Aircraft fuel conservation system

• US 8,583,463 B1
• Filed: 10/24/2011
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Kalinowski, Robert D., Sundaram, Shankar
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vizvary, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US13/279,821
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/29.3, 701/29.5, 701/30, 701/33, 701/35, 701/123, 705/7.13, 705/7.11, 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing fuel consumption for vehicles. A set of inconsistencies is identified on a number of vehicles in a plurality of vehicles. The set of inconsistencies has an effect on the fuel consumption by the number of vehicles. A predicted fuel consumption is identified for the number of vehicles based on the set of inconsistencies. A determination is made as whether to perform rework on the set of inconsistencies on the number of vehicles based on the predicted fuel consumption for the number of vehicles.

Claims

1. A method of a computer system for managing fuel consumption for vehicles, the method comprising:

identifying a set of inconsistencies on a surface of a vehicle of a number of vehicles, wherein the set of inconsistencies has an effect on the fuel consumption by the number of vehicles;

identifying a predicted fuel consumption for the number of vehicles based on the set of inconsistencies; and

determining whether to perform rework on the set of inconsistencies on the surface of the vehicle of the number of vehicles based on the predicted fuel consumption for the number of vehicles.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

performing the rework on the set of inconsistencies in response to the predicted fuel consumption being greater than a desired fuel consumption for the number of vehicles.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

scheduling a time to perform the rework on the set of inconsistencies in response to a determination to perform the rework on the set of inconsistencies.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein scheduling the time to perform the rework on the set of inconsistencies in response to the determination to perform the rework on the set of inconsistencies comprises:

identifying a first cost to remove the number of vehicles from service;

identifying a second cost of not removing the number of vehicles from service;

comparing the first cost to the second cost to identify a cost to remove the number of vehicles from service to form a comparison; and

scheduling the time to perform the rework on the set of inconsistencies based on the comparison.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to perform the rework on the set of inconsistencies on the number of vehicles based on the predicted fuel consumption for the number of vehicles comprises:

determining whether to perform the rework on the set of inconsistencies on the number of vehicles based on at least one of the predicted fuel consumption for the number of vehicles and an overall fuel consumption predicted for the number of vehicles.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the predicted fuel consumption for the vehicles based on the set of inconsistencies comprises:

identifying a number of routes for the number of vehicles; and

identifying the predicted fuel consumption for the number of vehicles on the number of routes based on the set of inconsistencies.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining whether to perform the rework on the set of inconsistencies based on the predicted fuel consumption of the number of vehicles comprises:

determining whether to perform the rework on the set of inconsistencies based on a profitability of the number of routes for the number of vehicles using the predicted fuel consumption for the number of vehicles on the number of routes.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein identifying the predicted fuel consumption for the number of routes based on the set of inconsistencies comprises:

identifying a distance for a portion of a route in the number of routes for a selected vehicle in the number of vehicles; and

identifying a selected predicted fuel consumption for the portion using the set of inconsistencies and a predicted fuel consumption database for different distances.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the set of inconsistencies on the vehicles, wherein the set of inconsistencies has the effect on the fuel consumption by the vehicles further comprises:

performing an initial inspection of the vehicles for new inconsistencies; and

performing a second inspection to obtain information about the set of inconsistencies in response to an identification of a new inconsistency on the vehicles, wherein the information comprises a group of parameters for identifying the fuel consumption by the vehicles.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second inspection is performed using a sensor system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a vehicle in the number of vehicles is selected from one of an aircraft, a submarine, a spacecraft, a train, a truck, an automobile, a surface ship, and a ground vehicle.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of inconsistencies affects increases an amount of drag on the vehicle and reduces fuel efficiency of the vehicle.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein rework comprises cleaning the vehicle and other operations that increase the fuel efficiency of the vehicle.

12. A method of a computer system for analyzing fuel consumption for a group of vehicles, the method comprising:

identifying a set of inconsistencies on a surface of a vehicle of a number of vehicles in the group of vehicles, wherein the set of inconsistencies has an effect on the fuel consumption by the number of vehicles;

identifying a predicted fuel consumption for the number of vehicles based on the set of inconsistencies and a planned use of the number of vehicles; and

identifying a predicted cost associated with performing rework on the set of inconsistencies on the surface of the vehicle of the number of vehicles based on the predicted fuel consumption and the planned use for the number of vehicles.

13. A computer system for vehicle fuel consumption management comprising:

a vehicle model database; and

a fuel consumption manager configured to;

identify a set of inconsistencies on a surface of a vehicle of a number of vehicles in a plurality of vehicles, wherein the set of inconsistencies has an effect on a fuel consumption by a vehicle;

identify a predicted fuel consumption for the number of vehicles based on the set of inconsistencies using the set of inconsistencies identified and the vehicle model database; and

determine whether to perform rework on the set of inconsistencies on the surface of the vehicle of the number of vehicles based on the predicted fuel consumption of the vehicle.

14. The vehicle fuel consumption management system of claim 13 further comprising:

a sensor system in communication with the fuel consumption manager, wherein the sensor system is configured to generate information about the set of inconsistencies on the number of vehicles.

15. The vehicle fuel consumption management system of claim 14, wherein in being configured to identify the predicted fuel consumption for the number of vehicles based on the set of inconsistencies using the set of inconsistencies identified and the vehicle model database, the fuel consumption manager is configured to identify the predicted fuel consumption for the vehicle based on using the information about the set of inconsistencies generated by the sensor system and the vehicle model database.

16. The vehicle fuel consumption management system of claim 13, wherein in being configured to determine whether to perform the rework on the set of inconsistencies on the number of vehicles based on the predicted fuel consumption for the number of vehicles, the fuel consumption manager is configured to determine whether to perform the rework on the set of inconsistencies on the number of vehicles based on at least one of the predicted fuel consumption for the number of vehicles and an overall fuel consumption predicted for the number of vehicles.

17. The vehicle fuel consumption management system of claim 13, wherein the fuel consumption manager is configured to schedule a time to perform the rework on the set of inconsistencies in response to a determination to perform the rework on the set of inconsistencies.

18. The vehicle fuel consumption management system of claim 17, wherein in being configured to schedule the time to perform the rework on the set of inconsistencies in response to the determination to perform the rework on the set of inconsistencies, the fuel consumption manager is configured to identify a first cost to remove the number of vehicles from service;

identify a second cost of not removing the number of vehicles from service;

compare the first cost to the second cost to identify a cost to remove the number of vehicles from service to form a comparison; and

scheduling the time to perform the rework on the set of inconsistencies based on the comparison.

19. The vehicle fuel consumption management system of claim 13, wherein in being configured to determine whether to perform the rework on the set of inconsistencies based on the predicted fuel consumption of the vehicle, the fuel consumption manager is configured to determine whether to perform the rework on the set of inconsistencies based on a profitability of a number of routes for the number of vehicles using the predicted fuel consumption for the number of vehicles on the number of routes.

20. The vehicle fuel consumption management system of claim 13, wherein the vehicle is selected from one of an aircraft, a submarine, a spacecraft, a train, a truck, an automobile, a surface ship, and a ground vehicle.