IP Library Granted Patent US 12,617,549
Granted Patent B2
US 12,617,549 · App. 18/229,384 · Granted May 5, 2026

Aircraft engine anomaly detection based on odor, sound, and/or image

Inventors: Stephen A. Witalis (Glastonbury, CT); Ramesh Rajagopalan (Glastonbury, CT)
Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
B64D45/00F02C9/18G01M15/14G07C5/006G07C5/0808F05D2220/323F05D2260/606F05D2270/709
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,617,549
App. No.
18/229,384
Granted
May 5, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Examples described herein provide a method for aircraft engine anomaly detection based on an odor. The method includes receiving data indicative of the odor associated with an aircraft engine of an aircraft. The method further includes analyzing the data to determine whether an anomaly associated with the aircraft has occurred. The method further includes responsive to determining that an anomaly associated with the aircraft has occurred, implementing a corrective action based at least in part on the data.

Claims (32)

1 . A method for aircraft engine anomaly detection based on an odor, the method comprising:

receiving from at least one odor detection sensor data indicative of the odor associated with an aircraft engine of an aircraft, the at least one odor detection sensor configured to sample an airflow through the aircraft engine according to a schedule;

analyzing the data to determine whether an anomaly associated with the aircraft has occurred;

responsive to determining that an anomaly associated with the aircraft has occurred, implementing a corrective action based at least in part on the data; and

updating the schedule based on the data.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the data indicative of the odor is received from a plurality of odor detection sensors.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the data is current data, wherein analyzing the data comprises comparing the current data to historical data, and wherein an anomaly associated with the aircraft is determined to have occurred responsive to a change between the historical data and the current data.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the data comprises comparing the data to a threshold, and wherein an anomaly associated with the aircraft is determined to have occurred responsive to the data exceeding the threshold.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the data comprises classifying the odor using a machine learning model.

6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising training the machine learning model.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the aircraft engine is selected from a group consisting of a gas turbine engine, an electric engine, and a hybrid electric turbine engine.

8 . A full authority digital engine control comprising:

a memory comprising computer readable instructions; and

a processing device for executing the computer readable instructions, the computer readable instructions controlling the processing device to perform operations for aircraft engine anomaly detection based on a sound, the operations comprising:

receiving from at least one sound detection sensor sound data indicative of the sound associated with an aircraft engine of an aircraft, at least one sound detection sensor configured to sample the aircraft engine according to a sound detection schedule;

receiving odor from at least one odor detection sensor data indicative of the odor associated with an aircraft engine of an aircraft, the at least one odor detection sensor configured to sample an airflow through the aircraft engine according to an odor detection schedule;

analyzing the sound data and the odor data to determine whether an anomaly associated with the aircraft has occurred;

responsive to determining that an anomaly associated with the aircraft has occurred, implementing a corrective action based at least in part on the sound data; and

updating the odor detection schedule based on the odor data, and the sound detection schedule based on the sound data.

9 . The full authority digital engine control of claim 8 , wherein the odor data indicative of the odor is received from a plurality of odor detection sensors, and wherein the sound data indicative of the sound is received from a plurality of sound detection sensors.

10 . The full authority digital engine control of claim 8 , wherein analyzing the sound data comprises applying a machine learning model to infer a type of the anomaly.

11 . The full authority digital engine control of claim 8 , wherein the odor data is current odor data, wherein analyzing the odor data comprises comparing the current odor data to historical odor data, wherein an anomaly associated with the aircraft is determined to have occurred responsive to a change between the historical odor data and the current odor data, wherein the sound data is current sound data, wherein analyzing the sound data comprises comparing the current sound data to historical sound data, and wherein an anomaly associated with the aircraft is determined to have occurred responsive to a change between the historical sound data and the current sound data.

12 . The full authority digital engine control of claim 8 , wherein analyzing the odor data comprises comparing the odor data to an odor threshold, wherein analyzing the sound data comprises comparing the sound data to a sound threshold and a known signature sound profile, and wherein an anomaly associated with the aircraft is determined to have occurred responsive to the odor data exceeding the odor threshold and the sound data exceeding the sound threshold.

13 . A non-transitory computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving from at least one odor detection sensor odor data indicative of an odor associated with an aircraft engine of an aircraft and receiving sound data indicative of a sound associated with the aircraft engine, the at least one odor detection sensor configured to sample an airflow through the aircraft engine according to a schedule;

analyzing the odor data or the sound data to determine whether an anomaly associated with the aircraft has occurred;

responsive to determining that an anomaly associated with the aircraft has occurred, receiving image data from an image sensor associated with aircraft;

analyzing the image data to verify the anomaly;

responsive to verifying the anomaly, implementing a corrective action based at least in part on the odor data or the sound data; and

updating the schedule based on the odor data.

14 . The non-transitory computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the anomaly is an electrical fire, and wherein the corrective action is to activate a fire suppression system.

15 . The non-transitory computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the anomaly is volcanic ash being ingested into the aircraft engine, and wherein the corrective action is to open a bleed air port of the aircraft engine.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 3, 2023
From: WITALIS, STEPHEN A.; RAJAGOPALAN, RAMESH
To: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 064477/0447 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 3, 2023
From: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
To: RTX CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 064736/0250 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63395154 · Aug 4, 2022
Related Publication 20240043137A1 · Feb 8, 2024
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