AIRCRAFT HEALTH MONITORING AND DESIGN FOR CONDITION
First Claim
1. A monitor system for determining a residual strength of an aircraft, the aircraft comprising a plurality of panels, and the system comprising:
- a plurality of sensors mounted on a first panel; and
a microprocessor in communication with each of the plurality of sensors,wherein each of the plurality of sensors is configured to detect time domain data, frequency domain data, and energy domain data, and to transmit the detected data to the microprocessor, andwherein the microprocessor is configured to process the detected data and, when the first panel has been damaged, to use the processed data to determine an approximate size of the damage and an approximate location of the damage, and to use the determinations to determine an aircraft residual strength and a flight loading for which the determined aircraft residual strength allows.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for automatically varying the flight envelope of an aircraft based upon the material health of the aircraft and the flight environment is provided. The system includes a plurality of structural health monitoring and load sensors that determine the approximate size and the approximate location of the damage. The system performs residual strength calculations for individual aircraft components to determine the overall aircraft residual strength. The system uses these calculations to determine a maximum flight envelope based on the overall aircraft residual strength, and transmits this information to the flight controller and optionally to the pilot.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A monitor system for determining a residual strength of an aircraft, the aircraft comprising a plurality of panels, and the system comprising:
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a plurality of sensors mounted on a first panel; and a microprocessor in communication with each of the plurality of sensors, wherein each of the plurality of sensors is configured to detect time domain data, frequency domain data, and energy domain data, and to transmit the detected data to the microprocessor, and wherein the microprocessor is configured to process the detected data and, when the first panel has been damaged, to use the processed data to determine an approximate size of the damage and an approximate location of the damage, and to use the determinations to determine an aircraft residual strength and a flight loading for which the determined aircraft residual strength allows. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for determining a residual strength of an aircraft, the aircraft comprising a plurality of panels, each of the plurality of panels having a plurality of sensors mounted thereon, and the method comprising the steps of:
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using each of the plurality of sensors to detect time domain data, frequency domain data, and energy domain data; transmitting the detected data to a microprocessor; using the microprocessor to process the detected data; and when a panel has been damaged, using the processed data to determine an approximate size of the damage and an approximate location of the damage, and using the determinations to determine an aircraft residual strength and a flight loading for which the determined aircraft residual strength allows. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification