Patent Publication Number: US-2009240373-A1

Title: Establishing a use cycle using a container condition

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates generally to using container conditions when establishing use cycles for containers, and components held by containers. 
     Containers are known and used for holding various components. Containers hold components during shipping, during storage, etc. Containers protect the components from exposure to environmental elements prior to installing the components within a desired assembly, for example. Environmental conditions often affect components, such as aerospace components. Exposing the aerospace components to some environmental conditions, may undesirably reduce the operating life of the aerospace components within a gas turbine engine assembly, for example. 
     Once removed from the container and used within an assembly for example, components are often assigned a use cycle to facilitate early detection of issues potentially affecting component performance. Typically, when the use cycle expires, the component is reworked, inspected, etc. Use cycles are often based solely on the component&#39;s time in service. Accurately projecting the use cycle is important, at least because reworking and inspecting components is expensive. Many containers also have a use cycle based upon the container&#39;s time in service. Inaccurately projecting the use cycle for a component or a container may result in unnecessary or untimely rework and inspection. 
     SUMMARY 
     An example method of establishing a use cycle using container conditions includes monitoring a container condition and adjusting a use cycle of the container or a component held by the container using the container condition. 
     An example component container assembly includes a container for holding a component and a sensor for monitoring a container condition of the container. The container or the component has a projected use cycle that is adjustable based on the container condition. 
     An example gas turbine engine component container assembly includes a container for holding a gas turbine engine component and a sensor for monitoring at least one container condition of the container or the gas turbine engine component. 
     These and other features of the example disclosure can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description: 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  schematically shows an example gas turbine engine. 
         FIG. 2  shows an example component container assembly. 
         FIG. 3  shows a system incorporating multiple  FIG. 2  component container assemblies. 
         FIG. 4A  shows an example container use cycle. 
         FIG. 4B  shows an example component use cycle. 
         FIG. 5  shows an example of review method used within the component container assembly system of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 6  shows an example predictive method used by the component container assembly system of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       FIG. 1  schematically illustrates an example gas turbine engine  10  including (in serial flow communication) a fan section  14 , a low pressure compressor  18 , a high pressure compressor  22 , a combustor  26 , a high pressure turbine  30 , and a low pressure turbine  34 . The gas turbine engine  10  is circumferentially disposed about an engine centerline X. During operation, the fan section  14  intakes air, the compressors  18 ,  22  pressurize the air. The combustor  26  burns fuel mixed with the pressurized air. The high and low pressure turbines  30 ,  34  extract energy from the combustion gases flowing from the combustor  26 . 
     In a two-spool design, the high pressure turbine  30  utilizes the extracted energy from the hot combustion gases to power the high pressure compressor  22  through a high speed shaft  38 , and a low pressure turbine  34  utilizes the energy extracted from the hot combustion gases to power the low pressure compressor  18  and the fan section  14  through a low speed shaft  42 . The example method is not applied only to components within the two-spool gas turbine architecture described above and may be used with other architectures such as a single spool axial design, a three spool axial design and other architectures. That is, there are various types of gas turbine engine component and components within other systems, many of which could benefit from the examples disclosed herein. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , an example component container assembly  44  includes a container  46  and a sensor  48 . A fixture portion  50  of the container  46  holds at least one component  52 . The example component container assembly  44  holds the component  52  during transport. Other examples include storing the component  52  within the component container assembly  44 . Environmental or other conditions external to the container  46  can affect the component  52 . 
     Referring now to the schematic view of  FIG. 3  with continuing reference to  FIG. 2 , an example container monitoring system  47  includes at least one example sensor  48  for wirelessly broadcasting at least one of a plurality of container conditions  54  to a general purpose computer  56 . The general purpose computer  56  includes various Input/Output devices  58 , such as a keyboard, mouse, and display. A user interacts with the general purpose computer  56  to obtain information about the component container assembly  44 . As shown, more than one component container assembly  44  wirelessly communicates measurement information to the general purpose computer  56 . The example general purpose computer  56  can be used to implement various functionality, such as methods attributable to the monitoring or evaluating the container conditions  54 . 
     In terms of hardware architecture, the general purpose computer  56  can include a processor, memory, and one or more input and/or output (I/O) device interface(s)  58  that are communicatively coupled via a local interface. The local interface can include, for example but not limited to, one or more buses and/or other wired or wireless connections. The local interface may have additional elements, which are omitted for simplicity, such as controllers, buffers (caches), drivers, repeaters, and receivers to enable communications. Further, the local interface may include address, control, and/or data connections to enable appropriate communications among the aforementioned components. 
     The processor may be a hardware device for executing software, particularly software stored in memory. The processor can be a custom made or commercially available processor, a central processing unit (CPU), multicore processor, an auxiliary processor among several processors associated with the computing device, a semiconductor based microprocessor (in the form of a microchip or chip set) or generally any device for executing software instructions. 
     In one example, the general purpose computer  56  records the container conditions  54  for later recall by a user. The memory can include any one or combination of volatile memory elements (e.g., random access memory (RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, VRAM, etc.)) and/or nonvolatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, hard drive, tape, CD-ROM, etc.). Moreover, the memory may incorporate electronic, magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storage media. Note that the memory can also have a distributed architecture, where various components are situated remotely from one another, but can be accessed by the processor. 
     The software in the memory may include one or more separate programs, each of which includes an ordered listing of executable instructions for implementing logical functions. A system component embodied as software may also be construed as a source program, executable program (object code), script, or any other entity comprising a set of instructions to be performed. When constructed as a source program, the program is translated via a compiler, assembler, interpreter, or the like, which may or may not be included within the memory. 
