Wing Fold Controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016176504-A1
Application number	US-201615057123-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 1, 2016
Priority date	Oct 1, 2011
Publication date	Jun 23, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Illustrative embodiments may provide for an apparatus and method of controlling the folding of a wing. The apparatus may include a sensor, an actuator, and a wing fold controller. The method may include receiving a status of at least one of an aircraft and a wing fold system of the aircraft by the wing fold controller of the wing fold system. The method may also include receiving an automated command by the wing fold controller in response to receiving the status. The method may also include operating the wing fold system by the wing fold controller based on the automated command and the status. The method may also include transitioning a wingtip of a wing of the aircraft to one of a flight position and a folded position by an actuator of the wing fold system in response to commands from the wing fold controller.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of controlling folding of a wing, the method comprising:
receiving, in a wing fold controller, a status of at least one of: an aircraft, and a wing fold system, such that the aircraft comprises the wing fold controller and the wing fold system; receiving, in the wing fold controller, a command in response to receiving the status; operating the wing fold system, using the wing fold controller, based on the command and the status of at least one of: the aircraft, and the wing fold system; checking for a presence of a latent anomaly in the wing fold system via a periodic automated system test by the wing fold controller; and communicating a warning responsive to discovering the latent anomaly.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the command directing the wing:
to a folded position with the status indicating the aircraft is on a taxiway; and to a flight position with the status indicating the aircraft is on a runway.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
the automated system test comprising a verification that a moveable wing tip is latched to a fixed wing tip and that a latch latching the moveable wing tip to the fixed wing tip is locked; and displaying the status of the wing fold system on a display.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising checking for the presence of the latent anomaly comprising using a status of a latch in the wing fold system and a status of a lock on the latch in the wing fold system.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the periodic automated system test comprising: determining, via the wing fold controller, whether the status prevents the command; and at least one of:
transitioning, via a wingtip actuator, a wingtip of the wing to one of: a flight position of the wing, and a folded position of the wing, in response to the command; and preventing, via the wing fold controller, the wingtip actuator from transitioning the wingtip when the status prevents the command.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transitioning, via a latch actuator, a latch of the wing fold system of the aircraft to one of an open position and a closed position after the wingtip transitions to a flight position.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
transitioning, via a lock actuator, the lock of the latch of the wing fold system of the aircraft to one of: an engaged position, and a disengaged position that prevents movement of: the latch, and the wingtip.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
communicating a warning in response to receiving the status, when the status indicates that a location of the aircraft requires a different position of the wingtip.

9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising the status indicating the wingtip being in at least one of:
a flight position—with the location of the aircraft being at least one of: on a taxiway, and at a gate; and a folded position with the location of the aircraft being on a runway.

10 . An apparatus to control a wing fold system of a wing of an aircraft, the apparatus comprising:
a wing fold controller configured to:
receive a status of at least one of: the aircraft, and the wing fold system of the aircraft;
discover, based upon a periodic automated system test by the wing fold controller, a latent anomaly in the wing fold system;
communicate a warning in response to a discovery of the latent anomaly in the wing fold system;
receive a command based on receiving the status; and
operate the wing fold system of the aircraft based on the command and the status; and
a wingtip actuator configured to transition, in response to the wing fold controller, a wingtip of the wing of the aircraft to one of: a flight position and a folded position.

11 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the status indicates at least one of:
that the aircraft is at least one of: on a taxiway, and rolling toward the taxiway, and the command directs the wing to the folded position; and the aircraft is at least one of: on a runway, and rolling toward the runway, and the command directs the wing to the flight position.

12 . The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising:
a display configured to display the status of the wing fold system; and the status of the wing fold system comprising:
a status of a latch comprising a status for any: actuator, wiring, hydraulic power, electric power, or sensor, associated with the latch; and
a status of a lock on the latch comprising a status for any: actuator, wiring, hydraulic power, electric power, or sensor, associated with the lock.

13 . The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising the periodic automated test verifying a status of each latch in the wing fold system and a status of each lock on each latch in the wing fold system.

14 . The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising:
the wing fold controller configured to: determine that the status prevents the command, and prevent transitioning the wingtip when the status prevents the command.

15 . The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising:
a latch actuator configured to transition the latch of the wing fold system of the aircraft to one of: an open position, and a closed position, after the wingtip transitions to the flight position; and a lock actuator configured to transition the lock to one of: an engaged position, and a disengaged position, and prevent movement of the latch and the wingtip.

16 . The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising:
the wing fold controller configured to communicate, when the status indicates that a location of the aircraft requires a different position of the wingtip, a warning in response to receiving the status, and the status indicates at least one of: that the wingtip is in the flight position, and that the aircraft is one of: on a taxiway, at a gate, approaching any obstacle or vehicle that the wing fold controller predicts to contact the wingtip, and approaching the taxiway; and that the wingtip is in the folded position and at least one of: on a runway, and rolling toward the runway.

17 . An aircraft that comprises:
a computer, comprising: a bus, a processor connected to the bus, and a memory connected to the bus, the memory storing a program code which, when executed by the processor, performs a computer-implemented method, the program code comprising: program code configured to receive a status of at least one of: the aircraft, and a wing fold system of the aircraft, by a wing fold controller of the aircraft; program code configured to receive a command, by the wing fold controller of the aircraft, in response to receiving the status; program code configured to, using the processor, determine, via the wing fold controller, if a lock of the wing fold system is operational; program code configured to, using the processor, issue a periodic automated system test with the lock of the wing fold system in an engaged position; program code configured to, using the processor, communicate a warning, responsive to the periodic automated system test with the lock in the engaged position, based upon a determination by at least one lock sensor of at least one of: the status, and a position of the lock; program code configured to, using the processor, operate the wing fold system of the aircraft, via the wing fold controller, based on the command and the status; and program code configured to, using the processor, transition a wingtip of a wing of the aircraft to one of: a flight position and a folded position via a wingtip actuator of the w

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Lassen Matthew August
• Douglas Chad Richard
• Jones Kelly Thomas
• Kenning Terence Boyd

Classifications

• B64C3/56 Primary

  Folding or collapsing to reduce overall dimensions of aircraft · CPC title

• Y02T50/50

  On board measures aiming to increase energy efficiency · CPC title

• Y02T50/10

  Drag reduction · CPC title