US 12,152,967 B2
Aircraft engine health monitoring system and method
Jan Vana, Prague (CZ)
Assigned to Borealis Technical Limited, (IM)
Filed by Borealis Technical Limited, North Plains, OR (US)
Filed on Nov. 5, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/520,030.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/110,566, filed on Nov. 6, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0146378 A1, May 12, 2022
Int. Cl. G01N 1/22 (2006.01); B64C 25/32 (2006.01); B64C 25/34 (2006.01); B64D 45/04 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 1/2273 (2013.01) [B64C 25/34 (2013.01); B64C 25/405 (2013.01); B64D 45/04 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An on-aircraft system that monitors airport ramp area ground level ambient air to detect components known to adversely affect engine health during electric taxi drive system-powered aircraft ground travel in the airport ramp area and produces real time information relating to the detected components in the airport ramp ground level ambient air, comprising:
a. an aircraft equipped with pilot-controllable landing gear wheel-mounted electric taxi drive systems operable to power aircraft ground movement and drive said equipped aircraft during ground travel within said airport ramp area;
b. one or more ground level visual monitoring assemblies positioned and operable to provide views of said equipped aircraft's ramp ground level environment not visible from a cockpit of said equipped aircraft, each said ground level visual monitoring assembly mounted within a frame having an aerodynamic form attached to a ground facing external surface of said equipped aircraft;
c. at least one detection element mounted cooperatively with each said ground level visual monitoring assembly within said frame, said detection element comprising an ambient air intake end positioned to protrude through said frame in fluid contact with said ramp area ground level ambient air and a sensor end opposite said intake end, said detection element being configured with a channel to direct a flow of said ramp area ground level ambient air through said detection element to a sensor array in said sensor end programmed to detect, in real time, information relating to one or more of said components known to adversely affect engine health present in said ramp area ground level ambient air and to generate real time data from said detected information; and
d. a processor in data transmission connection with said sensor array operable with analytical algorithms to receive and analyze said generated real time data transmitted by said sensor array and to generate real time information relating to said detected known components in said ramp area ground level ambient air.