Verification of a maintenance procedure in an aircraft component

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates generally to maintenance procedures on aircraft components. More particularly, this disclosure relates to verifying a maintenance procedure's effectiveness at the location of the maintenance procedure.

As known, many aircraft components require a periodic maintenance procedure, such as a repair or an inspection. An Aircraft Condition Monitoring System (ACMS) is often used to identify and diagnose these components. The ACMS is associated with a printer and a Multifunction Control and Display Unit (MCDU). The ACMS is typically located in an electronics bay of an aircraft, and the printer and the MCDU are located a cockpit of the aircraft. As aircraft system components may be located in any area of the aircraft, the ACMS, the printer, and the MCDU are often physically separated from the component requiring the maintenance procedure. The MCDU displays data or reports about the component undergoing the maintenance procedures. The mechanics utilize the displayed data or reports to verify the effectiveness of the maintenance procedure.

Prior art verifications of maintenance procedures require a mechanic to travel back and forth between the cockpit and the component. For example, after a mechanic learns of a potentially damaged component, the mechanic reviews a report about the component displayed on the MCDU within the cockpit. The mechanic then walks from the cockpit to the component (i.e., the point of work). The mechanic attempts a maintenance procedure (such as a repair) on the component at the point of work. The mechanic then returns to the cockpit to verify the repair using the MCDU. If the repair is not effective, the mechanic walks back to the point of work to attempt a further repair, and then returns to the MCDU to verify the further repair. These steps are repeated until the mechanic verifies the repair's completion on the MCDU.

Another prior art verification of a maintenance procedure utilizes two mechanics. One mechanic repairs the component; the other mechanic verifies the repair on the MCDU. The mechanics communicate using radios or the aircraft's interphone system.

SUMMARY

An example method of maintaining an aircraft component includes performing a maintenance procedure on an aircraft component and receiving information about the aircraft component on a wireless device. The information is communicated to the wireless device from a collection device on the aircraft. The method includes verifying the maintenance procedure based on the received information.

Another example method of maintaining an aircraft component includes performing a maintenance procedure on an aircraft component. The maintenance procedure is performed at a point of work. The method includes verifying the maintenance procedure at the point of work using a wireless device. A collection device on the aircraft sends information to the wireless device and the verifying is based on the information.

An example aircraft component maintenance verification arrangement includes a collection device configured to collect information about an aircraft component after an attempted maintenance procedure to the component. The collection device is further configured to wirelessly communicate the information to a wireless device located near the aircraft component.

These and other features of the example disclosure can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

<ul id="ul0001" list-style="none" compact="compact"><li><figref idref="f0001">Figure 1</figref> shows a partial schematic view of an example gas turbine engine.</li><li><figref idref="f0002">Figure 2</figref> shows a schematic view of a data file exchange between an aircraft and a ground system.</li><li><figref idref="f0003">Figure 3</figref> shows a flow of an example method of repairing an aircraft component and verifying the repairing.</li></ul>

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

<figref idref="f0001">Figure 1</figref> schematically illustrates an example turbofan gas turbine engine 10 of an aircraft 12. The gas turbine engine 10 includes (in serial flow communication) a fan section 14, a low-pressure compressor 18, a high-pressure compressor 22, a combustor 26, a high-pressure turbine 30, a low-pressure turbine 34 and an external component 49. The gas turbine engine 10 is circumferentially disposed about an engine centerline X.

During operation, air is pulled into the gas turbine engine 10 by the fan section 14, pressurized by the compressors 18 and 22, mixed with fuel, and burned in the combustor 26. The turbines 30 and 34 extract energy from the hot combustion gases flowing from the combustor 26. The residual energy is then expanded through the nozzle section to produce thrust.

In a two-spool design, the high-pressure turbine 30 utilizes the extracted energy from the hot combustion gases to power the high-pressure compressor 22 through a high speed shaft 38. The low-pressure turbine 34 utilizes the extracted energy from the hot combustion gases to power the low-pressure compressor 18 and the fan section 14 through a low speed shaft 42. An engine external component 49 includes functions such as the oil system, electric system, hydraulic system, etc. The engine external component 49 is referred to as the engine accessories in some examples.

In this example, the aircraft 12 includes an information collection device 46. Components of the aircraft 12, such as a plurality of sensors 48 within the engine 10 communicate with the information collection device 46. The sensors 48 collect information from the engine 10 such as temperatures, pressures, etc.

The example information collection device 46 executes algorithms that produce reports using the information collected by the sensors 48. The reports provided by the information collection device 46 show the temperatures, pressures, etc. The reports also reveal health information about the sensors 48 or the engine 10. For example, the reports reveal information indicating that one of the sensors 48 is damaged or that the fan section 14 is damaged or not performing properly. The reports can also be used to verify that the sensor 48 is functioning properly after an attempted repair.

Referring now to <figref idref="f0002">Figure 2</figref> with continuing reference to <figref idref="f0001">Figure 1</figref>, in this example, an electronics bay 50 of the aircraft 12 includes a data management unit such as an Aircraft Condition Monitoring System (ACMS) 54. The ACMS 54 is configured to communicate with a printer 62 and Multifunction Control and Display Unit (MCDU) 66. In this example, the printer 62 and the MCDU 66 are located in a cockpit 70 of the aircraft 12. Communications between the ACMS 54, the MCDU 66, and the printer 62 are wired communications, for example.

