Maintenance systems and methods for ECS elements

• US 9,898,875 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2016
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell/Ifl Patent Services
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Dins, Artie, Mylaraswamy, Dinkar
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US15/202,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20180012423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 13/06 the air being conditioned pressurising B64D13/02
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2013/0651 comprising filters, e.g. dust filters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A maintenance system is provided for an environment conditioning element of an environmental control system (ECS) of a vehicle. The system includes a data collection module configured to receive geographical areas of travel for the vehicle over respective periods of time. The data collection module is configured to determine a pollution value and a time value for each of the geographic areas of travel. The system further includes a pollution count module coupled to the data collection module and receiving the pollution values and the time values. The pollution count module is configured to determine a pollution count for the environment conditioning element based on the pollution values and the time values. The system further includes a reporting module coupled to the pollution count module and receiving the pollution count. The reporting module is configured to generate a report for a user that includes the pollution count.

Claims

1. A maintenance system for an environment conditioning element of an environmental control system (ECS) of a vehicle, comprising:

a data collection module configured to receive geographical areas of travel for the vehicle over respective periods of time, the data collection module configured to determine a pollution value and a time value for each of the geographic areas of travel;

a pollution count module coupled to the data collection module and receiving the pollution values and the time values, the pollution count module configured to determine a pollution count for the environment conditioning element based on the pollution values and the time values; and

a reporting module coupled to the pollution count module and receiving the pollution count, the reporting module configured to generate a report for a user that includes the pollution count.

2. The maintenance system of claim 1,

wherein the pollution count module is configured to generate a pollution count increment for each of the pollution values and the time values and to generate the pollution count by aggregating the pollution count increments.

3. The maintenance system of claim 2,

wherein the pollution count module is configured to generate the pollution count increments by integrating each of the pollution values over the respective time value.

4. The maintenance system of claim 3, wherein the data collection module is further configured to receive an air intake flow rate, and wherein the pollution count increment is calculated as follows:

5. The maintenance system of claim 1,

wherein the pollution count module is configured to receive a service event signal indicating a servicing of the environment conditioning element, the pollution count module further configured to reset the pollution count upon receiving the service event signal.

6. The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein the pollution count module stores a pollution count threshold, and wherein the pollution count module is configured to compare the pollution count to the pollution count threshold and issue an advisory when the pollution count exceeds the pollution count threshold.

7. The maintenance system of claim 6, wherein the pollution count module is configured to estimate a remaining useful life of the environmental conditioning element based on the pollution count.

8. The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein the data collection module is configured to receive air intake data for the geographical areas of travel, the data collection module further configured to determine an air intake value for each of the geographic areas of travel, and

wherein the pollution count module is configured to determine the pollution count for the environment conditioning element additionally based on the air intake values.

9. The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein the pollution count module includes a model configured to generate a condition indicator for the environment conditioning element based on the pollution count.

10. The maintenance system of claim 9, wherein the model is based on maintenance records associated with the environmental conditioning element.

11. The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein the data collection module is configured to receive a flight plan for the vehicle and to determine the geographical areas of travel based on the flight plan.

12. The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein the data collection module is configured to receive airport data associated with the geographical areas of travel and to determine the pollution value based on the airport data.

13. The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein the data collection module is configured to receive Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data associated with the geographical areas of travel and to determine the pollution value based on the MODIS data.

14. The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft, and wherein the time value corresponds to the amount of time that the aircraft spends below a boundary layer within the geographical areas of travel.

15. A maintenance system for an environment conditioning element of an environmental control system (ECS) of a vehicle, comprising:

a data collection module configured to receive a first geographical area of travel for the vehicle over a first period of time, the data collection module configured to determine a first pollution value based on the first geographical area of travel and a first time value based on the first period of time;

a pollution count module coupled to the data collection module and receiving the first pollution value and the first time value, the pollution count module configured to determine a first pollution count increment of a pollution count for the environmental conditioning element of the vehicle based on at least the first pollution value and the first time value; and

a reporting module coupled to the pollution count module and receiving the pollution count, the reporting module configured to generate a report for a user that includes the pollution count,

wherein the pollution count module is configured to generate the first pollution count increment by integrating the first pollution value over the first time value,

wherein the pollution count module stores a pollution count threshold, and wherein the pollution count module is configured to compare the pollution count to the pollution count threshold and issue an advisory when the pollution count exceeds the pollution count threshold, and

wherein the pollution count module is configured to estimate a remaining useful life of the environmental conditioning element based on the pollution count.

16. The maintenance system of claim 15, wherein, over a service life of the environment conditioning element, the data collection module is configured to receive additional geographical areas of travel for the vehicle over additional periods of time, and wherein the data collection module is configured to determine additional pollution values based on the additional geographical areas of travel and additional time values based on the additional periods of time, and

wherein the pollution count module is configured to determine additional pollution count increments based on the additional pollution values and the additional time values, the pollution count module generating the pollution count by aggregating a first pollution count increment and the additional pollution count increments.

17. The maintenance system of claim 15, wherein the data collection module is configured to determine a first air intake value corresponding to the first geographical area of travel for the vehicle over the first period of time, and wherein the pollution count module is further configured to determine the first pollution count increment additionally based on the first air intake value.

18. A method for evaluating a condition of an environment conditioning element of an environmental control system (ECS) of a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving a first geographical area of travel for the vehicle over a first period of time;

determining a first pollution value based on the first geographical area of travel and a first time value based on the first period of time;

generating a first pollution count increment based on the first pollution value and the first time value;

determining a pollution count for the environmental conditioning element of the vehicle based on the first pollution count increment; and

reporting the pollution count associated with the environmental conditioning element;

receiving a second geographical area of travel for the vehicle over a second period of time;

determining a second pollution value based on the second geographical area of travel and a second time value based on the second period of time;

generating a second pollution count increment based on the second pollution value and the second time value,

wherein the determining the pollution count includes aggregating the first pollution count increment and the second pollution count increment; and

generating a condition indicator of the environmental conditioning element based on the pollution count.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving a service event signal associated with the environmental conditioning element and resetting the pollution count based on the service event signal.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising

generating a prognostic indicator of the environmental conditioning element based on the pollution count.