Apparatus and method for monitoring a lubrication system of an aircraft power plant
AssigneePratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
InventorMichael HANNA
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Abstract
Apparatus and methods of monitoring a lubrication system of an aircraft power plant are provided. The apparatus and method can detect a human error associated with servicing an aircraft engine. The method includes sensing an actual oil level in an oil tank of the lubrication system of the aircraft power plant, and determining that the actual oil level is below a habitual replenish level that is higher than a minimum operating oil level for the oil tank. When the actual oil level is below the habitual replenish level an alert is generated.
Claims20
An apparatus for monitoring a lubrication system of an aircraft power plant, the apparatus comprising:
- a sensor operable to sense an actual oil level in an oil tank of the lubrication system of the aircraft power plant;
- an annunciator;
- and
- one or more computers in communication with the sensor and with the annunciator, the one or more computers being operable to:
- determine that the actual oil level sensed by the sensor is below a habitual replenish level that is higher than a minimum operating level for the oil tank, the habitual replenish level being an oil level in the oil tank at which the oil tank is habitually replenished with oil based on a service history relevant to the aircraft power plant;
- and
- when the actual oil level is below the habitual replenish level and above the minimum operating level, cause the annunciator to output an alert.
A lubrication system of an aircraft power plant, the lubrication system comprising:
- an oil tank operatively connected to supply oil to one or more lubrication loads of the aircraft power plant;
- a sensor operable to sense an actual oil level in the oil tank;
- an annunciator;
- one or more data processors in communication with the sensor and with the annunciator;
- and
- non-transitory machine-readable memory storing:
- data indicative of an oil replenishing history applicable to the aircraft power plant;
- and
- instructions executable by the one or more data processors and configured to cause the one or more data processors to, when the actual oil level is inconsistent with the oil replenishing history, cause the annunciator to output an alert.
A method of monitoring a lubrication system of an aircraft power plant, the method comprising:
- sensing, with a sensor, an actual oil level in an oil tank of the lubrication system of the aircraft power plant;
- receiving, at a computer, data indicative of the actual oil level in the oil tank sensed by the sensor;
- determining, with the computer, that the actual oil level is below a habitual replenish level higher than a minimum operating oil level for the oil tank, the habitual replenish level being an oil level in the oil tank at which the oil tank is habitually replenished with oil based on an oil replenishing history relevant to the aircraft power plant;
- when the actual oil level is below the habitual replenish level and higher than the minimum operating oil level, generate, with the computer, an output indicative of the lubrication system requiring service;
- and
- in response to the output from the computer, annunciating an alert.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.