Carbon brake wear status monitoring system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10907696-B2
Application number	US-201816158680-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2018
Priority date	Oct 12, 2018
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

Systems and methods for measuring the wear of carbon brakes of an aircraft are disclosed herein. The systems and methods include a 3-axis acceleration sensor module mounted on a brake assembly, the 3-axis acceleration sensor module configured to detect acceleration events of the brake assembly in three different component directions. The systems and methods further include a memory module operably connected to the 3-axis acceleration sensor module, the memory module configured to store acceleration events detected by the 3-axis acceleration sensor module and to store a pre-determined threshold for determining carbon brake wear based upon a number of acceleration events detected in a single component direction of the three different component directions. The systems and methods also include a processor module operably connected the processor module configured to compare the stored acceleration events detected in a single direction of the three different directions to the stored pre-determined threshold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for measuring wear of pressure pads of carbon brakes of an aircraft, comprising:
a 3-axis acceleration sensor module mounted on a brake assembly, the 3-axis acceleration sensor module configured to detect acceleration events of the brake assembly in three different component directions;
a memory module operably connected to the 3-axis acceleration sensor module, the memory module configured to store acceleration events detected by the 3-axis acceleration sensor module and to store a pre-determined threshold for determining the wear of the pressure pads of the carbon brakes based upon a number of acceleration events detected in a single component direction of the three different component directions; and
a processor module operably connected to the memory module, the processor module configured to compare the stored acceleration events detected in a single direction of the three different directions to the stored pre-determined threshold and determine an extent of the wear of the pressure pads of the carbon brakes based at least in part on the comparison.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor module is configured to compare a magnitude of each acceleration event detected by the 3-axis acceleration sensor module to a pre-determined magnitude threshold, and wherein the memory module is configured to only store the detected acceleration event if the magnitude of the detected acceleration event is greater than the pre-determined magnitude threshold.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises a wear indicator pin and a wear indicator sensor module configured to measure an exposed pin length of the wear indicator pin.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the wear indicator sensor module determines the exposed pin length of the wear indicator pin on the basis of electrical resistance measurements.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising vibration dampers configured to provide a low-pass frequency filter function for the 3-axis acceleration sensor module.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an alert module configured to transmit an alert signal that the brake assembly should be replaced when the processor module determines that the number of stored acceleration events detected in the single direction exceeds the stored pre-determined threshold.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the alert module is configured to wirelessly transmit the alert signal to a remote monitoring device.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor module is configured to alternate between a sleep mode and an active mode, wherein the processor module is configured to use minimal power in the sleep mode and to operate normally in the active mode, and wherein the processor module is configured to switch from the sleep mode to the active mode when an acceleration event is detected by the 3-axis acceleration sensor module.

9. A method of determining a wear status of a pressure pad of a carbon brake of an aircraft, comprising:
detecting, using a 3-axis acceleration sensor module, an acceleration event in a single direction;
increasing by one, using a processor module, a total number of stored landing events when an acceleration event in the single direction is detected;
comparing, using the processor module, the total number of stored landing events to a pre-determined threshold number of landing events; and
transmitting, using an alert module, a notification that the pressure pad of the carbon brake should be replaced when the total number of stored landing events exceeds the pre-determined threshold number of landing events.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of detecting an acceleration event further comprises comparing, using the processor module, a magnitude of the acceleration event in the single direction to a pre-determined threshold magnitude, and wherein the step of increasing by one the total number of stored landing events is performed only if the magnitude of the detected acceleration event is greater than the pre-determined magnitude.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the method further includes measuring, using a exposed pin length sensor, an exposed pin length of a wear indicator pin of the carbon brake; comparing the measured exposed pin length to a predetermined exposed pin length threshold; and transmitting, using the alert module, a notification that the pressure pad of the carbon brake should be replaced when the measured exposed pin length is less than the predetermined exposed pin length threshold.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of measuring the exposed pin length of the wear indicator pin comprises measuring the exposed pin length using electrical resistance measurements.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of transmitting the notification that the pressure pad of the carbon brake should be replaced comprises wirelessly transmitting the notification that the pressure pad of the carbon brake should be replaced to a remote monitoring device.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the processor module is configured to switch between a low-power “sleep” mode and an “active” mode, wherein the processor module is configured to switch between the sleep mode and the active mode when an acceleration event is detected.

15. A method of retrofitting an aircraft having carbon brakes, comprising:
fitting, to an existing carbon brake assembly:
a 3-axis acceleration sensor module configured to detect acceleration events of the brake assembly in three component directions,
a memory module configured to store acceleration events detected by the 3-axis acceleration sensor module and to store a pre-determined threshold for determining carbon brake wear based upon a number of acceleration events detected in a single component direction of the three component directions, and
a processor module configured to compare the stored acceleration events detected in a single direction of the three different directions to the stored pre-determined threshold to determine a wear status of a pressure pad of the carbon brakes; and

operably connecting the 3-axis acceleration sensor module and the memory module to the processor module.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising the step of fitting to the carbon brake assembly an exposed pin length sensor module to a wear indicator pin of the carbon brake assembly and operably connecting the exposed pin length sensor module to the processor module.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising the step of fitting vibration dampers to the carbon brake assembly.

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Li Qixiang
• Mylaraswamy Dinkar
• Wee Fong
• Encinas Ramon Blanco

Classifications

• F16D66/027 Primary

  Sensors therefor · CPC title

• F16D2066/006

  without direct measurement of the quantity monitored, e.g. wear or temperature calculated form force and duration of braking · CPC title

• F16D2066/003

  Position, angle or speed · CPC title

• F16D66/021

  using electrical detection or indication means · CPC title

• B64F5/60

  Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems · CPC title