Fuel leak estimator
First Claim
1. A method of detecting a fuel leak from a fuel store, the method comprising the steps of:
- (i) receiving at a circuit signals representative of physical measurements made at a plurality of successive times of the amount of fuel in the fuel store of an aircraft and of the rate of fuel flowing from the fuel store, the measurements each being subject to noise,(ii) the circuit defining, in state-space, a fuel flow system state, the fuel flow state of the system being defined by a set of variables including at least one variable relating to a quantity represented by the signals received in step (i) and a variable relating to fuel leakage from the fuel source,(iii) the circuit ascertaining a new fuel flow state of the system in view of a previously ascertained fuel flow state of the system and a plurality of the measurements represented by the signals received in step (i),(iv) the circuit identifying from the new fuel flow state of the system whether there might be a fuel leakage, and, when a fuel leakage is determined,(v) causing an indication that there is a suspected fuel leak to be made.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of detecting a fuel leak from a fuel store of an aircraft where a processor receives inputs relating to the amount of fuel in the fuel store and to the rate of fuel used by the aircraft. The processor defines a fuel flow system state defined by a noise-compensated measures of the amount of fuel in the fuel store, a fuel leak amount estimate and a fuel leak rate estimate. The processor periodically calculates a new estimated state of the system in view of a previous estimated state and values of the inputs. The processor monitors the fuel leak amount estimate and the fuel leak rate estimate and if either exceeds a respective threshold value send a signal to a fuel leak warning device.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of detecting a fuel leak from a fuel store, the method comprising the steps of:
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(i) receiving at a circuit signals representative of physical measurements made at a plurality of successive times of the amount of fuel in the fuel store of an aircraft and of the rate of fuel flowing from the fuel store, the measurements each being subject to noise, (ii) the circuit defining, in state-space, a fuel flow system state, the fuel flow state of the system being defined by a set of variables including at least one variable relating to a quantity represented by the signals received in step (i) and a variable relating to fuel leakage from the fuel source, (iii) the circuit ascertaining a new fuel flow state of the system in view of a previously ascertained fuel flow state of the system and a plurality of the measurements represented by the signals received in step (i), (iv) the circuit identifying from the new fuel flow state of the system whether there might be a fuel leakage, and, when a fuel leakage is determined, (v) causing an indication that there is a suspected fuel leak to be made. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A circuit for detecting a fuel leak from a fuel store, the circuit comprising:
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(i) an input device connected to receive signals representative of physical measurements of the amount of fuel in the fuel store of an aircraft and of the rate of fuel flowing from the fuel store, (ii) a memory adapted to store data representative of a fuel flow system state, in state-space, the fuel flow state of the system being defined by a set of variables including at least one variable relating to a quantity represented by the signals received at the input device, and a variable relating to fuel leakage from the fuel source, (iii) a processor adapted to calculate a new fuel flow state of the system in view of a previously calculated fuel flow state of the system and a plurality of the measurements represented by the signals received at the input device and adapted to identify from the new fuel flow state of the system calculated by the processor whether there might be a fuel leak and (iv) an output device connected to the processor adapted to output a signal to indicate that there is a suspected fuel leak in dependence on the calculations performed by the processor. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification