limit of the EMA based at least additionally on the degradation-based position limit and

(ii) the updated rate limit of the EMA based at least additionally on the degradation-based rate limit.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the EMA is adapted to receive electrical power from an electrical power source; and

the power monitor module is adapted to receive a signal representative of an electrical characteristic of the electrical power source and determines whether the EMA has experienced electric power degradation based on the signal.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

an EMA temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature representative of at least a portion of the EMA and to supply a temperature signal representative thereof;

a temperature monitor module coupled to receive the temperature signal and configured, upon receipt thereof, to determine a temperature-based position limit and a temperature-based rate limit of the EMA,

wherein;

the fusion module is further in operable communication with the temperature monitor module to receive the temperature-based position and rate limits therefrom, and

the fusion module is operable to determine (i) the updated position limit of the EMA based at least additionally on the temperature-based position limit and (ii) the updated rate limit of the EMA based at least additionally on the temperature-based rate limit.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the memory additionally stores data representative of a design bandwidth of the EMA;

the fault determination module is further configured, if the EMA has experienced a fault, to determine a fault-based bandwidth of the EMA; and

the fusion module further receives the fault-based bandwidth and is further configured to determine an updated bandwidth of the EMA based at least on the design bandwidth and the fault-based bandwidth.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a controller in operable communication with the fusion module to receive therefrom the updated position limit, updated rate limit, and updated bandwidth of the EMA.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the fault determination module is further configured, upon determining that the EMA has experienced the fault, to:

supply a test signal request to the EMA;

monitor the EMA response to the test signal; and

based on the EMA response to the test signal, confirm whether the EMA experienced the fault.