Monitoring system for measuring physical quantities at measurement points of structural body, aircraft, and monitoring method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12397925-B2
Application number	US-202318096578-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 13, 2023
Priority date	Jul 15, 2020
Publication date	Aug 26, 2025
Grant date	Aug 26, 2025

Abstract

A monitoring system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a sensor to measure physical quantities at one or a plurality of measurement points of a structural body; processing circuitry configured to acquire measured values from the measurer; a memory to store the measured values acquired from the measurer; and a data storage that, when one or some of the measured values stored in the memory satisfy a predetermined trigger condition, and as a result, it is determined that the structural body has received impact, records a group of data of the measured values which are within a certain time range and include the measured value based on which it is determined that the trigger condition is satisfied.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A monitoring system comprising:
a sensor to measure physical quantities at one or a plurality of measurement points of a structural body;
processing circuitry configured to obtain measured values from the sensor;
a memory to store the measured values that were acquired from the sensor;
a data storage that, when one or some of the measured values stored in the memory satisfy a trigger condition that is predetermined, and as a result, it is determined that the structural body has received an impact, records a group of data of the measured values which are within a certain time range and include a measured value based on which it is determined that the trigger condition is satisfied;
the processing circuitry is configured to set an upper limit threshold and a lower limit threshold based on the measured value in which the upper limit threshold and the lower limit threshold are both shifted by a same later fixed amount of time from a time of the measured value; and
the processing circuitry is configured to determine that the trigger condition is satisfied when the measured value exceeds the upper limit threshold or falls below the lower limit threshold.

2. The monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the processing circuitry acquires the measured values in a first sampling time segment from the sensor;
the processing circuitry converts the measured values into time-series data having a lower sampling time segment by partially eliminating data from the measured values in the first sampling time segment; and
the processing circuitry records the time-series data in the data storage as a history of load applied to the structural body.

3. The monitoring system according to claim 2 , wherein:
the sensor includes a temperature sensor;
the processing circuitry acquires the measured values in the first sampling time segment from the temperature sensor;
the processing circuitry converts the measured values into time-series data whose sampling time segment is the second sampling time segment; and
the processing circuitry records the time-series data in the data storage as a history of temperature applied to the structural body.

4. The monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the sensor measures strains at the measurement points of the structural body; and
when the processing circuitry determines that one or some of the strains satisfy a trigger condition that is predetermined, the processing circuitry estimates a position of a portion of the structural body which has received the impact, based on differences of time changes of the strains at the measurement points.

5. The monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the sensor measures strains at the measurement points of the structural body;
when the processing circuitry determines that one or some of the strains satisfy a trigger condition that is predetermined, the processing circuitry performs a Fourier transform of a waveform of a time change of the strains; and
based on an integrated value of frequency response which is obtained by the Fourier transform, the processing circuitry estimates a range and magnitude of damage caused by the impact applied to the structural body.

6. An aircraft comprising the monitoring system according to claim 1 .

7. The monitoring system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a display to display a message to perform an inspection when the trigger condition is satisfied.

8. The monitoring system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an inspector to inspect the structural body when the trigger condition is satisfied.

9. A method of monitoring, comprising:
measuring physical quantities at one or a plurality of measurement points of a structural body;
acquiring the physical quantities as measured values that are time-series data of a predetermined sampling time segment;
temporarily holding the measured values;
determining that the structural body has received an impact and recording a group of data of the measured values which are within a certain time range and include a measured value based on which it is determined that a trigger condition is satisfied, when one or some of the temporarily held measured values satisfy the trigger condition;
setting an upper limit threshold and a lower limit threshold based on the measured value in which the upper limit threshold and the lower limit threshold are both shifted by a same later fixed amount of time from a time of the measured value; and
determining that the trigger condition is satisfied when the measured value exceeds the upper limit threshold or falls below the lower limit threshold.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein:
the measured values are acquired in a first sampling time segment from a sensor,
the method further comprising:
converting the measured values into time-series data having a lower sampling time segment by partially eliminating data from the measured values in the first sampling time segment; and
recording the time-series data as a history of load applied to the structural body.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein:
the sensor includes a temperature sensor,
the acquiring includes acquiring the measured values in the first sampling time segment from the temperature sensor;
the converting includes converting the measured values into time-series data whose sampling time segment is the second sampling time segment; and
the recording includes recording the time-series data as a history of temperature applied to the structural body.

12. The method according to claim 9 , wherein:
the measuring includes measuring strains at the measurement points of the structural body; and
when it is determined that one or some of the strains satisfy a trigger condition that is predetermined, there is further performed estimating a position of a portion of the structural body which has received the impact, based on differences of time changes of the strains at the measurement points.

13. The method according to claim 9 , wherein:
the measuring includes measuring strains at the measurement points of the structural body,
the method further comprising:
when it is determined that one or some of the strains satisfy a trigger condition that is predetermined, performing a Fourier transform of a waveform of a time change of the strains; and
based on an integrated value of frequency response which is obtained by the Fourier transform, estimating a range and magnitude of damage caused by the impact applied to the structural body.

14. The method according to claim 9 , wherein:
the measuring measures the structural body which is an aircraft.

15. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising:
a displaying a message to perform an inspection when the trigger condition is satisfied.

16. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising:
inspecting the structural body when the trigger condition is satisfied.

Assignees

• Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd
• Univ Tokyo

Inventors

• Ishida Takuya
• Mamizu Hiroshi
• Ikeda Yuji
• Minakuchi Shu

Classifications

• G01M5/0041

  by determining deflection or stress · CPC title

• G01M5/0033

  by determining damage, crack or wear · CPC title

• B64D2045/0085

  Devices for aircraft health monitoring, e.g. monitoring flutter or vibration · CPC title

• B64F5/60

  Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems · CPC title

• B64D45/00 Primary

  Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for · CPC title