METHOD AND DEVICE FOR REMOTE ENDOSCOPY OF AN AIRCRAFT ENGINE

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for aiding remote-diagnosis in the course of an endoscopy of an aircraft engine, comprising at least one endoscope used in situ by a first operator to capture images of said engine and to perform measurements, and at least one remote terminal used by at least one second operator to analyse said video images and to transmit a diagnosis to the operator.

The device according to the invention further comprises a wireless communication interface allowing the operator to exchange with the expert, in real time and interactively, the images captured and the results of the measurements performed.

Claims

1. Device for aiding remote-diagnosis in the course of an endoscopy of an aircraft engine; comprising at least one endoscope (2) used in situ by a first operator (20) to capture images of said engine and to perform measurements, and at least one remote terminal (10) used by at least one second operator (22) to analyse said images and the results of said measurements in order to establish a diagnosis, the device further comprises a wireless communication interface allowing the first operator (20) to exchange with the second operator (22), in real time and interactively, the images captured and the results of the measurements performed, characterised in that said communication interface comprises a module (6) for the acquisition and automatic conversion of the video images from a data format specific to the endoscope (2) to a data format suitable for processing by a laptop computer (4) and by the remote terminal (10).

2. Device according to claim 1 wherein said communication interface further comprises an audio communication module.

3. Device according to claim 1 further comprising a memory for saving the information and data exchanged between the operator (20) and the second operator (22).

4. Device according to claim 1 wherein the endoscope (2) is connected to a video acquisition and conversion card of a laptop computer (4) suitable for communicating in real time with the remote terminal (10) via a wireless communication network.

5. Method for aiding remote-diagnosis in the course of an endoscopy of an aircraft engine characterised by the following steps: capturing images and performing measurements of the engine by means of an endoscope connected to a laptop computer (4), establishing a wireless connection between the laptop computer (4) and a remote terminal (10), to analyse said images and said measurements and to establish a diagnosis; exchanging in real time and interactively the images captured and the results of the measurements performed between the laptop computer (4) and the remote terminal (10). automatically converting the results of the measurements performed from a data format specific to the endoscope to a data format suitable for processing by the laptop computer (4) and by the remote terminal (10).

6. Computer program stored in memory on a storage medium and including instructions for carrying out the steps of the method when it is executed on a computer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0021] Further features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description hereinafter, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended figures wherein:

[0022] FIG. 1 schematically represents a device according to the invention,

[0023] FIG. 2 schematically represents a use of the device according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PARTICULAR EMBODIMENTS

[0024] The invention also relates to a method for aiding remote-diagnosis in the course of an endoscopy of an aircraft engine carried out by one or a plurality of operators located on an aircraft inspection and testing site and receiving technical advice and decisions provided, by exchange of e-mails, by persons located on multiple remote sites; the exchanges may include text, images or videos, the decisions are made during interactive communications on the basis of this information.

[0025] In known procedures for aiding diagnosis, decision-making involves repeated iterations when there is a misunderstanding between the operators carrying out the tests and the experts analysing the results of these tests. This requires the operators to capture a very large number of images to avoid missing a critical zone of the inspected engine. However, in the field of aviation, for essential safety reasons, the sharing of technical information must be performed unambiguously. For this purpose, the remote experts need to have measurements, images and videos taken according to specific camera angles. Consequently, the experts need to be able to communicate without delay with the operators performing the measurements and capturing the images in order to guide them in the course of the tests. Most of the time, additional information is exchanged by e-mail. Besides the fact that these measurements mobilise staff and equipment for long periods, it may arise that the information received by the experts is not sufficient to enable them to establish a diagnosis.

[0026] FIG. 1 schematically represents a device for aiding remote-diagnosis in the course of an endoscopy of an aircraft engine with an endoscope 2 intended to be used by an operator either at the foot of the aircraft wing or in development, test or maintenance facilities to capture images of the aircraft engine and to perform measurements. The endoscope 2 is connected to a laptop computer 4 via an image acquisition and conversion module 6. In order to exchange in real time the images captured and the results of the measurements between the endoscope 2 and a remote terminal 10, the laptop computer 4 is equipped with a wireless communication interface which provides an Internet connection via an antenna 12 arranged on the facility site.

[0027] With reference to FIG. 2, an operator 20 equipped with an endoscope or a camera 23 (or any image capture equipment equipped with an S-video VGA or composite analogue output) performs an endoscopy on an aircraft engine and transmits in real time the images captured and the results of the measurements to teams of experts 22 located on remote sites. The operator 20 and the experts 22 communicate via the Internet by means of video or image and/or audio sharing software and optionally via a mobile telephony network.

[0028] In operation, the operator 20 or the experts 22 start a collaboration session by logging into the video or image and/or audio sharing software. The operator performs the endoscopic inspection with synchronous exchange with the remote experts who monitor the progression of the operations live and optionally guide, verbally or via a visual interface, the operator in the course of the measurements and image or video capture. At the end of the session, the in situ operator has additional advice on the endoscopy carried out.

[0029] Note that the operator can change the endoscope or image capture equipment to refine the inspection without disrupting the exchanges insofar as the format of the images capture by means of the new equipment is automatically converted by the image acquisition and conversion module 6 into a format suitable for processing by the computer 4 and the terminals 10 of the experts 22.

[0030] If the experts deem the information received to be sufficient to establish a diagnosis, they transmit their diagnosis directly to the operator 20. At the end of the inspection, the shared session is terminated and the data (measurements, photos, video, conversations, etc.) exchanged during the session are stored.

[0031] The device according to the invention offers a hardware and software solution which is based on standardised interfaces and is suitable for all types of endoscopic and camera equipment (and for a single make and a single model) and for all propulsion assembly or component endoscopy or video contexts.