Rolls-Royce Corporation

Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.

Dawn Kay Andrus

John Joseph Costello

Richard Joseph Skertic

John Gebhard

Geoffrey L Gatton

Michael T Elliott

Daniel John Bitz

Roy F Mills

Anthony Fulford

A system is described that includes a controllable component of an engine configured to regulate fuel flow to the engine, a digital control unit configured to control the engine by at least communicating with the controllable component of the engine, and a protection component configured to disable communication between the digital control unit and the controllable component of the engine. The system further includes an analog control unit configured to control the engine by at least communicating with the controllable component of the engine in response to the protection component disabling communication between the digital control unit and the controllable component of the engine.

Secured backup feature for an embedded system

Sensor assemblies and methods of de-icing or preventing ice formation are provided. Compressed air may be supplied to a vortex tube. The vortex tube may separate the compressed air into a first stream and a second stream, the first stream hotter than the second stream. A sensor body may be warmed by the first stream, and the second stream may be directed away from the sensor body.

Sensor with integral vortex tube for warming

A system for fiber optic communication connections may include a connector housing, a circuit board disposed in the connector housing, and a port formed in the connector housing and sized to restrict ingress of a fiber optic cable into the port to a predetermined rotational orientation of the fiber optic cable. The system may include circuitry positioned for electrical communication with printed circuitry included on the fiber optic cable received in the port. The circuitry may receive and process data received as a light signal via the fiber optic cable. The system may further include an output connector extending from the connector housing and configured for detachable connection. The output connector may be in electrical communication with the circuitry and may be configured to receive and output an output electrical signal.

System for fiber optic communication connections

Technologies for engine fluid quality monitoring are disclosed herein. An engine system includes a gas turbine engine having one or more mechanical components, a fluid quality sensing system, and an engine controller. Each mechanical component includes a tracer material embedded in the mechanical component during manufacture. The fluid quality sensing system applies a laser beam to debris captured in an engine fluid of the gas turbine engine and detects a light signature generated by tracer material in the debris in response to application of the laser beam. The engine controller identifies the tracer material as a function of the light signature. The engine controller determines a potential wear state of a mechanical component as a function of the tracer material. The engine controller may select the mechanical component from multiple mechanical components based on the tracer material. Each mechanical component has a predetermined association with a corresponding tracer material.

On-wing component wear analysis with fluid quality sensing

One embodiment of the present invention is a unique turbine engine. Another embodiment is a unique vane actuation system. In one form, the actuation system includes a four bar linkage. Other embodiments include apparatuses, systems, devices, hardware, methods, and combinations for turbine engines and vane actuation systems. Further embodiments, forms, features, aspects, benefits, and advantages of the present application shall become apparent from the description and figures provided herewith.

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Avon, IN, United States of America

Dawn Kay Andrus