Method of checking the pressure of an aircraft tire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016272020-A1
Application number	US-201615075411-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 21, 2016
Priority date	Mar 20, 2015
Publication date	Sep 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of checking the pressure of a tire of an aircraft. A pressure reading is taken from the tire with a pressure sensor and wirelessly transmitted to a hand-held device. The hand-held device receives the pressure reading, an aircraft ID which uniquely identifies the aircraft, and a tire ID. The device then retrieves from a memory a reference pressure level associated in the memory with the aircraft ID and the tire ID; compares either the pressure reading, or an adjusted pressure based on the pressure reading, with the reference pressure level; and displays a warning if the pressure reading, or the adjusted pressure based on the pressure reading, is below the reference pressure level.

First claim

1 . A method of checking the pressure of a tire of an aircraft, the method comprising:
taking a pressure reading from the tire with a pressure sensor; transmitting the pressure reading from the pressure sensor to a hand-held device via a wireless connection; and at the hand-held device: receiving the pressure reading from the pressure sensor via the wireless connection; obtaining an aircraft ID which uniquely identifies the aircraft; obtaining a tire ID; obtaining a reference pressure level associated with the aircraft ID and the tire ID; comparing either the pressure reading, or an adjusted pressure based on the pressure reading, with the reference pressure level; and displaying a warning if the pressure reading, or the adjusted pressure based on the pressure reading, is below the reference pressure level.

2 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:
calculating the adjusted pressure based on the pressure reading;
comparing the adjusted pressure with the reference pressure level; and
displaying the warning if the adjusted pressure is below the reference pressure level.

3 . The method of claim 2 further comprising obtaining at the hand-held device a tire gas temperature reading indicative of a gas temperature of the tire, and an ambient temperature value indicative of an ambient temperature; and wherein the adjusted pressure is calculated based on the tire gas temperature reading and the ambient temperature value, the adjusted pressure estimating the pressure of the tire when the gas temperature of the tire reduces to the ambient temperature.

4 . The method of claim 1 comprising:
comparing the pressure reading with the reference pressure level; and displaying a warning if the pressure reading is below the reference pressure level; and
calculating an adjusted pressure based on the pressure reading; comparing the adjusted pressure with the reference pressure level; and displaying a warning if the adjusted pressure is below the reference pressure level.

5 . The method of claim 1 wherein the aircraft ID is obtained at the hand-held device by receiving it from the pressure sensor via the wireless connection.

6 . The method of claim 5 wherein the aircraft ID is obtained by receiving it from the pressure sensor via the wireless connection and by receiving it from a user interface; and the method further comprises checking that that aircraft ID received from the pressure sensor via the wireless connection matches the aircraft ID received from the user interface.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the reference pressure level is a first reference pressure level, and the method further comprises:
taking a second pressure reading from a second tire of the aircraft with a second pressure sensor; wirelessly transmitting the second pressure reading to the hand-held device; and at the hand-held device: receiving the second pressure reading; receiving a second tire ID; obtaining a second reference pressure level associated with the aircraft ID and the second tire ID, wherein the second reference pressure level is different to the first reference pressure level; comparing either the second pressure reading, or a second adjusted pressure based on the second pressure reading, with the second reference pressure level; and displaying a warning if the second pressure reading, or the second adjusted pressure based on the second pressure reading, is below the second reference pressure level.

8 . The method of claim 7 further comprising simultaneously displaying the first and second pressure readings at the hand-held device.

9 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:
taking a second pressure reading from a second tire of the aircraft with a second pressure sensor;
wirelessly transmitting the second pressure reading to the hand-held device; and
at the hand-held device: receiving the second pressure reading; and simultaneously displaying the first and second pressure readings.

10 . The method of claim 1 wherein the reference pressure level is obtained at the hand-held device by receiving it from the pressure sensor via the wireless connection.

11 . The method of claim 1 wherein the reference pressure level is stored in a memory of the hand-held device and linked in the memory with the aircraft ID and the tire ID; and the reference pressure level is obtained at the hand-held device by using the aircraft ID and the tire ID to retrieve the reference pressure level from the memory.

12 . A method of checking the pressures of tires of a plurality of aircraft, the method comprising for each aircraft:
performing the method of claim 1 with the hand-held device, each aircraft having a different aircraft ID; and at the hand-held device: storing each pressure reading in a memory, and linking each pressure reading stored in the memory with its aircraft ID and tire ID.

13 . A hand-held device for checking the pressure of a tire of an aircraft, the device comprising: a receiver for receiving a pressure reading from a tire pressure sensor via a wireless connection; a display; and a processor programmed to compare the pressure reading, or an adjusted pressure based on the pressure reading, with a reference pressure level, and cause the display to present a warning if the pressure reading, or the adjusted pressure based on the pressure reading, is below the reference pressure level.

14 . The device of claim 13 wherein the processor is programmed to calculate an adjusted pressure based on the pressure reading; compare the adjusted pressure with the reference pressure level; and cause the display to present the warning if the adjusted pressure is below the reference pressure level.

15 . The device of claim 13 further comprising a memory storing the reference pressure level and linking the reference pressure level with an aircraft ID and a tire ID, wherein the processor is programmed to use the aircraft ID and the tire ID to retrieve the reference pressure level from the memory.

16 . The device of claim 13 wherein the processor is programmed to obtain the aircraft ID and/or the tire ID from the receiver.

17 . An aircraft landing gear system comprising: a tire; a hand-held device according to claim 13 ; and a pressure sensor arranged to take a pressure reading from the tire and transmit the pressure reading to the hand-held device via the wireless connection.

18 . The system of claim 17 wherein the pressure sensor stores the aircraft ID and is arranged to transmit the aircraft ID to the hand-held device via the wireless connection.

19 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the pressure sensor is also arranged to transmit the aircraft ID and tire ID to the hand-held device via the wireless connection.

20 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the pressure sensor stores the reference pressure level and is arranged to transmit the reference pressure level to the hand-held device via the wireless connection.

21 . A method of checking the pressure of a tire of an aircraft, the method comprising:
measuring a pressure in the tire and transmitting wirelessly the measured pressure to a hand-held device; receiving the measured pressure by a hand-held computing device via the wireless transmission; receiving by the hand-held computer device an aircraft identifier which uniquely identifies the aircraft attached to the tire; receiving by the hand-held computer device a tire identifier which uniquely identifies the tire associated with the measured pressure; the hand-held computer device determines or obt

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Ltd

Inventors

• Bill Andrew

Classifications

• B60C23/0493

  for attachment on the tyre · CPC title

• B60C23/0479 Primary

  Communicating with external units being not part of the vehicle, e.g. tools for diagnostic, mobile phones, electronic keys or service stations · CPC title

• B60C23/0422

  characterised by the type of signal transmission means · CPC title

• B64C25/36

  Arrangements or adaptations of wheels, tyres or axles in general · CPC title

• B60C23/0444

  Antenna structures, control or arrangements thereof, e.g. for directional antennas, diversity antenna, antenna multiplexing or antennas integrated in fenders · CPC title