Rotary Wing Aircraft Blade Tracking

• US 20140145025A1
• Filed: 11/29/2012
• Published: 05/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Lozano, Steven P., Fang, Austin
• Granted Patent: US 9,758,258 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/17.11
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/008 Rotors tracking or balancing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00

Abstract

A blade tracking system for a rotary wing aircraft includes a blade sensor mounted on a blade of the rotary wing aircraft, the blade sensor wirelessly transmitting blade data; a reference sensor mounted to the rotary wing aircraft, the blade driven by the rotor hub, the reference sensor transmitting reference data; and a processor receiving the blade data and the reference data, the processor determining at least one of lead-lag, flap and pitch of the blade in response to the blade data and the reference data.

Claims

1. A blade tracking system for a rotary wing aircraft, the system comprising:

a blade sensor mounted on a blade of the rotary wing aircraft, the blade sensor wirelessly transmitting blade data;

a reference sensor mounted to the rotary wing aircraft, the blade driven by the rotor hub, the reference sensor transmitting reference data; and

a processor receiving the blade data and the reference data, the processor determining at least one of lead-lag, flap and pitch of the blade in response to the blade data and the reference data.

2. The blade tracking system of claim 1 wherein:

the reference sensor wirelessly transmits the reference data.

3. The blade tracking system of claim 1 wherein:

the blade sensor wirelessly transmits raw data as the blade data.

4. The blade tracking system of claim 1 wherein:

the blade sensor wirelessly transmits preprocessed data as the blade data.

5. The blade tracking system of claim 1 wherein:

the at least one of lead-lag, flap and pitch of the blade is determined for a tip of the blade.

6. The blade tracking system of claim 1 wherein:

the blade data indicates blade motion in nine degrees of freedom.

7. The blade tracking system of claim 6 wherein:

the nine degrees of freedom include three axis linear acceleration, three axis angular acceleration, and three axis magnetic motion sensing.

8. The blade tracking system of claim 1 further comprising:

a second blade sensor mounted on a second blade of the rotary wing aircraft, the second blade sensor wirelessly transmitting second blade data.

9. The blade tracking system of claim 8 further comprising:

a tachometer generating a tachometer signal indicative of rotation phasing of a rotor hub.

10. The blade tracking system of claim 9 wherein:

the processor computes a distance between the blade and the second blade in response to the blade data, second blade data, reference data and tachometer signal.

11. A rotary wing aircraft comprising:

an airframe;

a rotor hub;

a rotor blade driven by the rotor hub;

a blade sensor mounted on the blade, the blade sensor wirelessly transmitting blade data;

a reference sensor mounted to the rotary wing aircraft, the reference sensor transmitting reference data; and

a processor receiving the blade data and the reference data, the processor determining at least one of lead-lag, flap and pitch of the blade in response to the blade data and the reference data.

12. The rotary wing aircraft of claim 11 wherein:

the reference sensor wirelessly transmits the reference data.

13. The rotary wing aircraft of claim 11 wherein:

the blade sensor wirelessly transmits raw data as the blade data.

14. The rotary wing aircraft of claim 11 wherein:

the blade sensor wirelessly transmits preprocessed data as the blade data.

15. The rotary wing aircraft of claim 11 wherein:

the at least one of lead-lag, flap and pitch of the blade is determined for a tip of the blade.

16. The rotary wing aircraft of claim 11 wherein:

the blade data indicates blade motion in nine degrees of freedom.

17. The rotary wing aircraft of claim 16 wherein:

the nine degrees of freedom include three axis linear acceleration, three axis angular acceleration, and three axis magnetic motion sensing.

18. The rotary wing aircraft of claim 11 further comprising:

a second blade sensor mounted on a second blade of the rotary wing aircraft, the second blade sensor wirelessly transmitting second blade data.

19. The rotary wing aircraft of claim 18 further comprising:

a tachometer generating a tachometer signal indicative of rotation phasing of a rotor hub.

20. The rotary wing aircraft of claim 19 wherein:

the processor computes a distance between the blade and the second blade in response to the blade data, second blade data, reference data and tachometer signal.