Task-based health data monitoring of aircraft components

• US 9,701,420 B1
• Filed: 05/09/2016
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bell Helicopter Textron Incorporated (Textron Inc)
• Original Assignee: Bell Helicopter Textron Incorporated (Textron Inc)
• Inventors: Tucker, Brian Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Antonucci, Anne M
• Application Number:
  US15/149,974
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• 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: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/002 Analysing tachograph charts arrangements for graph-reading in general G06K11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for task-based health data monitoring relating to aircraft components of aircraft within an aircraft fleet. One method includes identifying health data of an aircraft component for potential monitoring based upon a condition indicator provided by a health and usage monitoring system, establishing a Review Item for the health data of the aircraft component having an initial data review state of New Data, thereby creating a Review Task, generating images of the Review Item for display and receiving an indication to change the data review state of the Review Item from New Data to Watch Data, receiving new health data relating to the aircraft component from the health and usage monitoring system and automatically resetting the data review state of the Review Item from Watch Data to New Data responsive to the receipt of the new health data, thereby creating a new Review Task.

Claims

1. A method of task-based health data monitoring relating to aircraft components of aircraft within an aircraft fleet, the method comprising:

(A). identifying health data of an aircraft component for potential monitoring based upon a condition indicator provided by a health and usage monitoring system;

(B). establishing a review item with a first data review state to create a review task relating to the health data of the aircraft component;

(C). generating images relating to the review item for display on a display device;

(D). retaining the review item for monitoring responsive to receiving a user selection changing the first data review state of the review item to a second data review state;

(E). receiving new health data relating to the aircraft component from the health and usage monitoring system; and

(F). automatically resetting the review item from the second data review state to the first data review state responsive to receiving the new health data to create a new review task.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein identifying health data of an aircraft component for potential monitoring based upon a condition indicator provided by a health and usage monitoring system further comprises compiling health and usage monitoring system data for the aircraft fleet.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein identifying health data of an aircraft component for potential monitoring based upon a condition indicator provided by a health and usage monitoring system further comprises displaying the condition indicator on the display device and receiving a user selection to establish the review item for the health data of the aircraft component.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein identifying health data of an aircraft component for potential monitoring based upon a condition indicator provided by a health and usage monitoring system further comprises automatically identifying that the condition indicator for the aircraft component has deviated from a desired level.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein identifying health data of an aircraft component for potential monitoring based upon a condition indicator provided by a health and usage monitoring system further comprises determining the condition indicator has an undesired indicator trend selected from the group consisting of rate of change, step change, data spike and change in scatter.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprises generating a maintenance request for the aircraft component.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein receiving new health data relating to the aircraft component from the health and usage monitoring system occurs after maintenance is performed on the aircraft component responsive to the maintenance request.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprises generating a report relating to the aircraft component.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising repeating steps (C), (D), (E) and (F) until closing the review item.

10. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein closing the review item further comprises generating a case study relating to the aircraft component.

11. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein closing the review item further comprises assigning a closing category to the review item.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 further comprising using closing category data to determine the validity of condition indicators provided by the health and usage monitoring system.

13. A system for task-based health data monitoring relating to aircraft components of aircraft within an aircraft fleet, the system comprising:

a health data monitoring computing system having logic stored within a non-transitory computer readable medium, the logic executable by a processor, wherein the health data monitoring computer system is configured to;

(A). identify health data of an aircraft component for potential monitoring based upon a condition indicator provided by a health and usage monitoring system;

(B). establish a review item with a first data review state to create a review task relating to the health data of the aircraft component;

(C). generate images relating to the review item for display on a display device;

(D). retain the review item for monitoring responsive to receiving a user selection changing the first data review state of the review item to a second data review state;

(E). receive new health data relating to the aircraft component from the health and usage monitoring system; and

(F). automatically reset the review item from the second data review state to the first data review state responsive to receiving the new health data to create a new review task.

14. The system as recited in claim 13 wherein the health data monitoring computer system is configured to display the condition indicator on the display device and receive a user selection to establish the review item for the health data of the aircraft component.

15. The system as recited in claim 13 wherein the health data monitoring computer system is configured to automatically identify that the condition indicator for the aircraft component has deviated from a desired level.

16. The system as recited in claim 13 wherein the health data monitoring computer system is configured to determine the condition indicator has an undesired indicator trend selected from the group consisting of rate of change, step change, data spike and change in scatter.

17. The system as recited in claim 13 wherein the health data monitoring computer system is configured to repeat items (C), (D), (E) and (F) until receiving an indication to close the review item.

18. The system as recited in claim 17 wherein the health data monitoring computer system is configured to receive a closing category related to the review item.

19. The system as recited in claim 18 wherein the health data monitoring computer system is configured to use closing category data to determine the validity of condition indicators provided by the health and usage monitoring system.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a set of computer instructions executable by a processor for operating a health data monitoring computing system, the computer instructions configured to:

(A). identify health data of an aircraft component for potential monitoring based upon a condition indicator provided by a health and usage monitoring system;

(B). establish a review item with a first data review state to create a review task relating to the health data of the aircraft component;

(C). generate images relating to the review item for display on a display device;

(D). retain the review item for monitoring responsive to receiving a user selection changing the first data review state of the review item to a second data review state;

(E). receive new health data relating to the aircraft component from the health and usage monitoring system; and

(F). automatically reset the review item from the second data review state to the first data review state responsive to receiving the new health data to create a new review task.