Rtx Corporation

United Technologies Corporation

Raytheon Technologies Corporation

United Technology Corporation

Gregory S Hagen

Zaffir A Chaudhry

David L Lincoln

Janet Shaw

Scott Goyette

Alexander I Khibnik

Jeffrey P King

Daniel L Gysling

Meggan Harris

Paul Attridge

Danbing Seto

Linda I Rivera

Allan J Volponi

Michael J Giering

Jeffrey Mark Cohen

William M Proscia

Ozgur Erdinc

Sheridon Everette Haye

Yan Chen

Robert H Luppold

Andrzej Banaszuk

Jeremiah C Lee

Prashant G Mehta

Yiqing Lin

Lichu Zhao

William Proscia

Yiquing Lin

An assembly for an aircraft propulsion system includes a propulsor and an imaging assembly. The propulsor includes a propulsor disk, a plurality of propulsor blades, and a nose cone. The plurality of propulsor blades are circumferentially distributed about the propulsor disk. Each propulsor blade of the plurality of propulsor blades extends radially between and to a root end and a tip end. The root end is disposed at the propulsor disk. The propulsor disk and the plurality of propulsor blades are configured to rotate about the rotational axis. The nose cone is disposed axially adjacent the propulsor disk. The imaging assembly includes an imaging device disposed on the nose cone. The imaging device includes a camera. The camera is configured to capture image data of each propulsor blade of the plurality of propulsor blades as the plurality of propulsor blades rotate about the rotational axis.

Propulsor blade imaging assembly method for an aircraft propulsion system

An assembly for an aircraft propulsion system includes a propulsor section, an imaging device, a plurality of light sources, and a controller. The propulsor section includes a propulsor. The propulsor includes a plurality of propulsor blades. The imaging device is disposed in the propulsor section. The imaging device includes a camera. The plurality of light sources are disposed in the propulsor section. The controller includes a processor in communication with a non-transitory memory storing instructions, which instructions when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: control the plurality of light sources to direct light to the plurality of propulsor blades, control the camera to capture image data of each propulsor blade of the plurality of propulsor blades, and identify a presence or an absence of damage for each propulsor blade of the plurality of propulsor blades using the image data.

Propulsor blade imaging assembly for an aircraft propulsion system

An assembly for an aircraft propulsion system includes a propulsor section and an imaging device. The propulsor section includes a propulsor and a structural body. The propulsor includes a plurality of propulsor blades. The structural body forms an outer air flow surface forming a portion of an air flow path through the propulsor section. The imaging device includes a housing and a camera. The housing includes a housing body and a cover. The housing body is mounted in the structural body. The housing body forms a cavity and an opening of the cavity. The cover is pivotable between a stowed position and a deployed position. The camera is disposed in the cavity with the cover positioned in the stowed position. The camera is configured to capture image data of each propulsor blade of the plurality of propulsor blades with the cover positioned in the deployed position.

An inspection system for rotating fan rotor blades is provided that includes a plurality of cameras and light sources and a system controller. The cameras are controllable to capture an image of a leading edge of a fan rotor blade and produce signals representative of the captured image. Each respective camera is mounted with an inlet guide vane disposed forward of the fan rotor blade stage. The light sources are each associated with a respective camera. The system controller is in communication with the cameras, the light sources, and a non-transitory memory storing instructions. The instructions when executed cause the system controller to: control the light sources to selectively illuminate the fan rotor blades, and control the cameras to image respective fan rotor blades and produce signals representative thereof, and provide inspection information representative of the leading edge of respective fan rotor blades.

Rotor blade inspection system

An inspection system for fan rotor blades in a gas turbine engine is provided. The gas turbine engine has a sensor that provides a fan rotor stage speed signal. The system includes a plurality of cameras and light sources and a system controller. The cameras are controllable to image a leading edge of a fan rotor blade. Each respective camera and light source is mounted with a static structure disposed forward of the fan rotor blade stage. The system controller is in communication with stored instructions that when executed cause the system controller to monitor the speed of the fan rotor stage during an engine shutdown; upon the fan rotor stage speed reaching a first value, control the light sources to selectively illuminate the fan rotor blades, and control the cameras to image the fan rotor blades, and provide inspection information using signals representative of the captured images.

An inspection system for rotating fan rotor blades in a gas turbine engine is provided. The system includes a plurality of cameras and lids, and a cleaning system. The cameras are each controllable to capture an image of a leading edge of a fan rotor blade and produce signals representative thereof. Each camera is mounted to a static structure disposed forward of the fan rotor blade stage. The lids are attached to the static structure and is selectively movable between closed and open positions. In the closed position at least one camera is enclosed. In the open position the camera is at least partially exposed and has a field of view of the rotating fan rotor blades. The cleaning system is controllable to selectively produce a body of fluid relative to the at least one camera when the respective lid is in the open position.

