OBJECT LOCATION AND REPORTING SYSTEM FOR HARSH RF ENVIRONMENTS

• US 20110164657A1
• Filed: 07/13/2010
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Tice, Russell N., Mally, Sujith N., Coffland, Donald W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,294,571 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/130
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 23/14 Arrangement of torque limiters or torque indicators in wrenches or screwdrivers couplings for transmitting rotation or clutches F16D; devices for measuring torque per se G01L
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 23/1425 by electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/10 Manufacturing or assembling aircraft, e.g. jigs therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/01 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0205 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45127 Portable, hand drill

Abstract

A system verifies torquing of pressure fittings in an aircraft wheel well. A strain gauge and an ultra-wide band (UWB) pulse signal generator are placed on a wrench used to torque the fittings. The strain senses the torque applied by the wrench, and the pulse signal generator generates UWB pulse signals indicating the location of the fitting and the torque applied to the fitting. The pulse signals are received by UWB radios within the wheel well, which generate location measurements based on the received pulse signals. A processor automatically calculates the location of the fitting being torqued based on the location measurements, and a display produces a 3-dimensional image of the fittings and their torque status.

Claims

1. A system for locating and reporting at least one condition of each of a plurality of objects within a harsh radio frequency environment, comprising:

a portable, ultra-wideband (UWB) pulse signal generator movable to the location of each of the objects and operative for transmitting UWB pulse signals reporting a condition of the object at the location;

a group of UWB radios within the harsh environment for receiving the transmitted UWB pulse signals from the pulse signal generator and for generating measurements related to the position of the pulse signal generator based on the received UWB pulse signals;

a processor for calculating the three-dimensional position of the pulse signal generator using the measurements generated by the UWB radios; and

,

a system for displaying an image of the object whose condition is being reported by the pulse signal generator, and for displaying the reported condition of the object.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a tool for performing an operation on each of the objects, and

wherein the pulse signal generator is mounted on the tool, and the reported condition is related to the operation performed on the object by the tool.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the tool is a wrench, and

the object is a threaded fitting.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a UWB reference radio for sending calibration signals to each of the UWB radios in the group.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the line-of-sight between the pulse signal transmitter and at last one of the UWB radios in the group thereof is blocked.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system for displaying the image of the object includes a data file representing a three dimensional image of the group of objects.

7. A system for monitoring the use of a tool to complete an operation on each of a plurality of subassemblies in a harsh radio frequency (RF) environment within an aircraft, comprising:

means on the tool for sensing the completion of the operation on a subassembly;

an ultra-wideband (UWB) pulse signal generator coupled with the sensing means for transmitting UWB pulse signals reporting the completion of the operation;

a group of UWB radios within the aircraft for receiving the transmitted UWB pulse signals from the pulse signal generator and for generating measurements related to the position of the pulse signal generator;

means coupled with the group of UWB radios for calculating the three-dimensional position of the tool using the measurements generated by the UWB radios; and

,

display means for displaying an image of the subassembly on which the operation has been completed by the tool.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the tool is a wrench, and

the sensing means is a strain gauge for sensing the torque applied by the wrench to a subassembly.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the UWB radios are spatially distributed within the harsh RF environment, and

the line-of-sight between at least one of the UWB radios and a subassembly is blocked.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the display means includes:

a data file representing a three dimensional view of the plurality of subassemblies, and,

a display for displaying the three dimensional view of the plurality of subassemblies, and the status of the completion of an operation on at least one of the subassemblies.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the calculating means includes:

a data compilation program for compiling the measurements, and

a processor for calculating the three-dimensional position of the tool using the data compilation program.

12. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a receiver for assembling the measurements generated by the UWB radios and for transmitting the assembled measurements to the calculating means.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the number of UWB radios in the group is greater than the minimum number of UWM radios required to generate the measurements using time difference of arrival.

14-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A method of monitoring the use of a tool to complete an operation on subassemblies in a harsh radio frequency (RF) environment within an aircraft, comprising:

transmitting ultra-wide band (UWB) pulse signals from the location of a subassembly indicating an operation has been performed on the subassembly;

receiving the pulse signals at ultra-wide band (UWB) radios within the harsh RF environment;

using the pulsed signals to generate location measurements related to the location of the subassembly from which the pulsed signals are transmitted;

using the location measurements to determine the location of the subassembly from which the pulsed signals are transmitted in a coordinate system of the harsh RF environment; and

,

displaying the subassembly from which the pulsed signals are transmitted within a 3-dimensional image of the harsh RF environment.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

placing a UWB pulse signal generator on the tool for transmitting the pulse signals; and

,

using a sensor on the tool for sensing a condition indicating that the operation has been performed on a subassembly.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

placing the UWB radios in locations within the harsh RF environment such that at least two of the UWB radios are within the line-of-sight of each of the subassemblies.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

using a processor to automatically calculate the location of the subassembly from which the pulse signals are transmitted based on the location measurements.

24. A method of verifying torquing of pressure fittings in an aircraft wheel well, comprising:

placing a strain gauge and an ultra-wide band (UWB) pulse signal generator on a wrench;

using the wrench to torque the fittings;

using the strain gauge to sense the torque applied by the wrench to the fittings;

using the pulse signal generator to generate UWB pulse signals indicating the location of the fitting and the torque applied to the fitting;

receiving the pulse signals at multiple UWB radios within the wheel well;

generating location measurements using the received pulse signals;

automatically calculating the location of the fitting based on the location measurements; and

,

displaying a 3-dimensional image of the fittings and the torque status of the fittings.

25. A system for verifying torquing of pressure fittings within a wheel well of an aircraft, comprising:

a wrench;

a sensor on the wrench for sensing torque applied to a fitting by the wrench;

an ultra-wide band (UWB) pulse signal generator on the wrench and operative for transmitting pulse signals related to the sensed torque;

a plurality of ultra-wide band (UWB) radios within the wheel well, the UWB radios being positioned such that each of the fittings is generally within the line-of-sight of at least two of UWB radios and operative for producing location measurements related to the location of the wrench;

a processor for calculating the position of the wrench within a 3-dimensional coordinate system of the wheel well using the location measurements;

a program used by the processor to generate an image of the fittings including the status of the torquing of the fittings; and

,

a display for displaying the image.