Method of controlling an overspeed safety system for aeroengines and a control circuit for implementing said method

• US 9,359,961 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2011
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Helicopters
• Original Assignee: Airbus Helicopters
• Inventors: Daumas, Julien
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US13/286,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20120116613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,680 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/14, 701/100, 701/31.7, 701/110, 701/112, 701/114, 340/945, 244/17.11, 244/17.13, 244/17.3, 244/194, 731/180.3, 731/120.1, 416/130, 60/390.91
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/42 specially adapted for the control of two or more plants simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/46 Emergency fuel control
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/222 relating to the failure of sensors or parameter detection devices
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/266 the computer being backed-up or assisted by another circuit, e.g. analogue
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/02 to control rotational speed (n)
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/021 to prevent overspeed

Abstract

A method of controlling an overspeed safety system for an aircraft having at least two engines. The method includes setting said overspeed safety system for the engines, monitoring the speeds of rotation of the engines, detecting overspeed on one of the engines, shutting down the engine in question in the event of detecting overspeed, and inhibiting the operation of the overspeed safety system for the other engine(s) still in operation. The method also comprises the steps of monitoring safety parameters associated with the operation and/or the shutting down of the engine that has been shut down; and maintaining the inhibition or resetting the overspeed safety system for the other engine(s) still in operation, as a function of one or more safety parameters.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an overspeed safety system for a rotorcraft having at least two engines, the method comprising:

setting the overspeed safety system for the engines of the rotorcraft to allow the engines to be shut down;

monitoring, by a control circuit in communication with the engines, the speeds of rotation of the engines;

detecting, by the control circuit, overspeed on one of the engines;

shutting down, by the control circuit, the engine overspeeding in the event of detecting overspeed;

in response to the overspeeding engine being shut down due to overspeeding, inhibiting, by the control circuit, the operation of the overspeed safety system for the other engine(s) of the rotorcraft still in operation to prevent the other engine(s) still in operation from being shut down;

monitoring, by the control circuit, safety parameters associated with the operation of the engines and/or safety parameters associated with the shutting down of the overspeeding engine that has been shut down; and

resetting, by the control circuit, the overspeed safety system for the other engine(s) still in operation, as a function of one or more of the safety parameters, so as to reactivate the function providing protection against the other engine(s) still in operation taking on an overspeed condition by allowing the other engine(s) to be shut down;

wherein, in the event of the overspeeding engine being a first engine of the rotorcraft, selecting a power selector of the first engine so as to authorize shutdown of an overspeeding second engine of the rotorcraft in the event of the second engine overspeeding.

2. The control method according to claim 1, further including assessing and resetting the overspeed safety system for the other engine(s) still in operation manually.

3. The control method according to claim 1, further including resetting the overspeed safety system for the other engine(s) still in operation in an automatic manner.

5. The control method according to claim 1, wherein, in the event of the first engine overspeeding, the method further includes using a dedicated control independent of the power selector to authorize shutdown of the overspeeding second engine.

6. The control method according to claim 3, further comprising automatically resetting the overspeed safety system for the other engine(s) still in operation after the duration of a timeout.

7. The control method according to claim 3, further comprising detecting the end of an electromagnetic disturbance, and then resetting the overspeed safety system for the other engine(s) still in operation automatically.

8. The control method according to claim 3, further comprising automatically resetting after rotor transients including transients that are functions of the free turbine speed (NTL) of one of the engines and/or the speed of the rotor.

9. The control method according to claim 1, wherein, after detecting overspeed on the first engine corresponding to a free turbine speed (NTL) greater than a value V1, the method further includes authorizing shutdown of the second engine after generating and detecting firstly the inhibition of the overspeed safety system on the second engine and secondly a free turbine speed (NTL) less than the value V2 for the second engine.

10. The control method according to claim 9, wherein, after detecting a free turbine speed (NTL) of the second engine that is greater than the value V1, the method includes shutting down the second engine.

11. The control method according to claim 1, wherein, after detecting overspeed on the first engine corresponding to a free turbine speed (NTL) greater than a value V1, the method further includes authorizing shutdown of the second engine after generating and detecting firstly the inhibition of the overspeed safety system on the second engine, and secondly a free turbine speed (NTL) less than a value V2 of the first engine.

12. The control method according to claim 3, including engaging resetting the overspeed safety system for the other engine(s) still in operation automatically after detecting that the overspeeding engine has stopped.

13. The control method according to claim 12, including using oil low-pressure information indicating that the overspeeding engine has stopped in order to reset automatically the overspeed safety system of the other engine(s) still in operation.

4. A rotorcraft comprising:

at least two engines; and

a control circuit configured to detect overspeed on each of the engines, shut down a first overspeeding engine of the rotorcraft, deactivate an overspeed safety system for at least a second engine of the rotorcraft that is still powered in response to the first engine being shut down whereby the second engine is prevented from being shut down, monitor safety parameters associated with the operation of the engines and/or safety parameters associated with the shutting down of the first engine, and reactivate, as a function of one or more of the safety parameters, the overspeed safety system for the second engine so as to reactivate the function providing protection against the second engine taking on an overspeed condition whereby the second engine is allowed to be shut down, wherein, in the event of overspeed of the first engine, the control circuit is further configured to enable a power selector of the first engine to be selected so as to authorize shutdown of the second engine in the event of the second engine overspeeding.

14. A control system for an overspeed safety system of a rotorcraft having at least two engines, the control system comprising a control circuit configured to detect overspeed on each of the engines, shut down a first overspeeding engine of the rotorcraft, deactivate the overspeed safety system for at least a second engine of the rotorcraft that is still powered in response to the first engine being shut down whereby the second engine is prevented from being shut down, monitor safety parameters associated with the operation of the engines and/or safety parameters associated with the shutting down of the first engine, and reset, as a function of one or more of the safety parameters, the overspeed safety system for the second engine so as to reactivate the function providing protection against the second engine taking on an overspeed condition whereby the second engine is allowed to be shut down, wherein, in the event of overspeed of the first engine, the control circuit is further configured to enable a power selector of the first engine to be selected so as to authorize shutdown of the second engine in the event of the second engine overspeeding.

15. The control system according to claim 14, further comprising a manual member actuated by a member of the crew of the rotorcraft for resetting the overspeed safety system for the second engine.