In this example, the MCDU 66 communicates with the information collection device 46 that collects parameters about aircraft components, such as the sensor 48, and executes the algorithms that produce reports. In another example, the ACMS includes the information collection device 46.

The printer 62 and the MCDU 66, together or independently, display the reports and other information on respective displays 72 and 74. The information collection device 46 provides the information used in the reports. The display 72 is a computer screen that displays a report including data obtained from the sensors 48 or information about the health of the sensors 48, for example. The display 74 of the printer 62 is a printed report including data obtained from the sensors 48 or information about the health of the sensors 48, for example.

In this example, the information collection device 46 is a dual architecture microserver card having a controller 78, a transmitter 80, a receiver 82, and a memory portion 84. The information collection device 46 communicates wirelessly with a device 86 along a wireless communication path 88. Example devices 86 include wireless devices, such as cellular phones, laptop computers, personal data assistants, personal maintenance aids, etc.

The example information collection device 46 is capable of receiving commands from the device 86 sent using a secure wireless protocol. An example command may prompt the information collection device 46 to compile a report about the sensor 48 and send the results back to the device 86.

The example device 86 includes a display 90 configured to display reports, test results, command/ request results and other information about the sensor 48. The displayed information can be used to verify a repair to the sensors 48, the engine 10 or the aircraft 12, for example.

Because the communications between the information collection device 46 and the device 86 are wireless, the device 86 can receive information in various locations relative to the information collection device 46. For example, a mechanic can carry the device 86 to the location of the sensor 48 (i.e., a point of work 92). Thus, the mechanic can verify the effectiveness of a maintenance procedure performed on the sensor 48, engine 10 or aircraft 12 by viewing the display 90 rather than returning to the electronics bay 50 or cockpit 70. Further maintenance procedures can then be executed on the sensor 48, engine 10 or aircraft 12 until the mechanic views acceptable results on the display 90.

Many computing devices can be used to implement various functions described herein. Further, in terms of hardware architecture, the ACMS 54, the MCDU 66, the printer 62 and the device 86 can additionally include one or more input and/or output (I/O) device interface(s) that are communicatively coupled via a local interface. The local interface can include, for example, but is not limited to, one or more buses and/or other wired or wireless connections. The local interface may have additional elements, which are omitted for simplicity, such as additional controllers, buffers (caches), drivers, repeaters, and receivers to enable communications. Further, the local interface may include address, control, and/or data connections to enable appropriate communications among the aforementioned components.

The example controller 78 comprises a processor for executing software, particularly software stored in the memory portion 84. The processor can be a custom made or commercially available processor, a central processing unit (CPU), an auxiliary processor among several processors associated with the computing device, a semiconductor based microprocessor (in the form of a microchip or chip set) or generally any device for executing software instructions.

The memory portion 84 can include any one or combination of volatile memory elements (e.g., random access memory (RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, VRAM, etc.)) and/or nonvolatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, hard drive, tape, CD-ROM, Flash, etc.). Moreover, the memory may incorporate electronic, magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storage media.

The software in the memory portion 84 may include one or more additional or separate programs, each of which includes an ordered listing of executable instructions for implementing logical functions. A system component embodied as software may also be construed as a source program, executable program (object code), script, or any other entity comprising a set of instructions to be performed. When constructed as a source program, the program is translated via a compiler, assembler, interpreter, or the like, which may or may not be included within the memory.

The Input/Output devices that may be coupled to system I/O Interface(s) may include input devices, for example but not limited to, a keyboard, mouse, scanner, microphone, camera, proximity device, etc. Further, the Input/Output devices may also include output devices, for example but not limited to, a printer, display, etc. Finally, the Input/Output devices may further include devices that communicate both as inputs and outputs, for instance but not limited to, a modulator/demodulator (modem; for accessing another device, system, or network), a radio frequency (RF) or other transceiver, a telephonic interface, a bridge, a router, etc.

Referring to <figref idref="f0003">Figure 3</figref> with continuing reference to <figref idref="f0002">Figure 2</figref>, a flow of an example data component maintenance method 100 includes a step 110 of performing a maintenance procedure on an aircraft or engine component, such as the sensors 48. Other examples aircraft components include blades within the turbines 30 and 34 of the engine 10, or aircraft system components in other areas of the aircraft 12.

As known, maintenance procedures are periodically performed on various aircraft components by aircraft mechanics. Example maintenance procedures include repairing the sense tubes for sensors 48, replacing one of the sensors 48, replacing a fan blade for fan section 14, replacing an engine external component, etc. The maintenance procedures are typically performed at the location of the component, such as at the engine 10 (i.e., the point of work 92).

At a step 120, the information collection device 46 wirelessly communicates information about the aircraft or engine component to the device 86.

The maintenance procedure is verified based on the received information in a step 130. For example, the mechanic verifies that one of the sensors 48 is measuring temperature properly by viewing the measured temperature on the display 90 of the device 86, for example.

Features of the disclosed examples include verifying the effectiveness of a maintenance procedure performed on an aircraft component using a wireless device at the location of the aircraft component, rather than requiring the mechanic to move to another area to verify the effectiveness of the maintenance procedure. Other features of the disclosed examples also include assisting in the troubleshooting process where a mechanic uses the device 90 to get information from sensor 48 to support following a troubleshooting procedure for aircraft.

The preceding description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. A person of ordinary skill in this art may recognize certain variations and modifications to the disclosed examples that do not depart from the essence of this disclosure. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope of legal protection given to this disclosure.