SYSTEM FOR MAINTAINING AN AIRCRAFT TURBINE ENGINE

Abstract

System for maintaining a turbine engine comprising said turbine engine of an aircraft comprising: an oil reservoir, a sensor able to measure an oil level in the oil reservoir, a transmission device, such as electrical wires, wireless transmitter circuit, etc., for transmitting a signal coupled to said sensor in order to transmit information relating to an oil level measured by said sensor, communication means, such as a display or a near field communications circuit coupled to said transmission devices, for communicating to the outside of the aircraft information representing an oil level measured by said sensor. The maintenance system further comprises a mobile apparatus able to communicate with said communication means and comprising a display for displaying said information representing an oil level to an operator situated on the ground outside the aircraft.

Claims

1. System for maintenance of a turbine engine of an aircraft comprising: a turbine engine further comprising: an oil reservoir; a sensor able to measure an oil level in the oil reservoir; and a transmitter configured for transmitting a signal coupled to said sensor in order to transmit information relating to an oil level measured by said sensor; wherein said turbine engine comprises communication means, coupled to said transmitter, for communicating to the outside of the aircraft information representing an oil level measured by said sensor; and wherein said maintenance system comprises a mobile apparatus able to communicate with said communication means and comprising a display configured for displaying said information representing an oil level communicated by said communication means to an operator situated on the ground outside the aircraft.

2. The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein said communication means are able to communicate information representing an oil level measured by said sensor within a radius of no more than ten meters around said turbine engine.

3. The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein said display of said mobile apparatus comprises an LED or LCD screen.

4. The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein said display is configured to display said information permanently.

5. The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein said mobile apparatus comprises a control coupled to said display, configured to control the display of said information.

6. The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein said communication means comprise near-field communication means.

7. The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein said communication means comprise an RFID chip.

8. The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein said mobile apparatus is within a maximum radius of ten meters around said turbine engine.

9. The maintenance system of claim 1, further comprising processing means for processing a signal transmitted by the transmitter and estimation means able to estimate a requirement for filling said oil reservoir from the information transmitted by the transmitter.

10. The maintenance system of claim 9, wherein said processing and estimation means are incorporated in said mobile apparatus.

11. The maintenance system of claim 1, further comprising recording and storage means coupled to said transmitter for recording information relating to oil levels measured by said sensor.

12. Method for maintaining a turbine engine of an aircraft on the ground and comprising: providing a turbine engine further comprising: an oil reservoir; a sensor able to measure an oil level in the oil reservoir; a transmitter for transmitting a signal coupled to said sensor in order to transmit information relating to an oil level measured by said sensor; and communication means, coupled to said transmitter, for communicating to the outside of the aircraft information representing an oil level measured by said sensor; providing, in the vicinity of said turbine engine, a mobile apparatus able to communicate with said communication means and comprising a display for displaying information representing an oil level communicated by said communication means; reading, outside the aircraft, said information communicated by the communication means by viewing a display on said mobile apparatus; and deducing a fill level of said oil reservoir from said reading.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising processing, by said mobile apparatus, the information communicated by said communication means.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said mobile apparatus is provided within a maximum radius of ten meters around said turbine engine.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of the disclosed subject matter will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0043] FIG. 1 shows an aircraft having four turbine engines; and

[0044] FIG. 2 schematically shows a possible example of the turbine engine according to the disclosure.

[0045] The drawings in the figures are not to scale. The presence of reference numerals in the drawings cannot be considered to be limiting, including when these numerals are indicated in the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] FIG. 1 shows an aeroplane, for example an aircraft 2, having four turbine engines 1. An aircraft 2 generally comprises an even number of turbine engines 1, for example two or four. The term turbine engine 1 is known to persons skilled in the art. It may for example be a turbojet engine or a turboprop engine. A turbine engine 1 generally comprises various parts, such as a fan, one or more compressors, a cooling circuit, a combustion chamber and one or more turbines.

[0047] FIG. 2 schematically shows a turbine engine 1, a mobile apparatus 50 and an operator. The turbine engine comprises one or more oil reservoirs 3 for providing the lubrication of various components. The oil reservoir 3 comprises an inlet 20 for providing oil thereto. The turbine engine 1 also comprises a sensor 4 for measuring an oil level in the oil reservoir 3. Various types of sensors known to persons skilled in the art can be used. A sensor 4 used to send information relating to an oil level to a system of the FADEC type (the interface between the cockpit and the turbine engine 1) can for example be used. This example is illustrated in FIG. 2, where electrical connections 10 make it possible to send an oil-level measurement made by the sensor 4 to the FADEC system. According to another possible variant, the turbine engine 1 comprises a specific level sensor 4, independent of a sensor that would be used for sending oil-level information to the FADEC system or to the cockpit.

