Task-based health data monitoring of aircraft components

• US 9,963,244 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2017
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• 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:
  US15/636,544
• Publication Number:
  US 20170320590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 314 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, methods and non-transitory computer readable storage medium are provided for task-based health data monitoring relating to aircraft components of aircraft within an aircraft fleet. One method includes establishing a review item with a first data review state to create a review task relating to health data of an aircraft component, generating images relating to the review item for display on a display device, retaining the review item for monitoring responsive to receiving user input changing the first data review state of the review item to a second data review state, receiving new health data relating to the aircraft component and 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.

Claims

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

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

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

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

(D). receiving new health data relating to the aircraft component; and

(E). 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 establishing a review item with a first data review state to create a review task relating to health data of an aircraft component further comprises displaying a condition indicator relating to the aircraft component on the display device and receiving user input to establish the review item.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein establishing a review item with a first data review state to create a review task relating to health data of an aircraft component further comprises automatically establishing the review item based upon a condition indicator for the aircraft component deviating from a desired level.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein establishing a review item with a first data review state to create a review task relating to health data of an aircraft component further comprises automatically establishing the review item based upon a condition indicator for the aircraft component having an undesired indicator trend selected from the group consisting of rate of change, step change, data spike and change in scatter.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprises generating a maintenance request for the aircraft component and performing maintenance on the aircraft component based upon the review task.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein receiving new health data relating to the aircraft component occurs after maintenance is performed on the aircraft component responsive to the maintenance request.

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

8. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein closing the review item further comprises assigning a closing category to the review item.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 further comprising using closing category data to validate condition indicators.

10. A system for task-based health data monitoring of data provided by a health and usage monitoring systems and 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). establish a review item with a first data review state to create a review task relating to health data of an aircraft component of an aircraft within the aircraft fleet;

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

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

(D). receive new health data relating to the aircraft component; and

(E). 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.

11. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein the health data monitoring computer system is configured to display a condition indicator relating to the aircraft component on the display device and receive user input to establish the review item.

12. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein the health data monitoring computer system is configured to automatically establish the review item based upon a condition indicator relating to the aircraft component deviating from a desired level.

13. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein the health data monitoring computer system is configured to repeat items (B), (C), (D) and (E) until receiving an indication to close the review item.

14. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein the health data monitoring computer system is configured to use closing category data to validate condition indicators.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a set of computer instructions executable by a processor for operating a computing system for task-based health data monitoring of data provided by health and usage monitoring systems and relating to aircraft components of aircraft within an aircraft fleet, the computer instructions configured to:

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

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

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

(D). receive new health data relating to the aircraft component; and

(E). 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.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 15 wherein the computer instructions are configured to display a condition indicator relating to the aircraft component on the display device and receive user input to establish the review item.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 15 wherein the computer instructions are configured to automatically establish the review item based upon a condition indicator relating to the aircraft component deviating from a desired level.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 15 wherein the computer instructions are configured to repeat items (B), (C), (D) and (E) until receiving an indication to close the review item.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 15 wherein the computer instructions are configured to use closing category data to validate condition indicators.