Object location and reporting system for harsh RF environments

• US 7,876,216 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2008
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Tice, Russell N., Mally, Sujith N., Coffland, Donald W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Hung T.
• Application Number:
  US12/145,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20090322516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 340/680, 340/539.1, 340/539.13, 340/539.21, 340/539.23, 340/825.49, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 700/108, 700/114, 738/622.1, 738/622.3, 814/69, 814/79, 702/41, 702/150
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 23/14 Arrangement of torque limiters or torque indicators in wrenches or screwdrivers couplings for transmitting rotation or clutches F16D; devices for measuring torque per se G01L
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 23/1425 by electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/10 Manufacturing or assembling aircraft, e.g. jigs therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/01 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0205 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45127 Portable, hand drill

Abstract

A system verifies torquing of pressure fittings in an aircraft wheel well. A strain gauge and an ultra-wide band (UWB) pulse signal generator are placed on a wrench used to torque the fittings. The strain senses the torque applied by the wrench, and the pulse signal generator generates UWB pulse signals indicating the location of the fitting and the torque applied to the fitting. The pulse signals are received by UWB radios within the wheel well, which generate location measurements based on the received pulse signals. A processor automatically calculates the location of the fitting being torqued based on the location measurements, and a display produces a 3-dimensional image of the fittings and their torque status.

Claims

1. A method of acquiring data relating to each of a plurality of objects located within a harsh radio frequency (RF) environment, comprising:

moving a sensor to the location of each of the objects;

sensing data at the object;

transmitting the sensed data from the location of the object using ultra-wideband (UWB) pulse signals;

receiving the UWB pulse signals at multiple positions within the harsh environment;

using the received UWB pulse signals to generate location measurements related to the location of the object from which the sensed data was transmitted;

using the location measurements to determine the location of the object in a first coordinate system; and

,

displaying an image of the object from which the sensed data was transmitted in a second coordinate system are processed/controlled by a processor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first coordinate system is a coordinate system within the harsh RF environment, and

displaying the image of the object includes displaying a 3-dimensional image of the objects in the harsh RF environment from a graphics file, and wherein the second coordinate system is in the 3-dimensional image of the objects.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

placing the sensor on a tool; and

performing an operation on the objects using the tool,

wherein the sensed data relates to the operation performed on the objects.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the tool is a wrench,

the sensor is a strain gauge, and

the sensed data relates to torque applied by to the object by the wrench.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein generating the location measurements includes:

measuring the angle of arrival and the time difference of arrival of the pulse signals at each of the multiple locations.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the pulse signals are received by UWB radios respectively positioned at the multiple locations, and the method further comprises:

compensating for bias in the measurements resulting from the delivery of the pulsed signals to one of the UWB radios being blocked.