Aircraft performance monitoring system

• US 9,061,756 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2013
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Jang, Jung Soon, Vian, John Lyle
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malhotra, Sanjeev
• Application Number:
  US13/868,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20140316613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/5, 701/14, 701/36, 701/472, 700/63, 703/21, 455/66, 370/252, 725/116
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 19/00 Aircraft control not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0286 Modifications to the monitored process, e.g. stopping operation or adapting control
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 with safety arrangements

Abstract

A method and apparatus for monitoring an aircraft. A current performance of the aircraft is identified during operation of the aircraft using a model of the aircraft and flight state data. A current capability of the aircraft is identified from the current performance of the aircraft. An operation is performed based on the current capability of the aircraft.

Claims

1. A method for determining an ability of an aircraft to reach a performance goal during a flight, the method comprising:

identifying, using a model of the aircraft and flight state data, a current performance of the aircraft during operation of the aircraft, such that the current performance comprises a current;

lift, thrust, and drag, of the aircraft in flight;

identifying a current flight envelope of the aircraft based upon a performance monitor comparing the current performance of the aircraft to a predicted performance for the aircraft based upon a baseline design for the aircraft, thus deriving delta performance factors and correcting an aerodynamic and engine database generating a next predicted aircraft performance input to the model;

the performance monitor applying limits, based upon a desired state, onto the current flight envelope; and

the aircraft performing an operation based on the current flight envelope of the aircraft.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying the flight state data from sensor data generated by a sensor system for the aircraft, such that flight state data comprises effects due to a change in aircraft configuration, and the desired state comprises a state determined by at least one of;

a range of the flight, an endurance of the flight, a safety factor of the flight, and a passenger comfort.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the operation based on the current flight envelope of the aircraft comprises:

displaying limits to a group of parameters for operating the aircraft.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the flight state data is identified from sensor data from a sensor system for the aircraft, the sensor data comprising at least one of the flight state data comprising at least one of:

a climb rate, a descent rate, a turn rate, an airspeed, a flight path angle, an altitude, and an attitude, of the aircraft such that the flight state data may be affected by at least one of;

a weather factor, the aircraft performing a collision avoidance, an inconsistency in a cargo hold, an inconsistency in a skin panel of the aircraft, an undesired level of fluid in an aircraft system, a valve performing in an undesired manner in a system of the aircraft, an electromagnetic event, an unintended encounter for the aircraft with a bird, and hail.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein indicating the current flight envelope of the aircraft from the current performance of the aircraft comprises:

indicating a change in the current flight envelope of the aircraft.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the operation based on the current flight envelope of the aircraft from the current performance of the aircraft comprises at least one of displaying the current flight envelope for the aircraft, changing a route of the aircraft, or suggesting a change in the route of the aircraft.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the current flight envelope of the aircraft from the current performance of the aircraft comprises:

comparing the current performance of the aircraft from the model with the predicted performance of the aircraft from a prediction data structure;

identifying a difference between the current performance of the aircraft and the predicted performance of the aircraft; and

updating the prediction data structure based on the difference between the current performance of the aircraft and the predicted performance of the aircraft.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the prediction data structure being selected from one of:

a table, a database, a linked list, a flat file, an aerodynamic and engine table, and the aerodynamic and engine database.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the current performance of the aircraft during the operation of the aircraft using the model of the aircraft and the flight state data is performed by the performance monitor;

identifying the current flight envelope of the aircraft from the current performance of the aircraft is performed by a flight envelope monitor; and

performing the operation based on the current flight envelope of the aircraft is performed by a flight envelope identifier.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the performance monitor includes a Kalman filter.

