Method of implementing a maintenance schedule for an aircraft and a maintenance system

• US 9,475,590 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2014
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Inventors: Buehler, Eric Daniel, Ward, Sally Mae, Frost, Brion Lee, McCurdy, Allan Anderson III
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, John Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): ODEH, NADEEM N
• Application Number:
  US14/478,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20160068280A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 701/34.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/12 in graphical form
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A maintenance system for use with an aircraft and a method of implementing a maintenance schedule for an aircraft with a maintenance system comprising multiple communication terminals located physically about the aircraft and in data communication with each other, the method includes executing a maintenance software program for a maintenance routine comprising maintenance tests corresponding to components of the aircraft and displaying the maintenance routine on at least one of the communication terminals to define a control terminal.

Claims

1. A method of implementing a maintenance schedule for an aircraft with a maintenance system comprising multiple communication terminals located physically about the aircraft and in data communication with each other, the method comprising:

displaying, by a computing element of the maintenance system, a maintenance routine comprising maintenance tests corresponding to components of the aircraft on a selected communication terminal of the multiple communication terminals, wherein the selected communication terminal is a control terminal;

assigning, by the control terminal, a maintenance test of the maintenance tests to be performed by a user on a component of the aircraft to another communication terminal of the multiple communication terminals by causing an indication of the maintenance test to be displayed on the another communication terminal;

assigning, by the control terminal, another maintenance test of the maintenance tests to be performed by at least one of the user or another user on another component of the aircraft to a further communication terminal of the multiple communication terminals by causing an indication of the another maintenance test to be displayed on the further communication terminal;

sequentially assigning the another maintenance test to the further communication terminal after the maintenance test is identified as being completed on the another communication terminal; and

upon completion of the maintenance tests, displaying a maintenance routine completion on the control terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing element is a computer and wherein the control terminal is in communication with the computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing element is the control terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining where the multiple communication terminals are located.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein assigning the maintenance test further comprises assigning the maintenance test on the another communication terminal that is closest to the component on which the maintenance test is to be performed by the user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a user input and wherein assigning the maintenance test further comprises assigning the maintenance test in response to receipt of the user input.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether another maintenance test is available for the user at a further communication terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the indication of another maintenance test after the maintenance test is completed to ensure that only a single communication terminal controls the maintenance routine at any time.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the multiple communication terminals is located aboard the aircraft.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the another communication terminal is located aboard the aircraft and the further communication terminal is located externally to the aircraft to allow for the maintenance routine to be transferred between the another communication terminal in the aircraft and the further communication terminal that is external to the aircraft.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying at least one of the user and another user at one of the multiple communication terminals.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising assigning the maintenance test to the another communication terminal only when the identified user at the another communication terminal satisfies a predetermined privilege requirement.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning the maintenance tests to the multiple communication terminals used by multiple users.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning the maintenance tests to a single user utilizing a plurality of the multiple communication terminals.

15. A maintenance system for use with an aircraft, comprising:

a computing element;

multiple communication terminals located physically about the aircraft and in data communication with each other, wherein the computing element is to display a maintenance routine comprising maintenance tests corresponding to components of the aircraft on a first communication terminal of the multiple communication terminals, wherein the first communication terminal is a control terminal; and

wherein the control terminal is to cause;

an indication of a first maintenance test of the maintenance tests to be displayed on a second communication terminal of the multiple communication terminals to assign the first maintenance test to the second communication terminal, wherein a first user is to perform the first maintenance test on a first component of the aircraft, and wherein the second communication terminal is associated with the first component of the aircraft,

an indication of a second maintenance test to be displayed on a third communication terminal of the multiple communication terminals to assign the second maintenance test to the third communication terminal, wherein at least one of the first user or another user is to perform the further maintenance test on a second component of the aircraft, and wherein the third communication terminal is associated with the second component,

sequentially assign the second maintenance test to the third communication terminal after the first maintenance test is identified as being completed on the second communication terminal, and

in response to completion of the first and second maintenance tests, display a maintenance routine completion on the control terminal.

16. The maintenance system of claim 15, wherein the control terminal is to assign remaining ones of the maintenance tests to at least a further one of the communication terminals to be performed by at least one other user.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable medium on which is stored machine-executable instructions that when executed by a processor of a control terminal, are to cause the processor to:

display, on the control terminal, a maintenance routine comprising maintenance tests corresponding to components of an aircraft, wherein the control terminal is a communication terminal of a plurality of communication terminals, the plurality of communication terminals located physically about the aircraft and in data communication with each other;

cause an indication of a maintenance test of the maintenance tests to be displayed on another communication terminal of the plurality of communication terminals to assign the maintenance test to the another communication terminal, wherein the maintenance test is to be performed by a user on a component of the aircraft;

cause an indication of another maintenance test of the maintenance tests to be displayed on a further communication terminal of the plurality of communication terminals to assign the maintenance test to the further communication terminal, wherein the maintenance test is to be performed by at least one of the user or another user on another component of the aircraft;

assign, sequentially, the another maintenance test to the further communication terminal, in response to the maintenance test being identified as being completed on the another communication terminal; and

in response to completion of the maintenance tests, display a maintenance routine completion on the control terminal.