     The Input/Output devices  58  that may be coupled to system I/O Interface(s) may include input devices, for example but not limited to, a keyboard, mouse, scanner, microphone, camera, proximity device, etc. Further, the Input/Output devices may also include output devices, for example but not limited to, a printer, display, etc. Finally, the Input/Output devices may further include devices that communicate both as inputs and outputs, for instance but not limited to, a modulator/demodulator (modem; for accessing another device, system, or network), a radio frequency (RF) or other transceiver, a telephonic interface, a bridge, a router, etc. 
     When the general purpose computer  56  is in operation, the processor can be configured to execute software stored within the memory, to communicate data to and from the memory, and to generally control operations of the computing device pursuant to the software. Software in memory, in whole or in part, is read by the processor, perhaps buffered within the processor, and then executed. 
     The sensor  48  may measure one or more of the container conditions  54  adjacent to or within the container  46 . The example container conditions  54  include, but are not limited to, measurements of the radiation, temperature, salinity, light, vibration, shock, biological contaminant, pressure, and humidity adjacent to or within the container  46  when the container  46  is closed. The example container conditions  54  shown are for illustration purposes. Other examples may include additional container conditions  54  not mentioned here. 
     In this example, the sensor  48  includes a photovoltaic sensor portion  60  for measuring light exposure within the associated container  46 . Another sensor  48  includes a microelectromechanical system sensor portion  62  for measuring biological contaminants within the associated component container assembly  44 . A person skilled in the art and having the benefit of this disclosure would be able to configure the photovoltaic sensor portion  60  and the microelectromechanical system sensor portion  62  within the respective sensor  48  to read the respective container conditions  54 . 
     In addition to the sensor  48  positioned near a perimeter of the container  46 , other portions of the example container assembly  44  monitor container conditions  54 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the fixture  50  may include a shock sensor  63  for measuring shock to the component  52 . Positioning the shock sensor  63  proximate the fixture, instead of near the perimeter of the container  46 , facilitates sensing shock to the component  52 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 4A and 4B  with continuing reference to  FIG. 3 , an example container use cycle  64  begins when the container  46  is manufactured at  66 . The example container use cycle  64  has been simplified for sake of illustration. That is, although the container use cycle  64  shows that the container  46  is used two times for holding and transporting component  52 , many more uses are possible and probable. The container  46  is removed from use and is recycled, for example, when the container use cycle  64  ends at  68 . 
     Formerly, the container conditions  54  were not used when determining the end at  68  of the container use cycle  64 . Instead, the container  46  was removed based on an amount of use or a passage of time. The end at  68  of the example container use cycle  64  can adjust using the container conditions  54 . 
     An example component use cycle  70 , which has been simplified for sake of illustration, begins when the component  52  is held by the container  46  at  72 . The component use cycle  70  includes a time period  74  when the component  52  is held by the container  46 , and a time period  76  when the component  52  is in use. Usage may include operating a fan blade, a type of component  52 , within the fan section  14  of the gas turbine engine  10  ( FIG. 1 ). The component use cycle  70  is removed from use for rework, for example, when the component use cycle  70  ends at  78 . 
     Formerly, the container conditions  54  during the time period  74  were not used when determining the end of the component use cycle at  78 . The example component use cycle  70  utilizes the container conditions  54  obtained when the component  52  was held by the container  46  during time period  74 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5  with continuing reference to  FIG. 4B , an example method  84  for establishing the end at  78  of the component use cycle  70  includes collecting storage information at step  88  and collecting use information at step  92 . In this example, the storage information at step  88  includes the container conditions  54  when the component  20  is held by the container  46  during storage and transport. The use information at step  92  is collected after removing the component  20  from the container  46  during the time period  76 . 
     Using information from step  88  and step  92 , a user establishes the component use cycle  70  at  96 . As an example, the user may collect storage information at step  88  indicating that the component  52  was transported in extreme heat and humidity for several months, which, as known, can weaken the component  52 . The method  84  utilizes this information when establishing the example component use cycle at  96 . The information would result in a shorter use cycle than another use cycle established without this information. The component  52  that was transported in extreme heat and humidity for several months is thus desirably removed for rework sooner than another component  52  that was transported in more desirable conditions. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6  with continuing reference to  FIG. 4B , in another example, an example method  100  monitors at least one of the container conditions  54  at  104 . If the container conditions  54  falls within a range at  108 , the monitoring continues at  104 . If the container condition falls outside of the range at  108 , a user reviews the container  46 , the component  52 , or both at  112 . After review, the method  100  continues to monitor the container conditions  54  at  104 . 
     Utilizing the method  100  alerts the user to the container conditions  54  potentially affecting the component use cycle  70 . The method  100  alerts the user prior to removing the component  52  from the container  46  to facilitate maximizing the component use cycle  70 . For example, the method  100  may alert the user to high humidity levels within the container  46 . As known, extended exposure to high humidity levels can damage the component  52 . The method  100  facilitates the user addressing the high humidity problem by, for example, opening a vent  114  ( FIG. 2 ) to circulate air within the container  46  to decrease the humidity levels. The method  100  alerts the user when the humidity levels fall within the range at  108  so the user can then close the vent  114  after the humidity levels return to an acceptable level. In another example, pressure release valves (not shown) secured to the container  46  facilitate changing the humidity level within the container  46 . A multicore processor within the general purpose computer  56  controls humidity levels by opening and closing the pressure release valves for example. 
     Although a preferred embodiment has been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.