Systems and methods for detection of dragging brake

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10005566-B2
Application number	US-201615180663-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2016
Priority date	Jun 13, 2016
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

A landing gear assembly may include a first wheel and a second wheel, a first wheel sensor coupled to the first wheel and a second wheel sensor coupled to the second wheel, and a controller coupled to the first wheel sensor and the second wheel sensor. A tangible, non-transitory memory may have instructions for detecting a dragging brake. The controller may perform operations including receiving data from the first wheel sensor and the second wheel sensor, calculating a wheel speed characteristic for each of the first wheel and the second wheel based on the data, identifying a lowest value for the wheel speed characteristic, determining a moving average for the wheel speed characteristic, comparing the lowest value to the moving average, and whether the lowest value for the wheel speed characteristic indicates a dragging brake.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A landing gear assembly, comprising:
a first wheel and a second wheel;
a first wheel sensor coupled to the first wheel and a second wheel sensor coupled to the second wheel;
a controller coupled to the first wheel sensor and the second wheel sensor; and
a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the controller, the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the controller, cause the controller to perform operations comprising:
receiving, by the controller, data from the first wheel sensor and the second wheel sensor;
calculating, by the controller, a wheel speed characteristic for each of the first wheel and the second wheel based on the data;
identifying, by the controller, a lowest value for the wheel speed characteristic of the first wheel and the second wheel;
determining, by the controller, a moving average for the wheel speed characteristic of the first wheel and the second wheel;
comparing, by the controller, the lowest value to the moving average of the first wheel and the second wheel;
determining, by the controller, whether the lowest value for the wheel speed characteristic of the first wheel and the second wheel indicates a dragging brake; and
generating, by the controller, a signal based on the dragging brake being present.

2. The landing gear assembly of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining, by the controller, an average wheel speed characteristic for a present takeoff, wherein the lowest value is excluded from the average; and
storing, by the controller, the average wheel speed characteristic for the present takeoff, wherein the moving average is based on the average wheel speed characteristic for the present takeoff and is based on a stored average wheel speed characteristic from a past takeoff.

3. The landing gear assembly of claim 2 , wherein the operations further comprise evaluating, by the controller, the lowest value and the moving average against a threshold, wherein the threshold is based on the moving average.

4. The landing gear assembly of claim 3 , wherein the threshold is 50% to 70% of the moving average.

5. The landing gear assembly of claim 1 , wherein the data includes a displacement, velocity, or acceleration, and wherein the wheel speed characteristic is a summation of the data during a time interval.

6. The landing gear assembly of claim 5 , wherein the time interval begins after takeoff and ends prior to a gear retract braking.

7. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a controller, cause the controller to perform operations comprising:
receiving, by the controller, data from a first wheel sensor coupled to a first wheel of a landing gear and a second wheel sensor coupled to a second wheel of the landing gear;
calculating, by the controller, a wheel speed characteristic for the first wheel and the second wheel;
identifying, by the controller, a lowest value for the wheel speed characteristic of the first wheel and the second wheel;
determining, by the controller, a moving average for the wheel speed characteristic of the first wheel and the second wheel;
comparing, by the controller, the lowest value to the moving average of the first wheel and the second wheel;
determining, by the controller, whether the lowest value for the wheel speed characteristic of the first wheel and the second wheel indicates a dragging brake; and
generating, by the controller, a signal based on the dragging brake being present.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining, by the controller, an average wheel speed characteristic for a present takeoff, wherein the lowest value is excluded from the average; and
storing, by the controller, the average wheel speed characteristic for the present takeoff, wherein the moving average is based on the average wheel speed characteristic for the present takeoff and is based on a stored average wheel speed characteristic from a past takeoff.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise evaluating, by the controller, the lowest value and the moving average against a threshold, wherein the threshold is based on the moving average.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9 , wherein the threshold is 50% to 70% of the moving average.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 7 , wherein the wheel speed characteristic is a summation of an angular velocity during a time interval.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11 , wherein the time interval begins after takeoff and ends prior to a gear retract braking.

13. A method for detecting a dragging brake, the method comprising:
receiving, by a controller, data from a first wheel sensor and a second wheel sensor of a landing gear;
calculating, by the controller, a wheel speed characteristic for each of a first wheel and a second wheel of the landing gear based on the data;
identifying, by the controller, a lowest value for the wheel speed characteristic of the first wheel and the second wheel;
determining, by the controller, a moving average for the wheel speed characteristic of the first wheel and the second wheel;
comparing, by the controller, the lowest value to the moving average of the first wheel and the second wheel; and
determining, by the controller, whether the lowest value for the wheel speed characteristic indicates a dragging brake of the first wheel and the second wheel; and
generating, by the controller, a signal based on the dragging brake being present.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
determining, by the controller, an average wheel speed characteristic for a present takeoff, wherein the lowest value is excluded from the average; and
storing, by the controller, the average wheel speed characteristic for the present takeoff, wherein the moving average is based on the average wheel speed characteristic for the present takeoff and is based on a stored average wheel speed characteristic from a past takeoff.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising evaluating, by the controller, the lowest value and the moving average against a threshold, wherein the threshold is based on the moving average.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the threshold is 50% to 70% of the moving average.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the wheel speed characteristic is a summation of an angular velocity during a time interval.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the time interval begins after takeoff and ends prior to a gear retract braking.

Assignees

• Goodrich Corp

Inventors

• Cahill Eric Daniel

Classifications

• B64C25/34

  wheeled type, e.g. multi-wheeled bogies · CPC title

• B64D45/00

  Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B60T17/221

  Procedure or apparatus for checking or keeping in a correct functioning condition of brake systems (hydraulic pressure systems in general F15B19/00, F15B21/04; testing structures or apparatus G01M) · CPC title

• B64C25/42

  Arrangement or adaptation of brakes · CPC title

• B64D2045/0085

  Devices for aircraft health monitoring, e.g. monitoring flutter or vibration · CPC title