Fault detection methods and systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10551818-B2
Application number	US-201514952516-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2015
Priority date	Nov 25, 2015
Publication date	Feb 4, 2020
Grant date	Feb 4, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure provides methods, systems, and computer-readable media for the fault detection and identification in an aircraft that may occur in real time during a flight, or any time the aircraft is operating. For example, a controller may receive and calculate various parameter values at various times during an aircraft flight, and compare those values to baseline values in order to determine if a fault has occurred. Additionally, the controller may identify a fault that has occurred by comparing a calculated fault signature value with a fault signature database comprising fault signatures and their associated faults.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for fault detection in a single gas turbine engine, comprising:
a controller;
a first engine model and a second engine model in communication with the controller, the first engine model and the second engine model configured to simulate an operational gas turbine engine and produce estimated parameter values;
a performance observer configured to produce tuner values in communication with the controller; and
a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the controller, the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the controller, cause the controller to perform operations comprising:
receiving, by the controller, a first actual parameter value at a first time from a parameter sensor in response to an input value received by the gas turbine engine;
receiving, by the controller, a T 1 first estimated parameter value at a first time from the first engine model based on the input value;
calculating, by the controller, a T 1 first parameter difference based on a difference between the T 1 first estimated parameter value and the first actual parameter value;
reporting, by the controller, the T 1 first parameter difference, in response to the T 1 first parameter difference being not above a predetermined detection threshold, to establish a first parameter difference baseline for the gas turbine engine;
receiving, by the controller, a T 1 second estimated parameter value at the first time from the second engine model based on the input value;
calculating, by the controller, a T 1 second parameter difference based on a difference between the T 1 second estimated parameter value and the first actual parameter value;
receiving, by the controller, a first tuning value from the performance observer based on a magnitude of the T 1 second parameter difference at the first time;
reporting, by the controller, the first tuning value, in response to the first tuning value being not above the predetermined detection threshold, to establish a tuning value baseline for the gas turbine engine;
adjusting, by the controller, the second engine model with the first tuning value;
receiving, by the controller, a second actual parameter value at a second time from the gas turbine engine in response to the input value received by the gas turbine engine;
receiving, by the controller, a T 2 first estimated parameter value at the second time from the first engine model based on the input value;
calculating, by the controller, a T 2 first parameter difference based on a difference between the T 2 first estimated parameter value and the second actual parameter value;
reporting, by the controller, the T 2 first parameter difference, in response to the T 2 first parameter difference being not above the predetermined detection threshold;
receiving, by the controller, a T 2 second estimated parameter value at the second time from the second engine model based on the input value;
calculating, by the controller, a T 2 second parameter difference based on a difference between the T 2 second estimated parameter value and the second actual parameter value;
receiving, by the controller, a second tuning value from the performance observer based on a magnitude of the T 2 second parameter difference;
reporting, by the controller, the second tuning value, in response to the second tuning value being not above the predetermined detection threshold;
adjusting, by the controller, the second engine model with the second tuning value;
making, through the controller, transient comparisons between the T 1 first parameter difference and the T 2 first parameter difference, and transient comparisons between the first tuning value and the second tuning value;
determining, through the controller, whether a fault in the gas turbine engine has occurred based on the transient comparisons determining whether any of the T 1 first parameter difference, the T 2 first parameter difference, the first tuning value, and the second tuning value are persistently above the predetermined detection threshold;
making, through the controller, transient comparisons between the T 1 first parameter difference and the first parameter difference baseline, and between the T 2 first parameter difference and the first parameter difference baseline, and making transient comparisons between the first tuning value and the tuning value baseline, and between the second tuning value and tuning value baseline; and
determining, through the controller, whether a fault in the gas turbine engine has occurred based on the transient comparisons determining whether any of the T 1 first parameter difference, the T 2 first parameter difference, the first tuning value, and the second tuning value are different from the respective first parameter difference baseline and tuning value baseline.

2. The system for fault detection of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise assigning a quality number to each of the first parameter difference and tuning value.

3. The system for fault detection of claim 2 , wherein the quality number is between a value of zero and one.

4. The system for fault detection of claim 2 , wherein the operations further comprise identifying the fault by calculating a first parameter difference fault signature based on a difference between the first parameter difference baseline and a first parameter difference with a highest quality number from the current aircraft flight, and comparing the first parameter difference fault signature to a fault signature database.

5. The system for fault detection of claim 1 , wherein the operations take place in real time during a current aircraft flight and may be repeated during the aircraft flight as many times as desired.

6. A method for fault detection in a single gas turbine engine, comprising:
receiving, by a controller, a first actual parameter value at a first time from a parameter sensor in communication with the controller in response to an input value received by the gas turbine engine;
receiving, by the controller, a T 1 first estimated parameter value at the first time from a first engine model, and a T 1 second estimated parameter value at the first time from a second engine model based on the input value;
calculating, by the controller, a T 1 first parameter difference based on a difference between the T 1 first estimated parameter value and the first actual parameter value, and calculating a T 1 second parameter difference based on a difference between the T 1 second estimated parameter value and the first actual parameter value;
reporting, by the controller, the T 1 first parameter difference, in response to the T 1 first parameter difference being not above a predetermined detection threshold, to establish a first parameter difference baseline for the gas turbine engine;
receiving, by the controller, a first tuning value from a performance observer based on a magnitude of the T 1 second parameter difference;
reporting, by the controller, the first tuning value, in response to the first tuning value being not above the predetermined detection threshold, to establish a tuning value baseline for the gas turbine engine;
adjusting, by the controller, the second engine model with the first tuning value;
receiving, by the controller, a second actual parameter value at a second time from the parameter sensor in response to the input value received by the gas turbine engine;
receiving, by the controller, a T 2 first estimated parameter value at the second time from the first engine model based on the input value, and a T 2 second estimated parameter value at the second time from the second engine model based on the input value;
calculating, by the cont

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Volponi Allan J
• Tang Liang

Classifications

• G05B2219/31356

  Automatic fault detection and isolation · CPC title

• G05B23/0275

  Fault isolation and identification, e.g. classify fault; estimate cause or root of failure · CPC title

• G05B23/0254 Primary

  based on a quantitative model, e.g. mathematical relationships between inputs and outputs; functions: observer, Kalman filter, residual calculation, Neural Networks · CPC title

• G05B17/02

  electric · CPC title

• G05B19/406 Primary

  characterised by monitoring or safety (G05B19/19 takes precedence) · CPC title