Monitoring systems and methods for aircraft landing gear

• US 8,818,739 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2011
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Zakrzewski, Radoslaw R., Lynch, Michael A., Fusare, Scott T., Hicks, Brandon, Baird, Bradley W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Bryan
• Application Number:
  US13/273,999
• Publication Number:
  US 20120095703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 702/42
• US Class Current: 702/42
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 25/00 Alighting gear air-cushion alighting gear B60V3/08
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/008 Devices for detecting or indicating hard landing
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0005 Devices specially adapted to indicate the position of a movable element of the aircraft, e.g. landing gear
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0221 Preprocessing measurements, e.g. data collection rate adjustment; Standardization of measurements; Time series or signal analysis, e.g. frequency analysis or wavelets; Trustworthiness of measurements; Indexes therefor; Measurements using easily measured parameters to estimate parameters difficult to measure; Virtual sensor creation; De-noising; Sensor fusion; Unconventional preprocessing inherently present in specific fault detection methods like PCA-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/50 On board measures aiming to increase energy efficiency

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring loads applied to aircraft landing gear structure. The method includes the step of interrogating at least one sensor positioned proximate the landing gear structure by way of data acquisition circuitry to yield strain data. The method further includes the step of instructing the data acquisition circuitry with respect to a sampling rate and data resolution for interrogation.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for on-ground monitoring of loads applied to an aircraft'"'"'s landing gear structure, comprising:

a) one or more sensors positioned proximate the landing gear so as to be able to measure strain in the landing gear structure;

b) a sensor control unit in communication with the one or more sensors and positioned proximate the landing gear, the sensor control unit including;

i) data acquisition circuitry for interrogating the one or more sensors so as to acquire strain data therefrom;

ii) a first processor in communication with the data acquisition circuitry; and

iii) a memory module in communication with the processor for storing strain data;

c) a data concentrator unit in communication with the sensor control unit to process strain data received from the sensor control unit to yield overload condition data, the data concentrator unit including;

i) a second processor for processing the strain data received from the sensor control unit to yield overload condition data; and

ii) a memory module in communication with the second processor for storing overload condition data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor control unit is configured to increase a sampling rate of the data acquisition circuitry when the strain data exceeds a predetermined threshold.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the sensor control unit is configured to select the predetermined threshold from a group consisting of positive strain threshold, negative strain threshold, and rate of change threshold.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor control unit is configured to increase a data resolution of the data acquisition circuitry when the strain data exceeds a predetermined threshold.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the sensor control unit is configured to select the predetermined threshold from a group consisting of:

positive strain threshold, negative strain threshold, and rate of change threshold.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor control unit is configured to reduce a sampling rate of the data acquisition circuitry when the strain data is below a predetermined threshold.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor control unit is configured to reduce a data resolution of the data acquisition circuitry when the strain data is below a predetermined threshold.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the second processor is configured to process the strain data received from the sensor control unit to yield estimated applied mechanical load data.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the sensor control unit is configured to increase a sampling rate of the data resolution circuitry and a data resolution of the data acquisition circuitry when the estimated applied mechanical load data exceeds a predetermined threshold.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the sensor control unit is configured to decrease a sampling rate of the data resolution circuitry and a data resolution of the data acquisition circuitry when the estimated applied mechanical load data is below a predetermined threshold.

11. The system of claim 1,

wherein the sensor control unit is configured to increase a sampling rate of the data resolution circuitry and a data resolution of the data acquisition circuitry when the strain data exceeds a first predetermined threshold;

and

wherein the sensor control unit is configured to decrease the sampling rate of the data resolution circuitry and the data resolution of the data acquisition circuitry when the strain data falls below a second predetermined threshold.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a power supply module for providing power to the first processor,

the power supply module including first and second voltage regulators and a power switch,

wherein the first voltage regulator is configured to receive power from an aircraft power bus, and

wherein the second voltage regulator is configured to receive power from a rechargeable battery.