A method for fault diagnosis of a bearing includes detecting, using an oil debris monitor (ODM) sensor, ODM data corresponding to an amount of debris flowing downstream from the bearing. The method also includes detecting, using a vibration sensor, vibration data corresponding to vibration of the bearing during use. The method also includes determining, by a controller, a vibration stage flag corresponding to a severity of damage of the bearing based on the vibration data. The method also includes determining, by the controller, a severity level of the damage of the bearing based on a combination of the vibration stage flag and the ODM data. The method also includes outputting, by an output device, the severity level.

Integrated vibe/ODM fusion and trending analysis for prognostic health management of engine bearing

A method for foreign object debris detection in a gas turbine engine may comprise receiving, by a controller, a plurality of master configuration parameters, receiving, by the controller, a plurality of individual configuration parameters in response to the plurality of master configuration parameters, receiving, by the controller, a first time-series data from a database, pre-processing, by the controller, the first time-series data to generate a second time-series data, implementing, by the controller, an anomaly detector model, the anomaly detector model configured to generate a third time-series data, and implementing, by the controller, a foreign object debris (FOD) damage model, the FOD damage model receiving the third time-series data. The pre-processing the first time-series data, the implementing the anomaly detector model, and the implementing the FOD damage model may be defined by the plurality of individual configuration parameters.

Parametric trending architecture concept and design

A system and method for blade health inspection is provided. The system may include a health monitoring processor, an excitation actuator, and a health monitoring sensor. The excitation actuator may pulse a force against an engine blade to cause non-integral vibratory excitations in engine blades. The health monitoring sensor may measure the vibratory excitations. The health monitoring processor may analyze the vibratory excitations to determine the health of the engine blade.

Blade health inspection using an excitation actuator and vibration sensor

A system and method for detecting foreign object debris damage is disclosed. A method for foreign object debris detection in a gas turbine engine may include receiving, by a controller, a first time-series data from a database, wherein the first time-series data comprises a feature, pre-processing, by the controller, the first time-series data to generate a second time-series data, generating a third time-series data via an anomaly detector model, sending, by the controller, the third time-series data to a foreign object debris (FOD) damage model, and determining, by the controller, that a FOD event has occurred based on data received from the FOD damage model. In various embodiments, the method may further comprise generating, by the controller, a health report (HR).

Foreign object debris trending concept and design

A debris monitoring system has a first sensor configured to generate a first signal indicating a presence of a metallic particle in a lubrication system. A second sensor is configured to generate a second signal indicating the presence of a metallic particle in the lubrication system. A signal processor is configured to determine a presence of a metallic particle in a fluid passage based on a comparison of at least the first signal and the second signal; the second signal being used to verify accuracy of the first signal. A gas turbine engine and a method for monitoring a fluid passage for debris are also disclosed.

Oil debris monitor with sequential coil system and associated algorithms for particle confirmation

A system and method for debris particle detection with adaptive learning are provided. The method includes receiving oil debris monitoring (ODM) sensor data from an oil debris monitor sensor and fleet data from a database, detecting a feature in the ODM sensor data, generating an anomaly detection signal based on detecting an anomaly by comparing the feature in the ODM sensor data to a limit defined by system information stored in the fleet data, selecting a maintenance action request based on the anomaly detection signal, and adjusting one or more of the feature, the anomaly, the limit, and the maintenance action request by applying an adaptive learning algorithm that uses the ODM sensor data, fleet data, and feedback from field maintenance of one or more engines that evolves over time.

Oil debris monitoring (ODM) with adaptive learning

A system for identifying timeframes for borescope inspections for a gas turbine engine, having: monitoring systems monitor engine conditions, derive engine condition information and communicate such information to processors; feature interpreter module electronically communicates (i) with processors to process engine condition information, and (ii) feature interpreter information to processors, such information defines a probability of a FOD event; accumulator module electronically communicates (i) with processors to processes feature interpreter information, stored information since a last borescope inspection, and (ii) accumulator information to processors, such information defines an accumulated probability of a FOD event; and predictor and inspection planner module electronically communicates (i) with processors to processes accumulator information and stored information defines a threshold limits for a probability of a FOD event, and (ii) predictor and inspection planner information to processors, such information identifies a timeframe for a next borescope inspections predicted to occur before a FOD event.

System and method for planning engine borescope inspections based on FOD probability estimation

An article of manufacture including a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon for detecting a fault in a gas turbine engine that, in response to execution by a controller, cause the controller to perform operations comprising receiving, by the controller, a first data output from a first flight data source; receiving, by the controller, a second data output from a second flight data source; determining, by the controller, a first flight realm of the first data output based on the second data output; identifying, by the controller, a fault threshold using a first parameter of the first flight realm; and comparing, by the controller, the first data output to the fault threshold.

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Glastonbury, CT, United States of America

Gregory S Hagen