Method for diagnosing a trailing edge flap fault

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9302763-B2
Application number	US-201314065875-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2013
Priority date	May 13, 2013
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

A method of diagnosing a trailing edge flap fault in an aircraft having a trailing edge flap system including multiple trailing edge flaps, a flap handle for setting the position of the trailing edge flaps, and a flap position sensor, the method includes receiving a position signal, determining a variation in the position signal relative to a reference position, diagnosing a fault, and providing an indication of the diagnosed fault.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of diagnosing a trailing edge flap fault in an aircraft having a trailing edge flap system including multiple trailing edge flaps, a flap handle for setting the position of the trailing edge flaps, and a flap position sensor, the method comprising:
receiving a position signal from the flap position sensor;
determining, by a controller, a variation in the position signal relative to a reference position;
diagnosing, by a controller, a fault in the trailing edge flap system based on the variation; and
providing, by a controller, an indication of the diagnosed fault.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the diagnosing the fault is based on data from a single flight.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the determined variation indicates an out of range reading.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the receiving the position signal comprises receiving multiple position signals from multiple flap position sensors, with each position signal corresponding to a different trailing edge flap.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the fault is diagnosed when a number of out of range readings for each of the multiple flap position sensors satisfies a predetermined threshold.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the fault is diagnosed as a fault with a Flap Slat Electronics Unit or a Proximity Switch Electronic Unit.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the fault is diagnosed when a number of out of range readings for the flap position sensor satisfies a predetermined threshold.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the fault is diagnosed as a fault with the flap position sensor.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving the position signal comprises receiving a position signal from position sensors for each wing.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the position signals each indicate a collective position of all of the trailing edge flaps on each of the wings, respectively.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising comparing the position signals to define a position comparison.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the fault is diagnosed when the position comparison satisfies a predetermined threshold.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the fault is diagnosed when the position comparison satisfies the predetermined threshold a predetermined number of times over a predetermined number of flights.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the fault is diagnosed as a fault with the position sensor that indicates the collective position of all of the trailing edge flaps on the wing.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the position signal may be stored in a storage device on the aircraft and accessed by the controller.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing the indication comprises providing the indication on a PFD in a cockpit of the aircraft.

Assignees

• Ge Aviat Systems Ltd

Inventors

• Catt Christopher Joseph
• Howard Julia Ann

Classifications

• B64F5/0045

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64D43/00

  Arrangements or adaptations of instruments · CPC title

• B64D45/0005

  Devices specially adapted to indicate the position of a movable element of the aircraft, e.g. landing gear · CPC title

• B64C9/16 Primary

  at the rear of the wing · CPC title

• B64D2045/001

  for indicating symmetry of flaps deflection · CPC title