Modal acoustic aircraft weight system

• US 9,551,609 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2013
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Smith, Paul R., Steele, Adam C., Lee, Tristan E., Hoffman, Ryan W., Fanelli, Kyle M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gibson, Randy W
• Application Number:
  US13/954,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20150034395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/02 for weighing wheeled or rolling bodies, e.g. vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/07 for weighing aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 3/16 measuring variations of frequency of oscillations of the body

Abstract

A method includes receiving characteristic information from a sensor. The characteristic information may be representative of a characteristic of a weight bearing structure of an aircraft when a force is applied to the weight bearing structure. The method includes determining a weight of the aircraft based on the characteristic information. The method includes receiving attitude information from an attitude sensor. The attitude information indicates whether the aircraft is situated on a level surface. The method includes determining a balance condition based on the attitude information and the weight of the aircraft. The balance condition indicates whether the weight of the aircraft is distributed evenly. The method includes generating an alert when the balance condition indicates that the weight of the aircraft is not distributed evenly.

Claims

1. An aircraft comprising:

a weight bearing component of landing gear of the aircraft;

an actuator coupled to the weight bearing component of landing gear of the aircraft and configured to apply a force to the weight bearing component of landing gear of the aircraft;

a sensor coupled to the weight bearing component of landing gear of the aircraft and configured to generate sensor data associated with the force applied to the weight bearing component of landing gear of the aircraft by the actuator, wherein the sensor data includes a frequency of resonance of the weight bearing component of landing gear of the aircraft when the force is applied to the weight bearing component of landing gear of the aircraft;

a processor communicatively coupled to the sensor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine a weight of at least a portion of the aircraft based on the sensor data.

2. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising an environmental sensor, wherein the environmental sensor is configured to generate environmental data descriptive of an environmental condition, wherein the environmental condition includes a wind speed, wherein the processor is communicatively coupled to the environmental sensor, and wherein the memory further comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine the weight of at least the portion of the aircraft based at least in part on the environmental data received from the environmental sensor.

3. The aircraft claim 2, wherein the environmental condition includes a wind direction.

4. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising an environmental sensor, wherein the environmental sensor is coupled to the weight bearing component and is configured to generate environmental data descriptive of an environmental condition, and wherein the environmental condition includes a humidity level.

5. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the actuator applies the force to the weight bearing component of landing gear of the aircraft in response to an actuator command received from the processor.

6. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the actuator applies the force for a period of time, wherein the sensor is configured to detect a characteristic of the weight bearing component of landing gear of the aircraft during the period of time, and wherein the sensor data is generated based on the characteristic.

7. The aircraft of claim 6, wherein the characteristic is associated with the frequency of resonance of the weight bearing component of landing gear of the aircraft.

8. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising a database stored at the memory, the database including information associated with an amount of the force applied to the weight bearing component of landing gear of the aircraft, a duration of time that the force was applied to the weight bearing component of landing gear of the aircraft, the sensor data, and the weight of the aircraft.

9. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the weight bearing component is a truck, an axle, a strut, or a combination thereof.

10. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more additional weight bearing components;

one or more additional actuators, wherein each of the one or more additional actuators is coupled to a particular weight bearing component of the one or more additional weight bearing components and is configured to apply a particular force to the particular weight bearing component; and

one or more additional sensors, wherein each of the one or more additional sensors is coupled to the particular weight bearing component of the one or more additional weight bearing components and is configured to generate additional sensor data associated with the particular force applied to the particular weight bearing component by a respective actuator,

wherein the processor is communicatively coupled to the one or more additional sensors, and wherein the instructions further comprise instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine a weight of at least one additional portion of the aircraft based on the additional sensor data.

11. A method comprising:

transmitting an actuator command to an actuator;

receiving sensor data from a sensor coupled to a weight bearing component of landing gear of an aircraft, the sensor data generated responsive to a force applied to the weight bearing component by the actuator in response to the actuator command, wherein the sensor data includes a frequency of resonance of the weight bearing component of landing gear of the aircraft, the frequency of resonance attributable to the force applied to the weight bearing component of landing gear of the aircraft; and

determining a weight of at least a portion the aircraft based on the sensor data.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving attitude information from an attitude sensor, wherein the attitude information indicates whether the aircraft is situated on a level surface;

determining a balance condition based on the attitude information and the weight of at least the portion of the aircraft, wherein the balance condition indicates whether weight of the aircraft is distributed evenly; and

generating an alert when the balance condition indicates that the weight of the aircraft is not distributed evenly.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving additional sensor data from one or more additional sensors, wherein the additional sensor data is associated with a second force applied to a second weight bearing component by a second actuator, wherein the additional sensor data includes a second frequency of resonance of the second weight bearing component when the second force is applied to the second weight bearing component;

determining average sensor data, wherein for each weight bearing component, the average sensor data is determined based on particular sensor data associated with a particular weight bearing component over a period of time; and

determining the weight of the aircraft based on the average sensor data.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the weight bearing component is a truck, an axle, a strut, or a combination thereof.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

transmit an actuator command to an actuator;

receive sensor data from a sensor coupled to a weight bearing component of landing gear of an aircraft, the sensor data generated responsive to a force applied to the weight bearing component by the actuator in response to the actuator command, wherein the sensor data includes a frequency of resonance of the weight bearing component of landing gear of the aircraft, the frequency of resonance attributable to the force applied to the weight bearing component of landing gear of the aircraft; and

determine a weight of at least a portion of the aircraft based on the sensor data.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the weight bearing component is coupled to the actuator.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 15, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

determine whether the weight of at least the portion of the aircraft exceeds a threshold weight; and

generate an alert signal when the weight of at least the portion of the aircraft exceeds the threshold weight.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 15, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to initiate display of the weight of at least the portion of the aircraft at a display device coupled to the processor.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 15, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to store in a memory a database entry, wherein the database entry includes the weight, a timestamp, a magnitude of the force, a duration of the force, data indicating whether the aircraft was on a level surface while receiving information from the sensor, and environmental data.