Fire suppression system for aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11413484-B2
Application number	US-201916518935-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2019
Priority date	Jul 22, 2019
Publication date	Aug 16, 2022
Grant date	Aug 16, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of monitoring pressure in a fire suppression system of an aircraft, the method providing: receiving a first pressure-vessel measured pressure from a first pressure-vessel pressure transducer connected to a first pressure-vessel; receiving a second pressure-vessel measured temperature from a second pressure-vessel temperature sensor connected to a second pressure-vessel; calculating a first pressure-vessel estimated pressure from the second pressure-vessel measured temperature; comparing the first pressure-vessel measured pressure With the first pressure-vessel estimated pressure; and providing a depressurization alert when a difference between the first pressure-vessel measured pressure and the first pressure-vessel estimated pressure is greater than a threshold thereby avoiding unscheduled aircraft downtime due to an erroneous or missing temperature measurement in the first pressure-vessel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of monitoring pressure in a fire suppression system of an aircraft, comprising:
receiving a first pressure-vessel measured pressure from a first pressure-vessel pressure transducer connected to a first pressure-vessel;
receiving a second pressure-vessel measured temperature from a second pressure-vessel temperature sensor connected to a second pressure-vessel;
calculating a first pressure-vessel estimated pressure from the second pressure-vessel measured temperature;
comparing the first pressure-vessel measured pressure with the first pressure-vessel estimated pressure; and
providing a depressurization alert when a difference between the first pressure-vessel measured pressure and the first pressure-vessel estimated pressure is greater than a threshold,
thereby avoiding unscheduled aircraft downtime due to an erroneous or missing temperature measurement in the first pressure-vessel.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining that a first pressure-vessel temperature sensor is malfunctioning before estimating pressure for the first pressure-vessel from the second pressure-vessel measured temperature.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising determining that the first pressure-vessel temperature sensor is malfunctioning when the first pressure-vessel temperature sensor is failing to provide a first pressure-vessel measured temperature.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
receiving a first pressure-vessel measured temperature from the first pressure-vessel temperature sensor;
receiving a third pressure-vessel measured temperature from a third pressure-vessel temperature sensor connected to a third pressure-vessel;
comparing the first pressure-vessel measured temperature, the second pressure-vessel measured temperature and the third pressure-vessel measured temperature and determining therefrom that the first pressure-vessel pressure transducer is malfunctioning.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comparing includes determining that:
a first difference between the first pressure-vessel measured temperature and the second pressure-vessel measured temperature is greater than the threshold; and
a second difference between the second pressure-vessel measured temperature and the third pressure-vessel measured temperature is less than the threshold;
thereby determining that that the first pressure-vessel temperature sensor is malfunctioning.

6. The method of claim 2 , further comprising providing a maintenance alert when the first pressure-vessel temperature sensor is malfunctioning.

7. A method of monitoring pressure in fire suppression system of an aircraft, comprising:
receiving a plurality of pressure-vessel measured temperatures from a respective plurality of pressure-vessel temperature sensors operationally connected to a respective plurality of pressure-vessels;
determining an operational state of a first pressure-vessel temperature sensor of the plurality of pressure-vessel temperature sensors, operationally connected to a first pressure-vessel of the plurality of pressure-vessels, by comparing the plurality of pressure-vessel measured temperatures with one another;
calculating a first pressure-vessel estimated pressure for the first pressure-vessel from a second pressure-vessel measured temperature of the plurality of pressure-vessel measured temperatures when the first pressure-vessel temperature sensor is malfunctioning; and
providing a depressurization alert when a difference between a first pressure-vessel measured pressure and the first pressure-vessel estimated pressure is greater than a threshold,
thereby avoiding unscheduled aircraft downtime due to an erroneous or missing temperature measurement in the first pressure-vessel.

8. A fire suppression system of an aircraft comprising:
a first pressure-vessel having a first pressure-vessel pressure transducer;
a second pressure-vessel having a second pressure-vessel temperature sensor;
a controller operationally connected to the first pressure-vessel pressure transducer and the second pressure-vessel temperature sensor, the controller configured to:
receive a first pressure-vessel measured pressure from the first pressure-vessel pressure transducer;
receive a second pressure-vessel measured temperature from the second pressure-vessel temperature sensor;
calculate a first pressure-vessel estimated pressure from the second pressure-vessel measured temperature;
compare the first pressure-vessel estimated pressure with the first pressure-vessel measured pressure; and
provide a depressurization alert when a difference between the first pressure-vessel measured pressure and the first pressure-vessel estimated pressure is greater than a threshold,
thereby avoiding unscheduled aircraft downtime due to an erroneous or missing temperature measurement in the first pressure-vessel.

9. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a first pressure-vessel temperature sensor operationally connected to the controller, and wherein the controller is configured to determining that the first pressure-vessel temperature sensor is malfunctioning before estimating pressure for the first pressure-vessel from the second pressure-vessel measured temperature.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine that the first pressure-vessel temperature sensor is malfunctioning when the first pressure-vessel temperature sensor is failing to provide a first pressure-vessel measured temperature.

11. The system of claim 10 , further comprising a third pressure-vessel with a third pressure-vessel temperature sensor operationally connected to the controller, and wherein the controller is configured to:
receive the first pressure-vessel measured temperature from the first pressure-vessel temperature sensor;
receive a third pressure-vessel measured temperature from the third pressure-vessel temperature sensor;
compare the first pressure-vessel measured temperature, the second pressure-vessel measured temperature and the third pressure-vessel measured temperature and determine therefrom that the first pressure-vessel pressure transducer is malfunctioning.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the controller further determines that:
a first difference between the first pressure-vessel measured temperature and the second pressure-vessel measured temperature is greater than the threshold; and
a second difference between the second pressure-vessel measured temperature and the third pressure-vessel measured temperature is less than the threshold;
thereby determining that that the first pressure-vessel temperature sensor is malfunctioning.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the controller is further configured to provide a maintenance alert when the first pressure-vessel temperature sensor is malfunctioning.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the second pressure-vessel further includes a second pressure-vessel pressure transducer operationally connected to the controller and the third pressure-vessel includes a third pressure-vessel pressure transducer operationally connected to the controller.

15. An aircraft including a cargo bay and the fire suppression system of claim 8 .

16. The aircraft of claim 15 , further comprising:
a discharge head; and
a piping system connecting the first pressure-vessel, the second pressure-vessel and the third pressure-vessel with the discharge head.

17. The aircraft of claim 16 , wherein each pressure-vessel pressure transducer and each pressure-vessel temperature sensor communicates with the con

Assignees

• Kidde Tech Inc

Inventors

• Norris Robert J
• Herron Tadd F

Classifications

• F17C13/026

  having the temperature as the parameter · CPC title

• F17C2260/035

  of fluid · CPC title

• A62C99/0018

  using gases or vapours that do not support combustion, e.g. steam, carbon dioxide · CPC title

• A62C3/08 Primary

  in aircraft {(A62C3/0207 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• F17C2260/015

  Facilitating maintenance · CPC title