Systems and methods to determine navigation states of a platform

• US 9,746,392 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2012
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Hinnant, Jr., Harris O., Brekke, Darin W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jelani
• Assistant Examiner(s): Martinez Borrero, Luis A
• Application Number:
  US13/568,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20140046535A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,848 Days
• Field of Search: 701 344, 701 30, 701 29, 701 3, 701 1, 701102, 701101, 701 14, 701 16, 701 22, 701 49, 701 50, 340967, 34235722
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0016 of aircraft wings or blades
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0041 by determining deflection or stress

Abstract

Systems and methods to determine navigation states of a platform are disclosed. An example system includes a first processing node to determine a first aeroelastic navigation state of a platform at a first structural location of the platform with respect to a first aeroelasticity reference, a second processing node to determine a second aeroelastic navigation state of the platform at a second structural location of the platform with respect to the first aeroelasticity reference or a second aeroelasticity reference, and a storage device to store a platform navigation state based on at least one of the first or second aeroelastic navigation states.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a first processing node associated with a first structural location of a platform, the first processing node to determine a first aeroelastic navigation state of the platform at the first structural location of the platform with respect to a first aeroelasticity reference;

a second processing node associated with a second structural location of the platform different than the first structural location, the second processing node to determine a second aeroelastic navigation state of the platform at the second structural location of the platform with respect to the first aeroelasticity reference or a second aeroelasticity reference; and

a storage device to store a platform navigation state based on at least one of the first or second aeroelastic navigation states.

2. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first processing node comprises an inertial measurement unit to perform an inertial measurement of the first structural location.

3. A system as defined in claim 2, wherein the first processing node further comprises a logic circuit to determine the first aeroelastic navigation state based on an inertial state.

4. A system as defined in claim 3, wherein the first processing node further comprises a deflection sensor to determine a structural deflection of the platform with respect to the first structural location, the first aeroelastic navigation state being based on the structural deflection.

5. A system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a data fusion node to provide at least one of the platform navigation state or an event notification to a structural control system of the platform.

6. A system as defined in claim 5, wherein the data fusion node is to identify an event based on a comparison of at least one of:

the first aeroelastic navigation state, the second aeroelastic navigation state, or the platform navigation state to a platform structural health threshold.

7. A system as defined in claim 1, further comprising an aeroelasticity reference node to:

determine the first aeroelasticity reference based on a third aeroelastic navigation state of a third structural location of the platform; and

provide the first aeroelasticity reference to the first processing node.

8. A system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a navigation reference node to determine a reference navigation state of the platform based on the first aeroelasticity reference.

9. A system as defined in claim 8, wherein the reference navigation state is based on a calculated center of gravity of the platform.

10. A system as defined in claim 8, wherein the navigation reference node is to store the reference navigation state, the reference navigation state including the first and second aeroelastic navigation states and a time stamp.

11. A system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a navigation reference node to determine a reference navigation state of the platform based on the first and second aeroelastic navigation states of the platform.

24. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the second processing node is located at the second structural location and comprises:

a second inertial measurement unit to perform a second inertial measurement of the second structural location; and

a logic circuit to determine the second aeroelastic navigation state based on the second inertial measurement unit.

25. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first processing node is to determine a third aeroelastic navigation state of the platform at a third structural location of the platform, the third structural location of the platform being adjacent the first structural location of the platform and the third structural location of the platform corresponding to a third processing node.

12. A method, comprising:

determining, using a first logic circuit at a first processing node associated with a first structural location of a platform, a first aeroelastic navigation state of the platform at the first structural location of the platform with respect to a first aeroelasticity reference; and

determining, using a second logic circuit at a second processing node associated with a second structural location of the platform, a second aeroelastic navigation state of the platform at the second structural location of the platform with respect to the first aeroelasticity reference or a second aeroelasticity reference; and

storing a platform navigation state based on at least one of the first or second aeroelastic navigation states.

13. A method as defined in claim 12, wherein the first and second aeroelastic navigation states are time-synchronized.

14. A method as defined in claim 12, wherein determining the first aeroelastic navigation state comprises measuring an inertial state of the first structural location.

15. A method as defined in claim 14, wherein determining the first aeroelastic navigation state further comprises measuring a deflection of a structure of the platform with reference to the first structural location.

16. A method as defined in claim 12, further comprising transferring the first and second aeroelastic navigation states between the first and second logic circuits, storing the first aeroelastic navigation state via the second logic circuit, and storing the second aeroelastic navigation state via the first logic circuit.

17. A method as defined in claim 12, further comprising:

generating a parity vector based on the first and second aeroelastic navigation states; and

processing the parity vector to identify an error in at least one of the first or second aeroelastic navigation states.

18. A method as defined in claim 12, further comprising calculating, via the first logic circuit, a third aeroelastic navigation state of the platform at the second structural location of the platform.

19. A method as defined in claim 12, further comprising calculating a third aeroelastic navigation state at the first structural location of the platform with respect to the second aeroelastic navigation state.

20. A method as defined in claim 12, further comprising storing the platform navigation state based on a plurality of aeroelastic navigation states of the platform for a corresponding plurality of structural locations, the plurality of aeroelastic navigation states of the platform including the first and second aeroelastic navigation states and the plurality of structural locations of the platform including the first and second structural locations.

21. A method as defined in claim 12, further comprising providing the platform navigation state to a structural control system of the platform.

22. A method as defined in claim 12, wherein determining the first aeroelastic navigation state is based on historical aeroelastic navigation states.

23. A method as defined in claim 12, wherein determining the first aeroelastic navigation state is based on design data of the platform.