System for wind tunnel operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10825322-B2
Application number	US-201916654841-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2019
Priority date	Sep 6, 2016
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

A system for monitoring a model in a wind tunnel is provided. The system includes a plurality of sensors attached to a model in a wind tunnel. Each sensor of the plurality of sensors is configured to measure an attribute of the model. The system also includes a computing device in communication with the plurality of sensors. The computing device is programmed to receive a plurality of signals from the plurality of sensors, store a first threshold and a second threshold based on normalized alarm limits associated with at least one of the plurality of sensors, analyze the plurality of signals based, at least in part, on the first threshold and the second threshold, determine that a potentially negative condition is occurring based on the analysis, and alert a user to the potentially negative condition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a computing device configured to communicate with a plurality of sensors, wherein said computing device comprises a processor in communication with a memory, wherein said computing device is programmed to:
receive signal data indicative of a plurality of signals from the plurality of sensors associated with a model in a wind tunnel, wherein the plurality of signals represent measurements of the attributes of the model;
store a first threshold based on normalized alarm limits associated with at least one of the plurality of sensors;
analyze the signal data based, at least in part, on the first threshold; and
in response to a determination that the first threshold has been exceeded, facilitate a transmission of one or more messages to instruct the wind tunnel to shut down without user interaction.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said computing device is further programmed to:
determine that a second threshold has been exceeded; and
in response to determining that the second threshold has been exceeded, initiate a short alarm, wherein the short alarm is at least one of an audible alarm or a visual alarm.

3. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the plurality of signals is a first plurality of signals, the signal data is first signal data and said computing device is further programmed to:
determine that a second threshold has been exceeded a predetermined number of times in a first predetermined period of time;
in response to determining that the second threshold has been exceeded the predetermined number of times in the first predetermined period of time, initiate at least one of an audible alarm or a visible alarm; and
store second signal data indicative of a second plurality of signals received during a second predetermined period of time before and after the alarm was initiated, wherein the second signal data is associated with a warning tag.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the first threshold is a distance from a second threshold, the plurality of signals is a first plurality of signals, the signal data is first signal data, and wherein said computing device is further programmed to:
determine that the second threshold has been exceeded by a predetermined portion of the distance between the first threshold and the second threshold;
in response to determining that the second threshold has been exceeded by the predetermined portion, initiate at least one of an audible alarm or a visible alarm; and
store second signal data indicative of a second plurality of signals received during a second predetermined period of time before and after the alarm was initiated, wherein the second signal data is associated with a warning tag.

5. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the plurality of signals is a first plurality of signals, the signal data is first signal data, and wherein said computing device is further programmed to:
initiate at least one of an audible alarm or a visible alarm;
store second signal data indicative of a second plurality of signals received during a second predetermined period of time before and after the alarm was initiated, wherein the second signal data is associated with an alert tag;
determine one or more changes to conditions in the wind tunnel so that at least the first threshold is no longer exceeded; and
direct one or more messages to the wind tunnel to implement the one or more changes to the conditions in the wind tunnel without user interaction, so that at least the first threshold is no longer exceeded.

6. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the plurality of signals is a first plurality of signals, the signal data is first signal data, and wherein said computing device is further programmed to store second signal data indicative of a second plurality of signals received during a second predetermined period of time before and after the alarm was initiated, wherein the second signal data is associated with an alert tag.

7. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said computing device is further programmed to store the first threshold data based on user input data.

8. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said computing device is further programmed to:
receive the plurality of signals via a plurality of channels, wherein each channel of the plurality of channels comprises signals from one or more sensors of the plurality of sensors; and
store threshold information indicative of a first threshold and a second threshold associated with each channel of the plurality of channels.

9. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the computing device is further programmed to:
calculate a steady state for one sensor of the plurality of sensors;
calculate a dynamic state for the one sensor;
continually compare the steady state to the dynamic state; and
based on the comparison, determine that an operating condition is occurring where damage may occur to at least one of the model or the wind tunnel.

10. A wind tunnel structural health monitor (WTSHM) computer device, said WTSHM computer device comprising a processor in communication with a memory, said processor programmed to:
receive a plurality of signals from a plurality of sensors, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is configured to measure an attribute of a model in a wind tunnel, and wherein the plurality of signals represent measurements of the attributes of the model comprising at least one of strain, stress, lift, weight, drag, or thrust;
store first threshold data indicative of a first threshold that corresponds to normalized alarm limits associated with at least one of the plurality of sensors;
analyze the plurality of signals based, at least in part, on the first threshold data;
determine that the first threshold has been exceeded;
determine one or more changes to operating conditions in the wind tunnel without making changes to the model so that at least the first threshold is no longer exceeded; and
direct, to the wind tunnel, one or more messages that instruct the wind tunnel to implement the one or more changes to the operating conditions in the wind tunnel without user interaction.

11. The WTSHM computer device in accordance with claim 10 , wherein the processor is further programmed to:
in response to a determining that a second threshold has been exceeded, initiate a short alarm, wherein the short alarm is at least one of an audible alarm or a visual alarm.

12. The WTSHM computer device in accordance with claim 10 , wherein the processor is further programmed to:
in response to determining that a second threshold has been exceeded a predetermined number of times in a first predetermined period of time, initiate at least one of an audible alarm or a visible alarm; and
store the plurality of signals received for a second predetermined period of time before and after the alarm was initiated, wherein the stored plurality of signals are associated with a warning tag.

13. The WTSHM computer device in accordance with claim 10 , wherein the first threshold is a distance from a second threshold, and wherein the processor is further programmed to:
in response to determining that the second threshold has been exceeded by a predetermined portion of the distance between the first threshold and the second threshold, initiate at least one of an audible alarm or a visible alarm; and
store the plurality of signals received for a second predetermined period of time before and after the alarm was initiated, wherein the stored plurality of signals are associated with a warning tag.

1

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Chi Raymond Sungtah
• Waymire Russell William

Classifications

• G01M5/0016 Primary

  of aircraft wings or blades · CPC title

• H04Q9/00

  Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom · CPC title

• G01M5/0066

  by exciting or detecting vibration or acceleration (vibration testing of structures G01M7/00) · CPC title

• G01M9/02

  Wind tunnels · CPC title

• G06F9/02

  using wired connections, e.g. plugboards · CPC title