STRUCTURAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT WITH ACTIVE CONTROL USING INTEGRATED ELASTICITY MEASUREMENT

• US 20120310449A1
• Filed: 06/06/2011
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Hinnant, Harris O. Jr., Brekke, Darin W., Black, David J. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,880,242 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/16 actuated automatically, e.g. responsive to gust detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0085 Devices for aircraft health monitoring, e.g. monitoring flutter or vibration
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/26 Auxiliary measures taken, or devices used, in connection with the measurement of force, e.g. for preventing influence of transverse components of force, for preventing overload
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0041 by determining deflection or stress
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/00 Measuring acceleration; Measuring deceleration; Measuring shock, i.e. sudden change of acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0066 for limitation of acceleration or stress
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0204 to counteract a sudden perturbation, e.g. cross-wind, gust
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B

Abstract

A system and method for actively controlling a structure is disclosed. At least one non-optimal event is identified in real-time based on at least one real-time elasticity measurement, if an event threshold exceeds a predetermined value. In response to an active control command, a control mechanism is then activated in real-time to compensate for the non-optimal event.

Claims

1. A method for actively controlling a structure comprising:

identifying at least one non-optimal event in real-time based on at least one real-time elasticity measurement, if an event threshold exceeds a predetermined value; and

activating a control mechanism in real-time to compensate for the at least one non-optimal event in response to an active control command.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the structure comprises an aircraft.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one non-optimal event comprises an in-flight operation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the event threshold comprises a Vehicle Structural Health (VSH) threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of activating the control mechanism comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of:

a control surface actuation, a lift surface actuation, a flow control actuation, actuation of shaped memory alloys, actuation via active structural materials, and a propulsive power alteration.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying of the at least one non-optimal event comprises identifying of at least one member selected from the group consisting of:

a wind shear, a vibration, a flutter, a flexure, a linear displacement, an angular displacement, and a structural fatigue.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the event threshold from a threshold database.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising updating the threshold database.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an active control request signal in real-time;

sending the active control request signal in real-time;

receiving the active control request signal in real-time; and

constructing the active control command based on the active control request signal in real-time.

10. A system for actively controlling a structure in real-time, the system comprising:

an event identifier module operable to identify at least one non-optimal event in real-time based on at least one real-time elasticity measurement, if an event threshold exceeds a predetermined value; and

an active control initiation module operable to activate a control mechanism in response to an active control command in real-time to compensate for the non-optimal event.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the structure comprises an aircraft.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the event threshold comprises a Vehicle Structural Health (VSH) threshold.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein activating the control mechanism comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of:

a control surface actuation, a lift surface actuation, a flow control actuation, actuation of shaped memory alloys, actuation via active structural materials, and a propulsive power alteration.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the non-optimal event comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of:

structural stress from wind shear, structural stress from gust, vibration, flutter, flexure, linear displacement, angular displacement, and structural fatigue.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising an elasticity measurements database, a threshold database, and a control laws database.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a processing module operable to update the elasticity measurements database and the threshold database in real-time.

17. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a data analyzer module operable to receive the event threshold from a threshold database;

an active control request generator module operable to generate an active control request signal and send the active control request signal to the controller module in real-time; and

an active control command construction module operable to construct an active control command based on the active control request signal in real-time.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the controller module is further operable to receive the active control request signal in real-time.

19. A flight control method for actively compensating for a non-optimal event in an aircraft structure in-flight, the method comprising:

receiving a Vehicle Structural Health (VSH) threshold from a VSH threshold database in-flight;

identifying at least one non-optimal event in real-time, if the VSH threshold exceeds a predetermined value; and

compensating for the non-optimal event by activating at least one flight control surface in real-time in response to an active control command.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the identifying of the at least one non-optimal event comprises identifying of at least one member selected from the group consisting of:

a stress from wind shear on a lift surface, a stress from a debris impact on a lift surface, a stress from a gust on a lift surface, a vibration, a flutter, a fuselage flexure, an excessive bending of the fuselage, a propulsion system anomaly, an excessive linear displacement, an excessive angular displacement, a structural fatigue, a control surface anomaly, and a lift surface anomaly.