Rotorcraft actuator seal leakage monitor

• US 9,927,322 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2014
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bell Helicopter Textron Incorporated (Textron Inc)
• Original Assignee: Bell Helicopter Textron Incorporated (Textron Inc)
• Inventors: Laramee, Robert Michael, Fenny, Carlos
• Primary Examiner(s): Macchiarolo, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): Campbell, Irving A
• Application Number:
  US14/254,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20150300908A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,441 Days
• Field of Search: 73323, 73 173, 92165 R, 277320, 277457, 277514, 277552, 116201, 417 63, 702 34
• 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: G01F 23/0007 for discrete indicating and measuring G01F23/02 - G01F23/28 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/02 by gauge glasses or other apparatus involving a window or transparent tube for directly observing the level to be measured or the level of a liquid column in free communication with the main body of the liquid
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/292 Light , e.g. infrared or ultraviolet
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/296 Acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/2966 making use of acoustical resonance or standing waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/2853 for pipe joints or seals G01M3/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/2869 for seals not incorporated in a pipe joint
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/3245 using a level monitoring device G01M3/3272 takes precedence

Abstract

A rotorcraft actuator monitoring system to monitor leakage past dynamic rotorcraft actuator seals of a rotorcraft actuator includes a body member and a fluid level indication housing attached to the body member. The body member is mounted to surround a dynamic rotorcraft actuator seal that seals fluid in a rotorcraft actuator, where the body member captures fluid that leaks past the dynamic rotorcraft actuator seal. The fluid level indication housing collects the fluid captured by the body member and indicates that a predetermined volume of fluid that leaked past the dynamic rotorcraft actuator seal has been collected.

Claims

1. A rotorcraft actuator monitoring system to monitor leakage past dynamic rotorcraft actuator seals of a rotorcraft actuator having a shaft, the system comprising:

the rotorcraft actuator having the shaft configured to translate along a longitudinal axis;

a body member mounted to surround a dynamic rotorcraft actuator seal that seals fluid in the rotorcraft actuator, the body member having a fluid collection member to capture and hold fluid that leaks past the dynamic rotorcraft actuator seal;

a seal around the shaft in an exterior portion of the body member where the shaft of the rotorcraft actuator extends through the exterior portion of the body member;

a retainer to retain the seal in the body member;

a vent port connected to the body member to vent pressure generated by actuating motion of the shaft along the longitudinal axis within the body member;

a fluid level indication housing connected to the fluid collection member to collect the fluid captured by the fluid collection member, the fluid level indication housing to indicate that a predetermined volume of fluid that leaked past the dynamic rotorcraft actuator seal has been collected, the fluid level indication housing being removably attached to the body member.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a signal transmission system connected to the fluid level indication housing, the signal transmission system to transmit a signal in response to the fluid level indication housing indicating that the predetermined volume of fluid that leaked past the dynamic rotorcraft actuator seal has been collected.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the signal transmission system comprises an electrical signal transmitter connected to the fluid level indication housing, and wherein the signal includes an electrical signal.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the signal transmission system comprises an optical system connected to the fluid level indication housing, and wherein the signal includes an optical signal.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the optical system comprises a fiber optic system and wherein the optical signal transmitted through an optical fiber of the fiber optic system is modulated in response to the condition that the predetermined volume of fluid that leaked past the dynamic rotorcraft actuator seal has been collected in the fluid level indication housing.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the optical system comprises a photocell to generate the optical signal in response to the fluid level indication housing indicating that the predetermined volume of fluid that leaked past the dynamic rotorcraft actuator seal has been collected.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the signal transmission system comprises a sonic system connected to the fluid level indication housing, the sonic system configured to monitor a resonance frequency of the fluid collection member.

8. The system of claim 7,

wherein the sonic system is configured to transmit the signal in response to determining that the monitored resonance frequency of the fluid level indication housing matches a baseline resonance frequency of the fluid level indication housing filled with the predetermined volume of fluid.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the sonic system is configured to transmit the signal in response to determining that the monitored resonance frequency of the fluid level indication housing exactly matches the baseline resonance frequency of the fluid level indication housing filled with the predetermined volume of fluid.

10. The system of claim 2, further comprising a computer system connected to the signal transmission system, the computer system configured to:

receive the signal from the signal transmission system;

receive a plurality of parameters representing operation of the rotorcraft in which the actuator is installed; and

determine if a repair of the rotorcraft actuator is necessary based, in part, on the signal, one or more of the plurality of parameters and the history of the rotorcraft'"'"'s operation.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the fluid level indication housing includes a marking at a position that corresponds to the predetermined volume of fluid.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the fluid level indication housing includes a plurality of graduation markings to identify a volume of fluid that the fluid level indication housing has collected.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the retainer includes at least one of a retention ring or a groove formed in the body member.

14. An actuator monitoring system to monitor leakage past dynamic actuator seals of a rotorcraft machine actuator, the system comprising:

the rotorcraft machine actuator having a shaft configured to translate along a longitudinal axis;

a body member mounted to surround a dynamic machine actuator seal that seals fluid in the rotorcraft machine actuator, the body member to capture and hold fluid that leaks past the dynamic machine actuator seal;

a fluid collection member included in the body member to receive the fluid that leaks past the dynamic machine actuator seal into the body member;

a fluid level indication housing attached to the fluid collection member to collect the fluid received by the fluid collection member, the fluid level indication housing to indicate that a predetermined volume of fluid that leaked past the dynamic machine actuator seal has been collected; and

a computer system comprising;

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer instructions executable by the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving a signal in response to the fluid level indication housing indicating that the predetermined volume of fluid that leaked past the dynamic machine actuator seal has been collected;

receiving a plurality of machine parameters, each machine parameter associated with a rotorcraft operation, and comprising at least a number of inches of stroke moved by the machine actuator and a number of directions of the actuator reversal;

gathering a history of the rotorcraft'"'"'s operation based on the received plurality of machine parameters;

presenting the history of the rotorcraft'"'"'s operation, the machine parameters, and the signal indicating the volume of fluid to a database;

determining whether a maintenance analysis is required based on the indication that the predetermined volume of fluid has been collected, one or more of the machine parameters and the history of the rotorcraft'"'"'s operation; and

whenever the maintenance analysis is required, determining if the machine actuator needs maintenance based, in part, on the received signal and one or more of the machine parameters.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a signal transmission system connected to the fluid level indication housing, the signal transmission system to transmit the signal in response to the fluid level indication housing indicating that the predetermined volume of fluid that leaked past the dynamic machine actuator seal has been collected.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the machine is a rotorcraft, and wherein the machine parameters further comprises a number of hours for which the rotorcraft was operational in the air, a number of hours for which the rotorcraft was non-operational on the ground, an ambient temperature of operation, a fluid temperature of operation, or the rotorcraft mission profile.

17. A method for monitoring leakage past a dynamic actuator seal of a rotorcraft actuator, the method comprising:

providing the rotorcraft actuator having a shaft configured to translate along a longitudinal axis;

surrounding a dynamic actuator seal that seals fluid in the rotorcraft actuator with a body member configured to capture and hold fluid that leaks past the dynamic actuator seal;

receiving the fluid that leaks past the dynamic actuator seal into the body member in a fluid collection member attached to the body member;

collecting the fluid that leaks past the dynamic actuator seal into a fluid level indication housing attached to the fluid collection member;

determining that a predetermined volume of fluid has been collected in the fluid level indication housing;

providing an indication that the predetermined volume of fluid has been collected;

receiving a plurality of machine parameters using a computer system, each machine parameter associated with a rotorcraft operation, and comprising at least a number of inches of stroke moved by the machine actuator and a number of directions of the actuator reversal;

gathering a history of the rotorcraft'"'"'s operation based on the received plurality of machine parameters using the computer system;

determining whether a maintenance analysis is required based on the indication that the predetermined volume of fluid has been collected, one or more of the machine parameters and the history of the rotorcraft'"'"'s operation; and

whenever the maintenance analysis is required, determining if the rotorcraft actuator needs maintenance based, in part, on the indication that the predetermined volume of fluid has been collected, one or more of the machine parameters and the history of the rotorcraft'"'"'s operation.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a signal in response to receiving the indication that the predetermined volume of fluid that leaked past the dynamic actuator seal has been collected; and

wherein determining whether the maintenance analysis is required and determining if the rotorcraft actuator needs maintenance are based, in part, on the received signal.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining an amount of time elapsed for the predetermined volume of fluid to be collected in the fluid level indication housing;

and

wherein determining whether the maintenance analysis is required and determining if the rotorcraft actuator needs maintenance are based, in part, on the determined amount of time elapsed.