Method and an arrangement for purposes of determining an incidence of loading of an aircraft structure

• US 9,234,813 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2011
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Reitmann, Joerg, Meissner, Rene
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hopkins, Brandi N
• Application Number:
  US13/881,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20130213141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,568 Days
• Field of Search: 738/00, 737/60, 731/78.R, 340/945, 348/148, 348/159, 356/35.5
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0085 Devices for aircraft health monitoring, e.g. monitoring flutter or vibration
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/16 for measuring the deformation in a solid, e.g. optical strain gauge
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/00 Investigating the elasticity of structures, e.g. deflection of bridges or air-craft wings G01M9/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0041 by determining deflection or stress
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0091 by using electromagnetic excitation or detection

Abstract

A method and an arrangement to determine an incidence of loading of an aircraft structure. A true reality of at least one aircraft structural section is superposed with the virtual reality of the aircraft structural section, and any deviation is established by means of a comparison of the two realities; this deviation is evaluated with reference to its consequences in terms of the structural mechanics involved.

Claims

1. A method for purposes of determining at least one incidence of loading of an aircraft structure comprising the steps:

optically registering at least one section of the aircraft structure for purposes of determining an “

actual”

optical state of the aircraft structural section,

comparing the “

actual”

optical state with a stored “

design”

optical state of the aircraft structural section,

recording noises relating to at least one section of the aircraft structure for purposes of compiling an “

actual”

acoustic image of the aircraft structural section,

comparing the “

actual”

acoustic image with a stored “

design”

acoustical image of the aircraft structural section,

assessing based on structural mechanics whether an overload of at least one part of the aircraft section has occurred, and

using an alien acoustic signal that has been determined as a starting point for the assessing step, wherein

optical markings are provided on a side of the fuselage near the cockpit and near the tail unit, and the markings on each side of the fuselage together define an imaginary straight line extending in a longitudinal direction of the aircraft.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, including the step of using a digitized model of the aircraft structural section as the “

design”

state, and compiling a real model on the basis of the registered data as the “

actual”

state.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1, including the step of registering a time of occurrence of the loading incident.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1, including the step of determining a velocity and a separation distance of an alien object relative to the aircraft.

5. An arrangement for executing the method in accordance with claim 1, comprising:

an optical registration system arranged to register at least one section of the aircraft structure by generating optical registration data, the optical registration system having optical marking on a side of the fuselage near the cockpit and near the tail unit, and the markings on each side of the fuselage together define an imaginary straight line extending in a longitudinal direction of the aircraft,

an evaluation system arranged to identify at least one overload of at least one aircraft structural section on the basis of the optical registration data of the optical registration system.

6. The arrangement in accordance with claim 5, including an acoustic registration system arranged to provide an acoustic registration of the loading incident.

7. The arrangement in accordance with claim 5, including a time registration system arranged to provide an assignment of a time to the loading incident.