Continuous fuel management system for automatic control of aircraft center of gravity
First Claim
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1. On an aircraft, an onboard active center of gravity control system with continuous fuel transference between fuel tanks, comprising:
- at least one variable flow control element that is fluid-coupled between said fuel tanks, said flow control element capable of providing a variable flow rate of fuel between said fuel tanks; and
an electronic controller coupled to electronically control said at least one flow control element, said electronic controller dynamically controlling said variable flow rate of fuel transfer between said fuel tanks to optimize aircraft center of gravity.
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Abstract
Fuel transference between aircraft fuel tanks, disposed in different locations, is used to maintain the aircraft Center of Gravity close to the aft limit of the certified Center of Gravity versus weight envelope. Continuous fuel transfer decreases the control band thus enhancing aircraft performance.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. On an aircraft, an onboard active center of gravity control system with continuous fuel transference between fuel tanks, comprising:
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at least one variable flow control element that is fluid-coupled between said fuel tanks, said flow control element capable of providing a variable flow rate of fuel between said fuel tanks; and an electronic controller coupled to electronically control said at least one flow control element, said electronic controller dynamically controlling said variable flow rate of fuel transfer between said fuel tanks to optimize aircraft center of gravity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of providing continual transference of fuel between fuel tanks on board an aircraft at a rate commensurate with fuel burn during cruise flight operation, said method comprising:
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sensing at least one flight parameter; estimating current aircraft center of gravity at least in part in response to said sensed flight parameter and stored data; and in response to said estimating, automatically actuating a variable flow element that is fluid-coupled between a main tank and an auxiliary tank to maintain the current aircraft center of gravity within a pre-selected aft center of gravity envelope during flight. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A system for providing continual transference of fuel between fuel tanks on board an aircraft at a rate commensurate with fuel burn during cruise flight operation, said system comprising:
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means for sensing at least one flight parameter; means for estimating current aircraft center of gravity at least in part in response to said sensed flight parameter and stored data; and means responsive to said estimating for automatically actuating a variable flow element between a main tank and an auxiliary tank to shift fuel between the main tank and the auxiliary tank and thereby maintain aircraft center of gravity within a pre-selected aft center of gravity envelope during flight.
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Specification