Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation

United Technologies Corporation

James P Cycon

Mark W Davis

Mark Winfield Scott

Joshua David Isom

Fred W Kohlhepp

Vincent F Millea

Christopher W DeWitt

Timothy A Krauss

Alexander I Khibnik

James N Rozak

Alan Matthew Finn

William Arthur Welsh

David H Hunter

Erez Eller

Bruce D Hansen

Jun Ma

Michael Peter Strauss

David F Sandy

Stephan Roman

Payman Sadegh

Mauro Jorge Atalla

Alfred Russell Smiley

Preston R Bates

Andrew C Whyte

Gregory J Kacprzynski

John R Ferraro

Kenneth M Rosen

Kenneth M Furnes

Andreas P F Bernhard

Kevin P McGonigle

Brian Edward Morris

Andreas Bernhard

Isaac Bandy

Peter G Sanders

Marvin D Farrell

Kenneth Reader

Peter F Horbury

George S Schneider

Nicholos A Mackos

Gregory P Tenerowicz

Alexander Khibnik

Mauro Jorgre Atalla

Virtual sensors can be used to monitor the loads on the system in determining damage accumulation, remaining useful life or retirement time of the components. A virtual sensor is a mathematical construct to infer a desired system measurement (e.g. a structural load) from readily available system state parameters (e.g. speed, weight, load factors, control settings, etc.). The accuracy of the virtual sensor depends upon the mapping between the desired measurement and the state parameters. A hybrid load monitoring system and method includes one or more direct or physical sensor measurements in addition to the plurality of virtual sensors. Signals from the physical sensors are included as an input (as opposed to an output) to the mapping between system state parameters and the various target sensor feature amplitudes.

Hybrid virtual load monitoring system and method

A system, method, and computer program for detecting and isolating structural faults is provided. To detect and isolate structural faults, a plurality of sensed features that corresponds to sensor data from the monitoring sub-system and a plurality of estimated features that corresponds to the plurality of sensed features can be generated. Further, the plurality of sensed features and the plurality of estimated features can be compared to produce a plurality of residuals. From the plurality of residuals, at least one structural fault within the vehicle are determined and isolated for further use of maintenance decision support.

Rotorcraft structural fault-detection and isolation using virtual monitoring of loads

A method of health management of a monitored system includes collecting component condition indicator data used to calculate a plurality of component health indicators. Component fault severity and potential failure modes are determined utilizing the component condition indicator data. The potential failure modes are ranked in order of likelihood to isolate the failure mode. A system of health management for monitored apparatus includes a fault severity module to derive a plurality of component health indicators from collected component condition indicator data, the plurality of component health indicators indicative of fault severity of a plurality of components. A fault isolation module separately derives a ranked listing of potential fault/failure modes utilizing the component condition indicator data. The system further includes a communication portion to which the plurality of component health indicators and the ranked listing of fault/failure modes are transmitted for review and/or action by cognizant personnel.

System and method for improved health management and maintenance decision support

A rotorcraft engine starting system includes a starting system controller in communication with a flight control computer; an electric engine starter; an electronic engine controller in communication with the electric engine starter; an electrical power distributor; and a plurality of power sources coupled to the electrical power distributor; the starting system controller selecting at least one of the plurality of power sources and instructing the electrical power distributor to use the at least one of the plurality of power sources to power the electric engine starter.

Engine starting system for rotorcraft in flight

A system for monitoring for pushrod faults in an aircraft includes a pushrod; a sensor () mounted on the pushrod (), the sensor () wirelessly transmitting measured pushrod load data; a receiver () receiving the measured pushrod load data; a model () receiving flight data and generating a modeled pushrod load profile; and a fault detector () comparing measured pushrod load data to the modeled pushrod load profile to detect a pushrod fault.

Method and system for detecting pushrod faults

A computer-implemented method, system, and computer program product for virtual monitoring of aircraft fleet loads are provided. The method includes calculating virtual load data associated with an aircraft from a set of orthogonal waveforms. The method also includes calculating a set of coefficients as a function of parametric data and high frequency data associated with an aircraft. The method further includes storing the set of coefficients on the aircraft and transmitting the set of coefficients to a ground-based system configured to reproduce the virtual load data based on a copy of the set of orthogonal waveforms and the received set of coefficients in order to perform aircraft fleet management.

Virtual monitoring of aircraft fleet loads

A method of determining a maneuver performed by an aircraft having sensors for monitoring motion data, the method including periodically sampling the sensors to electronically determine segments of motion data of the aircraft; aggregating sequences of the segments of the motion data; comparing the aggregated segments of motion data to models of particular maneuvers; and determining the maneuver performed by the aircraft.

Method of determining a maneuver performed by an aircraft

A Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) utilizes a common architecture which permits OEM and rotorcraft operators to view and trend HUMS data for an entire aircraft fleet independent of aircraft model, HUMS vendor, or raw data format. The system operates through a web portal that provides users with comparative information on HUMS parameters relative to fleet statistics. The user may view HUMS data for the entire fleet or drill down to a particular HUMS acquisition on a specific flight. The web based format also facilities display and communication of warnings in a timely manner.

Aircraft health and usage monitoring system with comparative fleet statistics

A method and system estimates a desired output signal waveform based on measured state parameters. A model training step generates a model by empirically obtaining measured signal waveforms corresponding to measured state parameters. Features, such as mode shapes and mode amplitudes, are extracted from the measured signals and stored in an estimation model along with coefficients of the model that correlate measured state parameters with the mode amplitudes. During part operation, the state parameters measured during operation are entered into the estimation model to obtain estimated features in a estimated signal waveform. The estimated features are then used to synthesize the estimated signal reflecting the actual operation of the operating part. The estimation model therefore allows estimation of an entire signal waveform from the state parameters.

Virtual load monitoring system and method

An unmanned aerial vehicle that includes a fuselage with a partial toroidal forward portion, and an aft portion. A duct is formed through the fuselage and extends from the top to the bottom of the fuselage. Two counter-rotating rotor assemblies are mounted within the duct for providing downward thrust through the duct. The rotor assemblies are supported by a plurality of support struts. At least one engine is mounted within the fuselage and engages with the rotor assemblies. A pusher prop assembly is mounted to the aft portion of the fuselage. The pusher prop assembly is designed to provide forward thrust along the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. The pusher prop assembly includes a drive shaft that is engaged with the engine. A plurality of propellers are attached to and rotated by the drive shaft. A shroud is mounted to the aft portion of the fuselage around the propellers and is operative for channeling the air passing through the propellers in a substantially aft direction. A pair of wings is removably attached to the sides of the fuselage. Each wing preferably includes a fixed portion and a pivotal flaperon portion hinged to the fixed portion. Directional vanes are preferably mounted to the shroud downstream from the propellers and control flow out of the shroud. Deflectors may be mounted to the bottom of the fuselage across a portion of the duct to control flow of air into the duct.

Unmanned aerial vehicle with counter-rotating ducted rotors and shrouded pusher-prop

A method for reducing a nose-up pitching moment in an unmanned aerial vehicle during forward flight. The unmanned aerial vehicle includes counter-rotating rotor assemblies that are mounted within a duct. Each rotor assembly includes a plurality of rotor blades. The method involves adjusting the rotor blades to have substantially zero pitch. Then rotating the rotor assemblies to produce a virtual plane across the duct. The virtual plane is operative for substantially deflecting air passing over the fuselage away from the duct. In one embodiment of the invention, the method involves the further step of obstructing at least a portion of the bottom of the duct to inhibit air that is flowing across the bottom of the duct from passing into the duct.

Method of reducing a nose-up pitching moment on a ducted unmanned aerial vehicle

Unmanned multi-mode vertical take off and landing aircraft

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has a toroidal fuselage and a rotor assembly having a pair of counter-rotating rotors secured in fixed coaxial combination with the toroidal fuselage to provide a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability for the UAV. One embodiment of the VTOL UAV is especially configured for ground surveillance missions by the inclusion of an externally mounted, remotely controllable stowable sensor subsystem that provides an azimuthal scanning capability and a predetermined elevation/depression scanning capability to accomplish the ground surveillance mission and a foldable landing gear subsystem to facilitate landing of the VTOL UAV at unprepared ground surveillance sites.

Unmanned VTOL ground surveillance vehicle

One embodiment of a coaxial transmission/center hub subassembly for a rotor assembly having ducted, coaxial counter-rotating rotors includes a single stage transmission, a transmission housing, and a center hub support structure that are structurally and functionally interactive. The transmission housing includes upper and lower standpipe housings secured in combination with a middle housing. The single stage transmission includes an input pinion gear rotatably mounted in combination with the middle housing, and upper and lower spiral bevel gears rotatably coupled in combination with the input pinion gear to provide counter-rotation thereof. The spiral bevel gears include integral rotor shafts, respectively, rotatably mounted in the standpipe housings. The hub support structure is configured for securement of the middle housing internally in combination therewith, with respective surfaces thereof in abutting engagement so that dynamic loads of the rotors and thermal loads are directly coupled into the hub support structure via the middle housing while bending moments of the rotors are canceled in the middle housing. The hub support structure has radially extending arms for mounting the coaxial transmission/center hub subassembly in fixed coaxial relation to an airframe structure and for coupling the dynamic and thermal loads to the airframe structure. External surfaces of the standpipe housings function as sliding surfaces for linear motion of swashplate subassemblies to minimize the separation between the rotors so that the airframe structure has a compact aerodynamic and structural envelope. The transmission housing is internally configured to provide a splash lubrication subsystem.

Coaxial transmission/center hub subassembly for a rotor assembly having

A snubber assembly for a rotor assembly having ducted, coaxial counter-rotating rotors that is design optimized to facilitate utilization of a self-aligning bearing and for installation inboard of the corresponding flexbeam-to-rotor hub attachment joint, thereby enhancing accessibility and reducing maintenance costs. The rotor hub of the rotor assembly is design optimized for securing the snubber assembly in combination therewith and includes a plurality of arms, each arm forming an outboard clevis for attaching the rotor assembly flexbeam to the rotor hub. Inboard of the clevis, each rotor hub arm includes an outboard internal bulkhead having a bolt hole therethrough and an inboard internal bulkhead having a bolt hole therethrough. The inboard and outboard internal bulkheads in combination define a bearing cavity and an internal cavity for securing the snubber assembly in combination with the rotor hub. The snubber assembly includes a spherical self-aligning bearing, a bearing bolt, a locking nut, a snubber bracket secured in combination with the spherical bearing, and securing bolts. The spherical bearing, snubber bracket combination is rotatably mounted within the bearing cavity utilizing the bearing bolt. The bearing bolt is secured in combination with the rotor hub utilizing the locking nut, which is threaded onto the bearing bolt in the internal cavity to jam against the inboard internal bulkhead. The securing bolts are utilized to secure the snubber bracket in combination with the corresponding integrated torque tube/spar member of the rotor assembly.

Snubber assembly for a rotor assembly having ducted, coaxial

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Orange, CT, United States of America

James P Cycon