Method for monitoring the ageing of a landing gear of an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10464690-B2
Application number	US-201616064855-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2016
Priority date	Dec 21, 2015
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

A method is provided. The method includes, after a landing of an aircraft, detecting by sensors the position of the landing gear at a first sampling frequency, while the position of the landing gear is detected as vertical. After detection of a horizontal position of the landing gear, detecting by the sensors the position of the landing gear at least at a second sampling frequency, while the position of the landing gear is detected as horizontal. After detection of a vertical position of the landing gear, acquiring by said sensors physical parameters relating to the ageing of the landing gear, and detecting a landing of the aircraft at a third sampling frequency until a predetermined period has expired. The third frequency is greater than the second frequency, which is greater than the first frequency. Measurements relating to the ageing are stored as a function of the measured physical parameters.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for monitoring the aging of a landing gear of an aircraft implemented by an autonomous measuring device mounted on said landing gear, said autonomous measuring device including:
at least one sensor configured for measuring physical parameters relating to the aging of the landing gear and at least one sensor configured for detecting the position of the landing gear and the landing of the aircraft,
a storage memory for storing measurements relating to the aging of the landing gear according to said measured physical parameters,
said monitoring method comprising the following steps:
after a landing of the aircraft, a stand-by step (“STAND-BY”) comprising detecting with the aid of said sensors the position of the landing gear at a first sampling frequency as long as the position of the landing gear is detected as vertical,
after detection of a horizontal position of the landing gear, a sleeping step (“SLEEP”) comprising detecting with the aid of said sensors of the position of the landing gear at least at a second sampling frequency, as long as the position of the landing gear is detected as horizontal,
after detection of a vertical position of the landing gear, a measuring step (“AWAKE”) comprising acquiring with the aid of said sensors physical parameters relating to the aging of the landing gear and detection of a landing of the aircraft until a predetermined period has expired after a landing has been detected,
said monitoring method further comprising storing (“STORAGE”) in said storage memory of measurements relating to the aging of the landing gear according to said measured physical parameters,
wherein
the sensors comprise accelerometers capable of measuring the linear accelerations of the landing gear along three axes in three orthogonal directions,
wherein during the measuring step (AWAKE), the steps acquiring and detecting are implemented at a third sampling frequency,
said third sampling frequency being greater than the second sampling frequency, said second sampling frequency being greater than said first sampling frequency,
said third frequency being adapted to a measurement, by the accelerometers, of the intensity of successive shocks during a landing, a shock felt being measured in three axes by the accelerometers for multiple successive bounces including the first shock of landing, the accelerometer measurement sequences being filtered through a filter for quantifying these shocks, giving a shock value per axis in g for each measured bounce,
the intensities thus measured being converted into a number of aging cycles, by a correspondence table,
each shock felt incrementing the number of aging cycles undergone by the equipment,
the total cycles being summed for each axis,
and wherein when the summed total cycles reaches a given threshold for an axis (MaxCycles (X, Y or Z)), an alert is triggered.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the measuring step (“AWAKE”) further comprises a step of detecting at the third sampling frequency of the position of the landing gear and wherein said measuring step is implemented until the detection of a horizontal position of the landing gear.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the physical parameters relating to the aging of the landing gear comprise the static and dynamic strains of structural parts of the aircraft, the accelerations of components of the landing gear, the pressures and temperatures of the aircraft's tires, the pressures and temperatures of the aircraft's shock struts, the travel of the aircraft's shock strut.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said sensors detect the position of the landing gear and the landing of the aircraft from measurements of the accelerations undergone by the landing gear.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising a hibernation step (“OFF”) during which the device detects the reception of an activation command at a fourth sampling frequency less than said first frequency and wherein the stand-by step is implemented following the detection of said command.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said measuring device further comprises a communication interface, and comprising a step of transmitting said measurements relating to the aging of the landing gear stored in said storage memory to an external terminal.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein said measuring device transmits said measurements relating to the aging of the landing gear only during the stand-by step.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer program code which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a method comprising the following steps:
after a landing of the aircraft, a stand-by step (“STAND-BY”) comprising detecting with the aid of at least one sensor comprising accelerometers capable of measuring the linear acceleration of the landing gear along three axes in three orthogonal directions, a position of a landing gear at a first sampling frequency as long as the position of the landing gear is detected as vertical,
after detection of a horizontal position of the landing gear, a sleeping step (“SLEEP”) comprising detecting with the aid of the at least one sensor the position of the landing gear at least at a second sampling frequency, as long as the position of the landing gear is detected as horizontal,
after detection of a vertical position of the landing gear, a measuring step (“AWAKE”) comprising acquiring with the aid of the at least one sensor physical parameters relating to the aging of the landing gear and detecting a landing of the aircraft until a predetermined period has expired after the landing has been detected,
a storing step of storing (“STORAGE”) in a storage memory measurements relating to the aging of the landing gear according to said measured physical parameters,
wherein
during the measuring step (AWAKE), the steps acquiring and detecting are implemented at a third sampling frequency, the third sampling frequency being greater than the second sampling frequency, and the second sampling frequency being greater than the first sampling frequency,
the third frequency being adapted to a measurement, by the accelerometers, of the intensity of successive shocks during a landing, a shock felt being measured in three axes by the accelerometers for multiple successive bounces including the first shock of landing, the accelerometer measurement sequences being filtered through a filter for quantifying the shocks, giving a shock value per axis in g for each measured bounce,
the intensities thus measured being converted into a number of aging cycles, by a correspondence table,
each shock felt incrementing the number of aging cycles undergone by the equipment, the total cycles being summed for each axis,
and wherein when the summed total cycles reaches a given threshold for an axis (MaxCycles (X, Y or Z)), an alert is triggered.

9. An autonomous measuring device configured for being mounted on a landing gear, the autonomous measuring device comprising:
at least one sensor configured for measuring physical parameters relating to the aging of the landing gear and at least one sensor configured for detecting the position of the landing gear and the landing of the aircraft,
a storage memory for storing measurements relating to the aging of the landing gear according to said measured physical parameters,
said comprising accelerometers capable of measuring the linear accelerations of the landing gear along three axes in three orthogonal directions and being configured, once mounted on the landing gear, for implementing said steps of a monitoring method comprising the following steps:
after a landing of the aircraft, a

Assignees

• Safran Electronics & Defense
• Safran Landing Systems

Inventors

• Vinson Garance
• Fanton Nicolas
• Tine Pierre-Jean
• Vitry Sully
• Loustaudaudine Christophe

Classifications

• G07C5/085

  using electronic data carriers · CPC title

• B64D45/00 Primary

  Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B64F5/60

  Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems · CPC title

• B64D2045/008

  Devices for detecting or indicating hard landing · CPC title

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title