Operating aircraft propulsion system during engine-inoperative event
AssigneePratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
InventorsPatrick Gates, Melanie Papillon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is provided for operating an aircraft having a first propulsion unit and a second propulsion unit. During this method a propulsion unit-inoperative event is identified where the first propulsion unit is inoperative and the second propulsion unit is operative. A trimmed parameter for the second propulsion unit is converted to an actual parameter for the second propulsion unit. The actual parameter is monitored over a period of time the second propulsion unit operates during the propulsion unit-inoperative event. An action is performed in response to determining that the second propulsion unit has operated for at least a time threshold with the actual parameter being equal to or greater than a parameter threshold.
Claims22
A method of operating an aircraft having a first propulsion unit and a second propulsion unit, comprising:
- at one or more processing systems of the aircraft, identifying a propulsion unit-inoperative event where the first propulsion unit is inoperative and the second propulsion unit is operative;
- at one or more of the one or more processing systems of the aircraft, converting a trimmed parameter for the second propulsion unit to an actual parameter for the second propulsion unit;
- at one or more of the one or more processing systems of the aircraft, monitoring the actual parameter over a period of time the second propulsion unit operates during the propulsion unit-inoperative event;
- and
- at one or more of the one or more processing systems of the aircraft, in response to determining that the second propulsion unit has operated for at least a time threshold with the actual parameter being equal to or greater than a parameter threshold, performing an action.
An operating method, comprising:
- identifying an event where a first propulsion unit is inoperative and a second propulsion unit is operative;
- processing a trimmed parameter to provide an actual parameter;
- monitoring the actual parameter for the second propulsion unit during the event;
- determining a period of time the actual parameter is at or above a threshold during the event;
- and
- performing an action in response to the identifying of the event based on the period of time.
An aircraft system, comprising:
- a first propulsion unit;
- a second propulsion unit;
- and
- a monitoring system configured to
- identify a propulsion unit-inoperative event where the first propulsion unit is inoperative and the second propulsion unit is operative;
- convert a trimmed parameter for the second propulsion unit to an actual parameter for the second propulsion unit;
- determine an operational characteristic of the second propulsion unit during the propulsion unit-inoperative event, the operational characteristic indicative of a period of time the second propulsion unit operates with the actual parameter equal to or greater than a threshold during the propulsion unit-inoperative event;
- and
- initiate an action in response to the identifying of the propulsion unit-inoperative event based on the operational characteristic.
A data collection unit for an aircraft propulsion unit, the data collection unit containing a dataset for use by a processing system to perform a method comprising:
- trimming an actual operational parameter of the aircraft propulsion unit to provide a trimmed operational parameter of the aircraft propulsion unit for at least one of
- presenting to an operator of the aircraft propulsion unit;
- controlling operation of the aircraft propulsion unit;
- or
- monitoring the operation of the aircraft propulsion unit;
- and
- converting the trimmed operational parameter to the actual operational parameter for use in determining an operational characteristic of the aircraft propulsion unit during a propulsion unit-inoperative event of a companion propulsion unit to the aircraft propulsion unit, the operational characteristic indicative of a period of time the aircraft propulsion unit operates with the actual operational parameter equal to or greater than a threshold during the propulsion unit-inoperative event.
A method for providing a data collection unit for an aircraft propulsion unit, comprising:
- operating the aircraft propulsion unit in a test cell;
- individually tuning the data collection unit based on the operation of the aircraft propulsion unit to performance match the operation of the aircraft propulsion unit to a specification;
- and
- storing data within the data collection unit for use in converting a trimmed operational parameter of the aircraft propulsion unit to an actual parameter of the aircraft propulsion unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.