Systems and methods for monitoring impact on aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12246851-B2
Application number	US-202418427473-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2024
Priority date	Dec 28, 2021
Publication date	Mar 11, 2025
Grant date	Mar 11, 2025

Abstract

A system for monitoring impact on an electric aircraft is presented. The system includes a sensor communicatively connected to a flight component, wherein the sensor is configured to detect a measured force datum and generate an impact datum as a function of the measured force datum. The system further includes a computing device configured to simulate a landing performance model output as a function of the impact datum, generate a landing performance datum as a function of a comparison between the landing performance model output, determine an alert datum as a function of the landing performance datum, and display the landing performance datum on a user device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for monitoring impact on an aircraft, the system comprising:
a flight component;
a strain gauge connected to the flight component, wherein the strain gauge is configured to measure impact data associated with the flight component during each landing by the aircraft; and
a computing device communicably coupled to the strain gauge and configured to:
determine a hazardous instance for the flight component based on an impact threshold and a change in the impact data measured over a plurality of landings by the aircraft,
determine an alert based on the hazardous instance, and
initiate display of the alert on a graphical user interface.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the alert includes a sound or image indicating the hazardous instance and a threat level of the hazardous instance.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the flight component comprises a landing gear.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the computing device is further configured to initiate an emergency landing based on the alert.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the impact data that includes a strain on the flight component during each landing of the aircraft,
the computing device further configured to:
determine the hazardous instance for the flight component based on the impact threshold and a change in the strain on the flight component based on the impact data for each landing of the aircraft measured by the strain gauge.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the computing device is further configured to:
determine the change in the strain on the flight component by determining performance data for the flight component based on the impact data, and
determine the hazardous instance for the flight component by processing the performance data and a tunable threshold parameter through an impact machine-learning model.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the tunable threshold parameter adjusts the impact threshold based on the flight component.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the impact data further includes force, torque, kinetic energy, or pressure experienced by the flight component during each takeoff and landing of the aircraft.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the impact data includes an intensity of a cushioning of a mechanical portion of the flight component.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the hazardous instance includes damage to or a degrading of the flight component.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the impact data includes a straining parameter denoting an external force experienced by the flight component, and the hazardous instance is an event in which the straining parameter denotes an unsafe health state of the flight component.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the hazardous instance is a hard landing when the change in the impact data exceeds an upper value of the impact threshold.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the impact threshold is a fuzzy set representing a degree of impact severity.

14. A method comprising:
measuring, via a strain gauge during a plurality of landings by an aircraft, impact data associated with a flight component coupled to the aircraft;
determining, via an electronic processor communicably coupled to the strain gauge, a hazardous instance for the flight component based on an impact threshold and a change in the impact data measured over the plurality of landings by the aircraft;
determining, via the electronic processor, an alert based on the hazardous instance, and
providing, via the electronic processor, the alert to a display.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the display is within a cockpit of the aircraft.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the impact data that includes a strain on the flight component during each landing of the aircraft,
the method further comprising:
determining, via the electronic processor, the hazardous instance for the flight component based on the impact threshold and a change in the strain on the flight component based on the impact data for each landing of the aircraft measured by the strain gauge.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
determining, via the electronic processor, the change in the strain on the flight component by determining performance data for the flight component based on the impact data, and
determining, via the electronic processor, the hazardous instance for the flight component by processing the performance data and a tunable threshold parameter through an impact machine-learning model.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the tunable threshold parameter adjusts the impact threshold based on the flight component.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the hazardous instance includes damage to or a degrading of the flight component.

20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the impact data includes a straining parameter denoting an external force experienced by the flight component, and the hazardous instance is an event in which the straining parameter denotes an unsafe health state of the flight component.

Assignees

• Beta Air Llc

Inventors

• Donnelly Richard
• Hall Edward

Classifications

• B64D27/34

  All-electric aircraft · CPC title

• B64D45/04 Primary

  Landing aids; Safety measures to prevent collision with earth's surface · CPC title

• B64D45/00 Primary

  Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B64C25/28

  with indicating or warning devices · CPC title

• B64D2045/008

  Devices for detecting or indicating hard landing · CPC title