Methods and systems for health monitoring for aircraft

• US 9,446,861 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2014
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Goodrich, Jeffery A., Grabill, Paul, Brotherton, Tom, Luppold, Robert H.
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Application Number:
  US14/149,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20140114527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0883 wherein the data carrier is removable

Abstract

A method for health monitoring for an aircraft includes the steps of obtaining vibration data for the aircraft, obtaining navigation data for the aircraft, and determining a measure of health of the aircraft using the vibration data and the navigation data.

Claims

1. A method for initiating health monitoring for an aircraft by a ground station, the ground station including a ground station computer system and a set-up tool, the set-up tool comprising a computer module executed by the ground station computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving user input at the computer system of the ground station from an onboard computer system of the aircraft, the user input including aircraft-specific geometric information regarding a plurality of details as to a make-up of the aircraft;

downloading the aircraft-specific geometric information to a database in a memory of the computer system on the ground station; and

configuring the ground station computer system using the aircraft specific geometric information via the set-up tool using a processor;

wherein the ground station computer system is generic to various different aircraft, and is configured for specific use in connection with a specific aircraft based on the aircraft-specific geometric information from the aircraft, corresponding to the aircraft based on the aircraft-specific geometric information from the aircraft, and specifically configured for use in connection with an onboard computer system residing onboard the aircraft, via the set-up tool based on the aircraft-specific geometric information; and

wherein the step of configuring the ground station comprises utilizing the aircraft-specific geometric information to select a plurality of algorithms for a program of the ground station that are tailored specifically for the aircraft based on the aircraft-specific geometric information, and utilizing the aircraft-specific geometric information to select a plurality of parameters for the selected algorithms based on the aircraft-specific geometric information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the aircraft-specific geometric information comprises a number of blades on the aircraft.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the aircraft-specific geometric information comprises a number of gear boxes for the aircraft.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the aircraft includes a plurality of gearboxes, and the aircraft-specific geometric information comprises a number of gears comprised in each gearbox of the aircraft.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the aircraft includes a plurality of gears, and the aircraft-specific geometric information comprises information as to a meshing of different gears of the plurality of gears on the aircraft.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the aircraft includes a plurality of gears, and the aircraft-specific geometric information comprises a number of teeth for each of the plurality of gears on the aircraft.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

configuring a plurality of inputs and outputs for an onboard health monitoring computer system that is tailored specifically for the aircraft using the aircraft-specific geometric information, wherein the inputs and outputs include aircraft navigation data, aircraft vibration data, and fused data that is generating from fusing the aircraft navigation data and the aircraft vibration data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

creating a customized database for the aircraft on the ground station using the aircraft-specific geometric information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the aircraft specific geometric information and the aircraft-specific design configuration of the aircraft pertain to one or more of the following:

a number of blades on the aircraft, a number of gear boxes for the aircraft, a meshing of gears on the aircraft, and a number of teeth for the gears of the aircraft.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a load module for an onboard health monitoring program for the onboard computer system of the aircraft using the aircraft-specific geometric information, by selecting a plurality of algorithms and parameters for the health monitoring program, via the set-up tool and the ground station computer system, that are tailored to the aircraft based on the aircraft-specific geometric information.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically controlling operation of the aircraft, via the onboard computer system, using the load module.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

configuring the inputs and outputs of the onboard computer system, via the set-up tool and the ground station computer system, that are tailored to the aircraft based on the aircraft-specific geometric information.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving vibration data from one or more sensors of the aircraft via the onboard computer system, the vibration data pertaining to vibration of the aircraft during flight as ascertained via the one or more sensors;

receiving navigation data from a navigation system of the aircraft via the onboard computer system, the navigation data pertaining to measures magnitudes and directions of movement of the aircraft during flight as ascertained via the navigation system;

preliminarily processing the navigation data and the vibration data using the load module based on the aircraft-specific geometric information; and

providing the vibration data and the navigation to the ground station computer system using the load module based on the aircraft-specific geometric information.

14. A system for initiating health monitoring for an aircraft by a ground station including a ground station computer system, the system comprising:

a user interface configured to receive user input at the computer system of the ground station from an onboard computer system of the aircraft, the input including aircraft-specific geometric information regarding a plurality of details as to a make-up of the aircraft;

a memory configured to store the aircraft-specific geometric information to a database in a memory of the computer system on the ground station;

a set-up tool comprising a computer module executed by the ground station computer system of the ground station; and

a processor configured to configure the computer system of the ground station using the aircraft specific geometric information via the set-up tool using a processor;

wherein the computer system of the ground station is generic to various different aircraft, and is configured for specific use in connection with a specific aircraft based on the aircraft-specific geometric information from the aircraft, and specifically configured for use in connection with an onboard computer system residing onboard the aircraft, via the set-up tool based on the aircraft-specific geometric information; and

wherein the processor is configured to configure the ground station by utilizing the aircraft-specific geometric information to;

select a plurality of algorithms for a program of the ground station that are tailored specifically for the aircraft based on the aircraft-specific geometric information; and

select a plurality of parameters for the selected plurality of algorithms, the selected plurality of parameters also tailored specifically for the aircraft based on the aircraft-specific geometric information.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the aircraft-specific geometric information comprises a number of blades on the aircraft.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the aircraft-specific geometric information comprises a number of gear boxes for the aircraft.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the aircraft includes a plurality of gearboxes, and the aircraft-specific geometric information comprises a number of gears comprised in each gearbox of the aircraft.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the aircraft includes a plurality of gears, and the aircraft-specific geometric information comprises information as to a meshing of different gears of the plurality of gears on the aircraft.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the aircraft includes a plurality of gears, and the aircraft-specific geometric information comprises a number of teeth for each of the plurality of gears on the aircraft.

20. A method for initiating health monitoring for an aircraft by a ground station, the ground station including a ground station computer system and a set-up tool, the set-up tool comprising a computer module executed by the ground station computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving user input at the computer system of the ground station from an onboard computer system of the aircraft, the user input including aircraft-specific geometric information regarding a plurality of details as to a make-up of the aircraft;

downloading the aircraft-specific geometric information to a database in a memory of the computer system on the ground station; and

configuring the ground station computer system using the aircraft specific geometric information via the set-up tool using a processor;

wherein the ground station computer system is generic to various different aircraft design configurations, and is configured for specific use in connection with a specific aircraft design configuration, corresponding to the aircraft based on the aircraft-specific geometric information from the aircraft, and specifically configured for use in connection with an onboard computer system residing onboard the aircraft, via the set-up tool based on the aircraft-specific geometric information; and

wherein the step of configuring the ground station comprises utilizing the aircraft-specific geometric information to select a plurality of algorithms for a program of the ground station that are tailored specifically for the aircraft based on the aircraft-specific geometric information, and utilizing the aircraft-specific geometric information to select a plurality of parameters for the selected algorithms based on the aircraft-specific geometric information.