Imaging system for fuel tank analysis

• US 10,424,076 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2016
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Simmonds Precision Products, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Simmonds Precision Products, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Zakrzewski, Radoslaw, Miller, Mark Sherwood, Lynch, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Duley, Janese
• Application Number:
  US15/015,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20170228881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 3/34 Tanks constructed integrally with wings, e.g. for fuel or water
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2203/00 Aircraft or airfield lights using LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 37/00 Arrangements in connection with fuel supply for power plant refuelling during flight B64D39/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 22/00 Methods or apparatus for measuring volume of fluids or fluent solid material, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/292 Light , e.g. infrared or ultraviolet
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/2928 using light reflected on the material surface
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/804 containing circuits handling parameters other than liquid level
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10028 Range image; Depth image; 3D point clouds
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 Analysis of geometric attributes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/62 of area, perimeter, diameter or volume
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction

Abstract

A method can include generating reference image data representing a field of view of an interior of a fuel tank, and generating active image data representing the field of view of the interior of the fuel tank when the fuel tank contains fuel. The method can further include producing, by a processing device, a fuel measurement value representing an amount of fuel contained in the fuel tank based on the reference image data and the active image data, and outputting, by the processing device, an indication of the fuel measurement value.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating reference image data representing a field of view of an interior of a fuel tank;

generating active image data representing the field of view of the interior of the fuel tank when the fuel tank contains fuel;

identifying, by a processing device based on the reference image data, physical features of the interior of the fuel tank;

comparing, by the processing device, the reference image data and the active image data to identify a location of the interior of the fuel tank corresponding to an interface of fuel and ullage within the interior of the fuel tank;

identifying, by the processing device, a location of the interior of the fuel tank corresponding to an intersection of the interface of fuel and ullage and one or more of the physical features of the interior of the fuel tank;

producing, by the processing device, a fuel measurement value representing an amount of fuel contained in the fuel tank based on the intersection of the interface of fuel and ullage with the one or more physical features of the interior of the fuel tank identified using the reference image data and the active image data; and

outputting, by the processing device, an indication of the fuel measurement value.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein generating the reference image data comprises generating the reference image data when the fuel tank is empty of fuel.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein producing the fuel measurement value based on the location of the interior of the fuel tank corresponding to the intersection of the interface of fuel and ullage with the one or more of the physical features of the interior of the fuel tank comprises:

determining, based on a model of a shape of the fuel tank, a volume of fuel contained within the fuel tank.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining an adjusted shape of the fuel tank based on the active image data using a model of the shape of the fuel tank;

wherein producing the fuel measurement value comprises determining the volume of fuel within the fuel tank based on the adjusted shape of the fuel tank.

5. The method of claim 4,

wherein the fuel tank is disposed within a wing of the aircraft;

and

wherein determining the adjusted shape of the fuel tank comprises determining an amount of wing bending of the wing of the aircraft.

6. The method of claim 5,

wherein determining the amount of wing bending of the wing of the aircraft comprises:

determining a displacement of the one or more of the physical features between the reference image data and the active image data; and

determining the amount of wing bending based on the determined displacement of the one or more of the physical features.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the active image data representing the field of view of the interior of the fuel tank comprises generating first active image data representing a first field of view of the interior of the fuel tank, the method further comprising:

generating second active image data representing a second field of view of the interior of the fuel tank when the fuel tank contains fuel;

wherein producing the fuel measurement value comprises producing the fuel measurement value representing the amount of fuel contained in the fuel tank based on the reference image data and the first and second active image data.

8. The method of claim 7,

wherein the first field of view of the interior of the fuel tank includes an upper portion of the interior of the fuel tank;

wherein the second field of view of the interior of the fuel tank includes a lower portion of the interior of the fuel tank;

wherein generating the first active image data comprises generating the first active image data using an image capturing device disposed at the lower portion of the interior of the fuel tank; and

wherein generating the second active image data comprises generating the second active image data using an image capturing device disposed at the upper portion of the interior of the fuel tank.

9. The method of claim 8,

wherein generating the first active image data representing the first field of view including the upper portion of the interior of the fuel tank comprises illuminating the interior of the fuel tank using a light source disposed at the upper portion of the interior of the fuel tank.

10. The method of claim 8,

wherein generating the first active image data representing the first field of view including the upper portion of the interior of the fuel tank comprises illuminating the interior of the fuel tank using a light source disposed at the lower portion of the interior of the fuel tank.

11. The method of claim 8,

wherein generating the second active image data representing the second field of view including the lower portion of the interior of the fuel tank comprises illuminating the interior of the fuel tank using a light source disposed at the lower portion of the interior of the fuel tank.

12. The method of claim 8,

wherein generating the second active image data representing the second field of view including the lower portion of the interior of the fuel tank comprises illuminating the interior of the fuel tank using a light source disposed at the upper portion of the interior of the fuel tank.

13. The method of claim 1,

wherein generating the active image data comprises generating the active image data using one or more image capturing devices disposed within an interior of the fuel tank.

14. The method of claim 1,

wherein generating the active image data comprises generating the active image data using one or more image capturing devices disposed external to the interior of the fuel tank.

15. A system comprising:

one or more image capturing devices located to;

generate reference image data representative of an interior of a fuel tank; and

generate active image data of the interior of the fuel tank when the fuel tank contains fuel;

at least one processor; and

non-transitory computer-readable memory encoded with instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

identify, based on the reference image data, physical features of the interior of the fuel tank;

compare the reference image data and the active image data to identify a location of the interior of the fuel tank corresponding to an interface of fuel and ullage within the interior of the fuel tank;

identify a location of the interior of the fuel tank corresponding to an intersection of the interface of fuel and ullage and one or more of the physical features of the interior of the fuel tank;

produce a fuel measurement value representing an amount of fuel contained in the fuel tank based on the intersection of the interface of fuel and ullage with the one or more physical features of the interior of the fuel tank identified using the reference image data and the active image data; and

output an indication of the fuel measurement value.

16. The system of claim 15,

wherein the computer-readable memory is further encoded with instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to produce the fuel measurement value based on the location of the interior of the fuel tank corresponding to the intersection of the interface of fuel and ullage with the one or more of the physical features of the interior of the fuel tank by at least causing the system to:

determine, based on a model of a shape of the fuel tank, a volume of fuel contained within the fuel tank.

17. The system of claim 16,

wherein the fuel tank is disposed within a wing of an aircraft;

and

wherein the computer-readable memory is further encoded with instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

determine an amount of wing bending of the wing of the aircraft;

determine an adjusted shape of the fuel tank based on the determined amount of wing bending using a model of the shape of the fuel tank; and

produce the fuel measurement value by at least determining the volume of fuel within the fuel tank based on the adjusted shape of the fuel tank.

18. The system of claim 15,

wherein the active image data of the interior of the fuel tank comprises first active image data representing a first field of view of the interior of the fuel tank;

wherein the one or more image capturing devices are further located to generate second active image data of the interior of the fuel tank when the fuel tank contains fuel; and

wherein the computer-readable memory is further encoded with instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to produce the fuel measurement value by at least causing the system to produce the fuel measurement value based on the reference image data and the first and second active image data.