INTEGRATED AEROELASTICITY MEASUREMENT FOR VEHICLE HEALTH MANAGEMENT

• US 20110313614A1
• Filed: 06/21/2010
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Hinnant, Harris O. Jr., Black, David J., Brekke, Darin W., Castelluccio, Mark A.
• Application Number:
  US12/820,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20110313614A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/33
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0041 by determining deflection or stress
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

Systems and methods for aeroelasticity measurement and vehicle structural health analysis and monitoring are disclosed. In one embodiment, a computer based system to monitor structural integrity of an aircraft comprises a processor and a memory module coupled to the processor and comprising logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed by the processor, configures the processor to receive a plurality of aeroelasticity measurements and associated flight parameters collected in real time during a flight operation, store the plurality of aeroelasticity measurements and associated flight parameters in a persistent storage medium, and generate an alert when one or more aeroelasticity parameters exceeds a threshold. In some embodiments, the system may be implemented in a computing system or as logic instructions recorded on a computer readable medium.

Claims

1. A computer based method to monitor structural integrity of an aircraft, comprising:

receiving, in a processing device aboard the aircraft, a plurality of aeroelasticity measurements and associated flight parameters collected in real time during a flight operation;

storing the plurality of aeroelasticity measurements and associated flight parameters in a memory module; and

generating an alert when one or more aeroelasticity parameters exceeds a threshold.

2. The computer based method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of aeroelasticity measurements and associated flight parameters comprises at least one of:

real-time navigation data associated with the aircraft;

real-time altitude data associated with the aircraft;

real-time weight data associated with the aircraft;

static data such as airplane type, line number, model;

real-time data from a plurality of inertial measurement units on the aircraft.

3. The computer based method of claim 2, further comprising:

preparing an aeroelasticity flight record for the flight operation; and

providing the aeroelasticity flight record to a vehicle health monitoring system remote from the aircraft.

4. The computer based method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving the aeroelasticity flight record in the vehicle health monitoring system; and

processing the aeroelasticity flight record to compile an aeroelasticity database for the aircraft.

5. The computer based method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining, in the vehicle health monitoring system, one or more vehicle structural health thresholds from the aeroelasticity database; and

returning the one or more vehicle structural health thresholds to the processing device aboard the aircraft.

6. The computer based method of claim 1, wherein determining one or more vehicle structural health thresholds comprises applying a stochastic estimation and smoothing algorithm to the aeroelasticity flight record.

7. The computer based method of claim 4, further comprising providing the aeroelasticity flight record to a fleet aeroelasticity monitoring system remote from the aircraft.

8. The computer based method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving the aeroelasticity flight record in the fleet aeroelasticity monitoring system; and

integrating the aeroelasticity flight record into a fleet aeroelasticity database.

9. A computer based system to monitor structural integrity of an aircraft, comprising:

a processor;

a memory module coupled to the processor and comprising logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed by the processor, configures the processor to;

receive a plurality of aeroelasticity measurements and associated flight parameters collected in real time during a flight operation;

store the plurality of aeroelasticity measurements and associated flight parameters in a persistent storage medium; and

generate an alert when one or more aeroelasticity parameters exceeds a threshold.

10. The computer based system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of aeroelasticity measurements and associated flight parameters comprises at least one of:

real-time navigation data associated with the aircraft;

real-time altitude data associated with the aircraft;

real-time weight data associated with the aircraft;

static data such as airplane type, line number, model;

real-time data from a plurality of inertial measurement units on the aircraft.

11. The computer based system of claim 10, wherein the memory module further comprises logic instructions to:

prepare an aeroelasticity flight record for the flight operation; and

provide the aeroelasticity flight record to a vehicle health monitoring system remote from the aircraft.

12. The computer based system of claim 11, wherein the vehicle health monitoring system remote from the aircraft comprises:

a processor;

a memory module coupled to the processor and comprising logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed by the processor, configures the processor to;

receive the aeroelasticity flight record in the vehicle health monitoring system; and

process the aeroelasticity flight record to compile an aeroelasticity database for the aircraft.

13. The computer based system of claim 12, wherein the vehicle health monitoring system remote from the aircraft further comprises logic instructions to:

determine, in the vehicle health monitoring system, one or more vehicle structural health thresholds from the aeroelasticity database; and

return the one or more vehicle structural health thresholds to the processing device aboard the aircraft.

14. The computer based system of claim 13, wherein the vehicle health monitoring system remote from the aircraft further comprises logic instructions to apply a stochastic estimation and smoothing algorithm to the aeroelasticity flight record.

15. The computer based system of claim 13, wherein the vehicle health monitoring system remote from the aircraft further comprises logic instructions to provide the aeroelasticity flight record to a fleet aeroelasticity monitoring system remote from the aircraft.

16. The computer based system of claim 15, wherein the fleet aeroelasticity monitoring system comprises:

a processor; and

a memory module coupled to the processor and comprising logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed by the processor, configures the processor to;

receive the aeroelasticity flight record in the fleet aeroelasticity monitoring system; and

integrate the aeroelasticity flight record into a fleet aeroelasticity database.

24. The system of claim 15, wherein the fleet aeroelasticity monitoring system comprises a third computer program product stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed by a processor, configures the processor to:

receive the aeroelasticity flight record in the fleet aeroelasticity monitoring system; and

integrate the aeroelasticity flight record into a fleet aeroelasticity database.

17. A system to monitor structural health of an aircraft, the system comprising a first computer program product to implement a real-time vehicle structural health monitoring process in an aircraft, the computer program product comprising logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed by a processor, configure the processor to:

receive a plurality of aeroelasticity measurements and associated flight parameters collected in real time during a flight operation of the aircraft;

store the plurality of aeroelasticity measurements and associated flight parameters in a persistent storage medium; and

generate an alert when one or more aeroelasticity parameters exceeds a threshold.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of aeroelasticity measurements and associated flight parameters comprises at least one of:

real-time navigation data associated with the aircraft;

real-time altitude data associated with the aircraft;

real-time weight data associated with the aircraft; and

real-time data from a plurality of inertial measurement units on the aircraft.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the first computer program product further comprises logic instructions which, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to:

prepare an aeroelasticity flight record for the flight operation; and

provide the aeroelasticity flight record to a vehicle health monitoring system remote from the aircraft.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the vehicle health monitoring system remote from the aircraft comprises a second computer program product stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed by a processor, configures the processor to:

receive the aeroelasticity flight record in the vehicle health monitoring system; and

process the aeroelasticity flight record to compile an aeroelasticity database for the aircraft.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the second computer program product stored on a computer readable medium further comprises logic instructions which, when executed by a processor, configure the processor to:

determine, in the vehicle health monitoring system, one or more vehicle structural health thresholds from the aeroelasticity database; and

return the one or more vehicle structural health thresholds to the processing device aboard the aircraft.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the second computer program product stored on a computer readable medium further comprises logic instructions which, when executed by a processor, configure the processor to apply a stochastic estimation and smoothing algorithm to the aeroelasticity flight record.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the second computer program product stored on a computer readable medium further comprises logic instructions to provide the aeroelasticity flight record to a fleet aeroelasticity monitoring system remote from the aircraft.