[0048] A transmitter or transmission means 5 are coupled to the sensor 4 in order to transmit information relating to an oil level measured by the sensor 4. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the transmission means 5 or transmitter may, for example, be electrical wires connected to the electrical connections 10 used for relaying oil-level information to the FADEC system. This is for example the case when the level sensor 4 is also used for informing the FADEC system or a cockpit on the oil level of an oil reservoir 3. Other methodologies for transmitting information relating to oil level may be practiced with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0049] The system for maintaining a turbine engine 1 also comprises communication means 6, coupled to the transmission means 5, for communicating to the outside of the aircraft 2 (to the outside of the cabin of the aircraft 2 more precisely) information representing an oil level measured by said sensor 4. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the communication means 6 make it possible to communicate with a mobile apparatus 50 situated outside the turbine engine. The mobile apparatus 50 comprises display means such as a screen, for example of the LCD or LED type.

[0050] Display means may for example be situated on an external surface of the oil reservoir 3 or on a nacelle of the turbine engine 1, for example in the vicinity of a service hatch (in the latter case it is not necessary to open said service hatch to view the information given by the display means). Such display means can be configured to display information relating to an oil level in a continuous or non-continuous manner. If the display means are situated on an external surface of the oil reservoir and comprise control means for example, a capacitor could be charged when pressing on the control means to activate the display.

[0051] The mobile apparatus 50 in some embodiments comprises control means coupled to the display means for controlling whether or not information relating to an oil level of the oil reservoir 3 is displayed. For example, the control means comprise a control button or switch that can be activated by an operator in order to determine an oil level measured by the sensor 4. The oil level measured by the sensor 4 is transmitted to the mobile apparatus 50 by virtue of the transmission 5 and communication means 6 of the turbine engine. Such a control button could also be used to validate the fact that the oil reservoir 3 has been filled. The use of display means also makes it possible to indicate that an operation of filling an oil reservoir 3 has been performed. This also facilitates and shortens the procedure for filling an oil reservoir 3 of a turbine engine 1.

[0052] According to another possible embodiment, the communication means 6 comprise an RFID chip or near-field communication means in order to be able to communicate with a mobile apparatus 50 for example. Other wireless or wired examples or protocols are possible in order to be able to communicate with a mobile apparatus 50, including, but not limited to, Bluetooth, infrared, and Wi-Fi protocols.

[0053] The system for maintaining a turbine engine 1 may also comprise processing means for processing a signal transmitted by the transmission means 5. It is then possible to supply quantities other than an oil level to an operator. By virtue of these processing means, it is possible for example to display a need to fill an oil reservoir 3. Such a need can be identified on the basis of measurements during previous flights, calculations (consumption of previous flights for example) or recorded data (typical tasks, predefined margins) for example. The processing means can be hardware, software, or combinations of hardware and software. In some embodiments, the processing means can include logic circuits, processors, microprocessors, controllers, etc.

[0054] A procedure is therefore provided for maintaining a turbine engine 1 on the ground where, by virtue of the communication means 6, an operator will be able to read, on the ground, with a mobile apparatus 50, information relating to an oil level measured by the sensor 4. When the communication means 6 comprise display means (for example, a display, an LED or LCD screen, etc.), the reading is direct. When the communication means 6 is or comprises near-field communication means or an RFID chip, the reading is indirect and performed with a mobile apparatus 50. The operator then typically uses a mobile apparatus 50 or a box or reader that can read the information communicated by the communication means 6. This mobile apparatus 50 comprises display means such as a screen on which information relating to an oil level measured by the sensor 4 is displayed.

[0055] Reading the information communicated by the communication means 6 (directly or indirectly) makes it possible to deduce a filling state of the oil reservoir 3.

[0056] In the context of the present disclosure, the oil reservoir 3, the sensor 4, the transmission means 5 and the communication means 6 are described as belonging to the turbine engine 1. This wording cannot be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0057] Aspects of the present disclosure have been described in relation to specific embodiments, which have a purely illustrative value and must not be considered to be limiting. In general terms, aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to the examples illustrated and/or described above. The use of the verbs comprise, include, have or any other variant, as well as conjugations thereof, can in no way exclude the presence of elements other than those mentioned. The use of the indefinite article a or an, or of the definite article the, to introduce an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of these elements. The reference numerals in the claims do not limit their scope.

[0058] Systems are provided for maintaining a turbine engine 1 of an aircraft 2, comprising: an oil reservoir 3, a sensor 4 able to measure an oil level in the oil reservoir 3, transmission means 5 for transmitting a signal coupled to said sensor 4 in order to transmit information relating to an oil level measured by said sensor 4, communication means 6, coupled to said transmission means 5 for communicating to the outside of the aircraft 2 information representing an oil level measured by said sensor to a mobile apparatus 50 able to communicate with the communication means 6, the mobile apparatus 50 comprising display means for displaying information representing an oil level communicated by the communication means 6 to an operator situated on the ground outside the aircraft 2.

[0059] Thus these systems make it possible to obtain, in the vicinity of a turbine engine 1 at rest, information relating to an oil level in an oil reservoir 3. Structurally speaking, the system is distinguished from the prior art at least by the fact that the display of information relating to an oil level in an oil reservoir 3 takes place on or in the vicinity of the oil reservoir 3. For this purpose, the oil reservoir 3 or the turbine engine 1 is equipped with communication means 6 so that an operator can have access to the oil level either directly or by means of a mobile apparatus 50 that would be passed close to these communication means 6 (of the RFID type for example).

[0060] While illustrative embodiments have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter.