Aircraft vehicular propulsion system monitoring device and method
First Claim
1. V/STOL fixed wing aircraft, said aircraft comprising an engine and a lift fan, said engine coupled to said lift fan with at least one drive shaft and at least one flexible coupling, said flexible coupling comprised of a first coupling hub member including a magnetic property target and a second coupling hub member including a magnetic property target, said first coupling hub member flexibly coupled to said second coupling hub member, said flexible coupling providing for a mechanical transfer of motive power from said engine to said lift fan, a flexible coupling sensor rigid collar misalignment measuring system encompassing said flexible coupling, said flexible coupling sensor rigid collar comprised of a first magnetostrictive sensor having a longitudinal magnetostrictive waveguide body length, a second magnetostrictive sensor having a longitudinal magnetostrictive waveguide body length, and a third magnetostrictive sensor having a longitudinal magnetostrictive waveguide body length, said first magnetostrictive sensor, said second magnetostrictive sensor, and said third magnetostrictive sensor rigidly fixed around said collar with said first magnetostrictive sensor longitudinal magnetostrictive waveguide body length extending over both of said first coupling hub member and said second coupling hub member, said second magnetostrictive sensor longitudinal magnetostrictive waveguide body length extending over both of said first coupling hub member and said second coupling hub member, and said third magnetostrictive sensor longitudinal magnetostrictive waveguide body length extending over both of said first coupling hub member and said second coupling hub member, said first magnetostrictive sensor fixed a first fixed angular distance from said second magnetostrictive sensor, said third magnetostrictive sensor fixed a second fixed angular distance from said second magnetostrictive sensor, wherein said flexible coupling sensor rigid collar misalignment measuring system magnetostrictive sensors magnetically monitor a position of said first coupling hub member and a position of said second coupling hub member to provide a misalignment measurement of said flexible coupling which relates to a performance of said coupling in said V/STOL fixed wing aircraft.
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Abstract
Methods and systems for monitoring rotating shaft shafts and couplings in an aircraft propulsion system is described. The measurement system/method provides for accurate and precise monitoring of a rotating shaft flexible coupling in a fixed wing aircraft vehicle propulsion system. The measuring system/method provides for a high reliability short take off vertical landing fixed wing aircraft in which the vertical propulsion dynamically rotating drive shaft system and couplings are monitored in real time. The vehicular shaft coupling misalignment measuring system utilizes multiple positional sensors to provide highly reliable and precise determination of the dynamic characteristics of the rotating sensor target components of the propulsion system drive shaft. The relative position of the sensors is rigidly fixed externally from the rotating targets with a structural frame. The collar misalignment measuring system of the invention provide a misalignment measurement of the propulsion system drive shaft flexible coupling which relates to a critical performance of rotating shaft coupling in the operation of an aircraft vehicle. The method/system provides for monitoring a rotating drive shaft system and dynamically measuring a rotating drive shaft coupling in a fixed wing aircraft propulsion system.
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Citations
25 Claims
- 1. V/STOL fixed wing aircraft, said aircraft comprising an engine and a lift fan, said engine coupled to said lift fan with at least one drive shaft and at least one flexible coupling, said flexible coupling comprised of a first coupling hub member including a magnetic property target and a second coupling hub member including a magnetic property target, said first coupling hub member flexibly coupled to said second coupling hub member, said flexible coupling providing for a mechanical transfer of motive power from said engine to said lift fan, a flexible coupling sensor rigid collar misalignment measuring system encompassing said flexible coupling, said flexible coupling sensor rigid collar comprised of a first magnetostrictive sensor having a longitudinal magnetostrictive waveguide body length, a second magnetostrictive sensor having a longitudinal magnetostrictive waveguide body length, and a third magnetostrictive sensor having a longitudinal magnetostrictive waveguide body length, said first magnetostrictive sensor, said second magnetostrictive sensor, and said third magnetostrictive sensor rigidly fixed around said collar with said first magnetostrictive sensor longitudinal magnetostrictive waveguide body length extending over both of said first coupling hub member and said second coupling hub member, said second magnetostrictive sensor longitudinal magnetostrictive waveguide body length extending over both of said first coupling hub member and said second coupling hub member, and said third magnetostrictive sensor longitudinal magnetostrictive waveguide body length extending over both of said first coupling hub member and said second coupling hub member, said first magnetostrictive sensor fixed a first fixed angular distance from said second magnetostrictive sensor, said third magnetostrictive sensor fixed a second fixed angular distance from said second magnetostrictive sensor, wherein said flexible coupling sensor rigid collar misalignment measuring system magnetostrictive sensors magnetically monitor a position of said first coupling hub member and a position of said second coupling hub member to provide a misalignment measurement of said flexible coupling which relates to a performance of said coupling in said V/STOL fixed wing aircraft.
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7. A vehicle propulsion system, said propulsion system comprising an engine and a propeller, said engine coupled to said propeller with a drive shaft and a flexible coupling, said flexible coupling comprised of a first coupling hub member and a second coupling hub member, said first coupling hub member flexibly coupled to said second coupling hub member, said flexible coupling providing for a mechanical transfer of motive power from said engine to said propeller, a flexible coupling sensor rigid collar measurement system encompassing said flexible coupling, said flexible coupling sensor rigid collar measurement system comprised of a first longitudinal body length sensor, a second longitudinal body length sensor, and a third longitudinal body length sensor, said first longitudinal body length sensor, said second longitudinal body length sensor, and said third longitudinal body length sensor spaced and rigidly fixed around said collar with said first longitudinal body length sensor, said second longitudinal body length sensor, and said third longitudinal body length sensor extending over said first coupling hub member and said second coupling hub member wherein said sensor rigid collar system monitors said flexible coupling and provides for a noncontact measuring of a plurality of positional characteristics of said first coupling hub member and said second coupling hub member which relate to said transfer of motive power.
- 8. A method of monitoring a vehicular propulsion system drive shaft flexible coupling, said method comprising providing a vehicular propulsion system drive shaft flexible coupling with a first coupling hub member with a sensor target and a second coupling hub member with a sensor target, providing a flexible coupling sensor rigid collar measurement system with a first sensor having a longitudinal body, a second sensor having a longitudinal body, and a third sensor having a longitudinal body, encompassing said first coupling hub member sensor target and said second coupling hub member sensor target with said flexible coupling sensor rigid collar measurement system while inhibiting a physical contact between said flexible coupling sensor rigid collar measurement system and said vehicular propulsion system drive shaft flexible coupling, with said first sensor longitudinal body, said second sensor longitudinal body, and said third sensor longitudinal body angularly spaced around and externally extending over said flexible coupling, noncontactingly measuring a plurality of positional characteristics of said first coupling hub member and said second coupling hub member to monitor a performance of said vehicular propulsion system drive shaft flexible coupling which relates to a transfer of motive power through said vehicular propulsion system drive shaft flexible coupling.
- 14. A method of monitoring a drive shaft coupling, said method comprising providing a drive shaft coupling with a first coupling hub member with a sensor target and a second coupling hub member with a sensor target, providing a coupling sensor rigid collar measurement system with a first longitudinal sensor, a second longitudinal sensor, and a third longitudinal sensor, encompassing said first coupling hub member sensor target and said second coupling hub member sensor target with said coupling sensor rigid collar measurement system while inhibiting a physical contact between said coupling sensor rigid collar measurement system and said drive shaft coupling, with said first longitudinal sensor, said second longitudinal sensor, and said third longitudinal sensor longitudinal extending over and angularly spaced around said coupling, noncontactingly measuring a plurality of positional characteristics of said first coupling hub member and said second coupling hub member to monitor a performance of said drive shaft coupling which relates to a transfer of motive power through said drive shaft coupling.
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21. A method of monitoring a shaft system with rotating members, said method comprising providing a shaft system with a first rotating member with a sensor target and a second rotating member with a sensor target, providing a sensor rigid collar measurement system with a first longitudinal sensor, a second longitudinal sensor, and a third longitudinal sensor, encompassing said first rotating member sensor target and said second rotating member sensor target with said sensor rigid collar measurement system while inhibiting a physical contact between said collar measurement system and said rotating members, with said first longitudinal sensor, said second longitudinal sensor, and said third longitudinal sensor longitudinally extending over and angularly spaced around said first rotating member and said second rotating member, noncontactingly measuring a plurality of rotating positional characteristics of said first rotating member and said second rotating member to monitor a performance of said shaft system, providing for a correction change in said shaft system when a measured rotating positional characteristic performance of said shaft system exceeds a measured rotating positional characteristic performance limitation.
- 22. A shaft coupling measurement system for noncontactingly monitoring a coupling, said coupling comprised of a first coupling hub member including a target and a second coupling hub member including a target, said first coupling hub member coupled to said second coupling hub member, a coupling sensor rigid collar misalignment measuring system encompassing said coupling, said coupling sensor rigid collar comprised of a first longitudinal sensor, a second longitudinal sensor, and a third longitudinal sensor, said first longitudinal sensor, said second longitudinal sensor, and said third longitudinal sensor rigidly fixed around said collar, said first longitudinal sensor fixed a first fixed angular distance from said second longitudinal sensor, said third longitudinal sensor fixed a second fixed angular distance from said second longitudinal sensor, said longitudinal sensors longitudinally extending over said first and second coupling hub member targets wherein said coupling sensor rigid collar misalignment measuring system longitudinally extending sensors noncontactingly monitor a position of said first coupling hub member and a position of said second coupling hub member to provide a misalignment measurement of said coupling which relates to a performance of said coupling.
Specification