Aircraft prognostics health system

• US 9,561,864 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bell Helicopter Textron Incorporated (Textron Inc)
• Original Assignee: Bell Helicopter Textron Incorporated (Textron Inc)
• Inventors: Conrad, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Yuen
• Application Number:
  US14/577,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20150274315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0085 Devices for aircraft health monitoring, e.g. monitoring flutter or vibration
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0033 by determining damage, crack or wear
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

According to one example embodiment, a method of assessing use of an aircraft component installed on an aircraft includes assessing whether received one or more measurements are sufficient to support calculation of a usage-based change in remaining useful life and, if the one or more measurements are sufficient to support calculation of the usage-based change in remaining useful life, calculating the usage-based change in remaining useful life based on the received one or more measurements and changing the second remaining useful life of the aircraft component by the difference between the default change in remaining useful life and the usage-based change in remaining useful life.

Claims

1. A method of assessing use of a rotorcraft component installed on a rotorcraft, the rotorcraft component having a first remaining useful life prior to application of at least one load against the rotorcraft component over a period of time, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, from one or more sensors installed on the rotorcraft, one or more measurements representative of the at least one load applied against the rotorcraft component over the period of time;

calculating, by the processor, based on the period of time that the at least one load is applied against the rotorcraft component, a default change in remaining useful life of the rotorcraft component;

determining, by the processor, a second remaining useful life as a function of the first remaining useful life and the calculated default change in remaining useful life; and

assessing, by the processor, whether the received one or more measurements are accurate and complete to support calculation of a usage-based change in remaining useful life,

wherein when the one or more measurements are accurate and complete to support the calculation of the usage-based change in remaining useful life, the method further comprising;

calculating, by the processor, the usage-based change in remaining useful life based on the received one or more measurements;

determining, by the processor, a difference between the default change in remaining useful life and the calculated usage-based change in remaining useful life;

when the calculated usage-based change in remaining useful life is lower than the default change in remaining useful life, crediting, by the processor, the second remaining useful life of the rotorcraft component by the difference so as to extend the remaining useful life of the rotorcraft component,

wherein when the one or more measurements are not accurate and complete to support the calculation of the usage-based change in remaining useful life, calculating, by the processor, the remaining useful life based on a life-expectancy model without using the one or more measurements, wherein the life-expectancy model is based on a probability of failure of the rotorcraft component increasing at a pre-determined rate; and

adjusting, by the processor, at least one of an operation and a maintenance of the rotorcraft based on the calculated remaining useful life.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received one or more measurements comprises at least one of time data and cycles data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the received one or more measurements comprise direct measurements of at least one rotorcraft load.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the received one or more measurements comprise environmental measurements.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the received one or more measurements comprises at least one rotorcraft load measurement and an amount of time during which the at least one load measurement was applied.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the usage-based change in remaining useful life based on the received one or more measurements comprises:

determining, based on the received one or more measurements, an amount of change in probability of failure caused by application of the at least one load against the rotorcraft component; and

calculating the usage-based change in remaining useful life based on the determined amount of change in probability of failure.

7. A system for assessing use of a rotorcraft component installed on a rotorcraft, the rotorcraft component having a first remaining useful life prior to application of at least one load against the rotorcraft component over a period of time, the system, including at least one processor, configured to:

receive, from one or more sensors installed on the rotorcraft, one or more measurements representative of the at least one load applied against the rotorcraft component over the period of time;

calculate, based on the period of time that the at least one load is applied against the rotorcraft component, a default change in remaining useful life of the rotorcraft component;

determine a second remaining useful life as a function of the first remaining useful life and the calculated default change in remaining useful life;

assess whether the received one or more measurements are accurate and complete to support calculation of a usage-based change in remaining useful life,

wherein when the one or more measurements are accurate and complete to support the calculation of the usage-based change in remaining useful life, the system, including the at least one processor, further configured to;

calculate the usage-based change in remaining useful life based on the received one or more measurements;

determine a difference between the default change in remaining useful life and the calculated usage-based change in remaining useful life;

when the calculated usage-based change in remaining useful life is lower than the default change in remaining useful life, credit the second remaining useful life of the rotorcraft component by the difference so as to extend the remaining useful life of the rotorcraft component,

wherein when the one or more measurements are not accurate and complete to support the calculation of the usage-based change in remaining useful life, of calculate the remaining useful life based on a life-expectancy model without using the one or more measurements, wherein the life-expectancy model is based on a probability of failure of the rotorcraft component increasing at a pre-determined rate; and

adjust at least one of an operation and a maintenance of the rotorcraft based on the calculated remaining useful life.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the received one or more measurements comprises at least one of time data and cycles data.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the received one or more measurements comprise direct measurements of at least one rotorcraft load.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the received one or more measurements comprise environmental measurements.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the received one or more measurements comprises at least one rotorcraft load measurement and an amount of time during which the at least one load measurement was applied.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein calculating the usage-based change in remaining useful life based on the received one or more measurements comprises:

determining, based on the received one or more measurements, an amount of change in probability of failure caused by application of the at least one load against the rotorcraft component; and

calculating the usage-based change in remaining useful life based on the determined amount of change in probability of failure.