11. An apparatus comprising an aircraft system configured to:

predict an ability of an aircraft to reach a performance goal during a flight, via a performance monitor configured to;

identify, using a model of the aircraft and flight state data, a current performance of the aircraft during operation of the aircraft, such that the current performance comprises a current;

lift, thrust, and drag, of the aircraft in flight;

identify a current flight envelope of the aircraft based upon a comparison of the current performance of the aircraft to a predicted performance for the aircraft based upon a baseline design for the aircraft, thus deriving delta performance factors used to correct an aerodynamic and engine database that subsequently generates a predicted aircraft performance input to the model;

apply limits, based upon a desired state, onto the current flight envelope; and

indicate a capability for the aircraft to perform an operation based on the current flight envelope of the aircraft, such that, in operation, the aircraft system predicts the ability of the aircraft to reach the performance goal, via the performance monitor that;

identifies, using the model of the aircraft and flight state data, the current performance of the aircraft during operation of the aircraft, such that the current performance comprises the current;

lift, thrust, and drag, of the aircraft;

identifies the current flight envelope of the aircraft based upon the comparison of the current performance of the aircraft to the predicted performance for the aircraft based upon the baseline design for the aircraft, thus deriving the delta performance factors used to correct the aerodynamic and engine database that subsequently generates the predicted aircraft performance input to the model;

applies limits, based upon the desired state, onto the current flight envelope; and

indicates the capability for the aircraft to perform the operation based on the current flight envelope of the aircraft.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein an aircraft performance monitoring system is configured to identify the flight state data from sensor data generated by a sensor system for the aircraft, and the delta performance factors result from an inconsistency, not accounted for in the aerodynamic and engine database, in a component of the aircraft, such that, in operation, the aircraft performance monitoring system identifies the delta performance factors result from the inconsistency, not accounted for in the aerodynamic and engine database, in the component of the aircraft.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein in being configured to perform the operation based on the current flight envelope of the aircraft, an aircraft performance monitoring system is configured to display limits to a group of parameters for operating the aircraft, such that, in operation, the aircraft performance monitoring system displays limits to the group of parameters for operating the aircraft.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

the sensor system being configured such that in operation the sensor system identifies the flight state data from sensor data for the aircraft, such that flight state data comprises effects due to a change in aircraft configuration; and

the performance monitor configured such that in operation the performance monitor applies limits, based upon more than one desired state, onto the current flight envelope, such that the desired state comprises a state determined by at least one of;

a range of the flight, an endurance of the flight, a safety factor of the flight, and a passenger comfort.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein in being configured to indicate the current flight envelope of the aircraft from the current performance of the aircraft, an aircraft performance monitoring system is configured to indicate a change in the current flight envelope of the aircraft.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein performing the operation based on the current flight envelope of the aircraft from the current performance of the aircraft comprises at least one of displaying the current flight envelope for the aircraft, changing a route of the aircraft, or suggesting a change in the route of the aircraft.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein in being configured to identify the current flight envelope of the aircraft from the current performance of the aircraft, an aircraft performance monitoring system is configured to compare the current performance of the aircraft from the model with a predicted performance of the aircraft from a prediction data structure;

identify a difference between the current performance of the aircraft and the predicted performance of the aircraft; and

update the prediction data structure based on the difference between the current performance of the aircraft and the predicted performance of the aircraft.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein a prediction data structure is selected from one of a table, a database, a linked list, a flat file, an aerodynamic and engine table, and the aerodynamic and engine database.

19. An aircraft performance monitoring system comprising:

a performance monitor configured to;

predict an ability of an aircraft to reach a performance goal during a flight via;

identifying, using a model of the aircraft and flight state data, a current performance of the aircraft during operation of the aircraft using the model of the aircraft and flight state data, such that the current performance comprises a current;

lift, thrust, and drag, of the aircraft in flight; and

apply limits, based upon a desired state, onto a current flight envelope, such that, in operation, the performance monitor applies limits, based upon desired states, onto the current flight envelope, the desired state comprising a state determined by at least one of;

a range of the flight, an endurance of the flight, a safety factor of the flight, and a passenger comfort;

a flight envelope monitor configured to identify a flight envelope of the aircraft based upon the performance monitor comparing the current performance of the aircraft to a predicted performance for the aircraft based upon a baseline design for the aircraft, thus deriving delta performance factors and correcting an aerodynamic and engine database generating a next predicted aircraft performance input to the model; and

a flight envelope identifier configured to identify a current performance capability of the aircraft from the flight envelope, based upon the desired states, such that aircraft control inputs are based upon the current performance capability.

20. The aircraft performance monitoring system of claim 19, wherein the operation is performed based on the current flight envelope of the aircraft identified by the flight envelope identifier, and the delta performance factors result from an inconsistency a component of the aircraft not accounted for in the aerodynamic and engine database.