Method and device for auxiliary measurement of fuel quantity of civil aircraft

Abstract

The invention provides a device for auxiliary measurement of the fuel quantity of a civil aircraft. The device may include: a level meter that may be used to measure a level height of a fuel tank; the mounting bracket can be used for fixing the level meter at an upper wall plate area of the oil tank; and the ground handheld equipment can be used for receiving the oil tank liquid level height information fed back by the level meter and calculating the fuel quantity in the oil tank based on the oil tank liquid level height information. In addition, the invention further provides a method for auxiliary measurement of the fuel quantity of the civil aircraft. The device is portable and easy to move, the liquid level height of the oil tank can be measured through the interface reserved in the upper wall plate of the oil tank, and the oil quantity of the oil tank with higher measurement precision can be obtained.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of civil transport aircraft design, and in particular to a method and a device for auxiliary measurement of fuel quantity of civil aircraft. Background Art

[0002] The function of the civil aircraft fuel quantity measurement system is to measure the fuel quantity of the aircraft and provide this information to the display in the cockpit and the refueling panel (if on the ground). The fuel quantity measurement system can be divided into the main fuel quantity measurement system (used both on the ground and in the air) and the auxiliary fuel quantity measurement system (mainly used on the ground) (some models may not have it). The current civil aircraft fuel quantity auxiliary measurement system adopts the dipstick system.

[0003] The dipstick system usually consists of a number of magnetic fuel level indicators (commonly called dipsticks). The dipstick consists of an assembly fixed vertically inside the tank to the lower surface of the integral tank and accessible from the outside through the lower skin. It features a graduated rod with a magnet at the top that can slide freely downward inside the outer tube when unlocked. A float with an integral magnet is located on the rod and moves freely up and down the rod as the fuel level rises and falls. In the event of failure of the main measurement system in the fuel tank, the fuel level can be determined when the dipstick is used on the ground by unlocking the relevant dipstick and allowing the graduated rod to slowly descend until the magnet at the end of the rod is attracted by the float magnet. The fuel level is then determined from the exposed scale. Finally, the fuel quantity is determined using attitude (which can come from the attitude indicator), density (which can come from the fuel supplier's data) and level data, using the fuel quantity conversion table in the relevant manual.

[0004] The dipstick as an auxiliary measurement system has the following problems:

[0005] a) The dipstick has an opening on the cover of the lower wall of the fuel tank. When fuel leakage occurs at the dipstick installation location, the dipstick must be removed and resealed after the fuel tank is emptied, which is inconvenient for operation and maintenance. Considering the impact of disassembly and assembly on the self-locking fasteners on the dipstick, the number of times the dipstick can be disassembled and assembled is limited.

[0006] b) Since the oil dipstick is installed on the outer surface of the oil tank, a lightning protection test is required, which has high test costs;

[0007] c) Due to manual visual reading, the minimum scale of the dipstick cannot be set too small (for example, the minimum scale of a certain branch line is set to 5mm), and the measurement accuracy of the dipstick is low;

[0008] d) After obtaining the oil level height from the dipstick measurement, it is necessary to look up the fuel quantity conversion table in the manual based on the current aircraft attitude angle and fuel density to determine the fuel quantity. The table lookup process is complicated;

[0009] e) When using the dipstick for measurement, the required range for the ground parking attitude angle is very small. When a certain type of regional aircraft is tested for the dipstick-related onboard test procedure (OATP) before leaving the factory, the ground parking attitude angle is required to be limited to ±0.2° for the roll angle and ±0.5 for the pitch angle. During the test, the road surface flatness of multiple sites did not meet the parking attitude angle requirements, resulting in the inability to conduct the test. Summary of the invention

[0010] This Summary is provided to introduce some concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0011] The present invention aims to provide a method and a device for auxiliary measurement of fuel quantity of civil aircraft.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for auxiliary measurement of fuel quantity in civil aircraft, which apparatus may include: a level meter, which can be used to measure the liquid level height of a fuel tank; a mounting bracket, which can be used to fix the level meter to an upper wall panel area of ​​the fuel tank; and a ground handheld device, which can be used to receive fuel tank liquid level information fed back by the level meter and calculate the amount of fuel in the fuel tank based on the fuel tank liquid level information.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the level meter may be a non-contact level meter, powered by a battery, and may have a universal adjustment mechanism and a position indicating device.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the level meter may have a waterproof and explosion-proof design.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the mounting bracket may be higher than the surface of the upper wall plate of the oil tank and may have a universal adjustment mechanism.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the mounting bracket may be adapted to fit a gravity fuel filler seat.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the ground handheld device can further calculate the fuel quantity according to the current aircraft attitude angle, the fuel tank liquid level information fed back by the level meter, and the fuel density.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the ground handheld device may have an input end and an output end. The current aircraft attitude angle and fuel density information may be input through the input end, and the fuel quantity calculation result may be output through the output end.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the level meter can send the measurement result of the oil tank liquid level to the ground handheld device in a wireless manner.

[0020] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the level meter and the ground handheld device may have a false echo learning function.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for auxiliary measurement of fuel quantity in a civil aircraft is provided, which may include: using a level meter to determine oil level information in a fuel tank; fixing the level meter to an upper wall area of ​​the fuel tank using a mounting bracket; and calculating the fuel quantity based on the oil level information.

[0022] Compared with the solutions in the prior art, the device for auxiliary measurement of fuel quantity of civil aircraft provided by the present invention has at least the following advantages:

[0023] 1. As a ground-supported GSE device, the present invention is not installed and does not require lightning testing, thus saving testing costs.

[0024] 2. The level meter in the present invention does not rely on external power supply and circuits, but is powered by batteries, which makes it portable and easy to move. In conjunction with the ground handheld device in the present invention, the oil volume can be directly obtained.

[0025] 3. The present invention uses a level meter to measure the liquid level, which has higher measurement accuracy. In addition, the ground handheld device used in the present invention can receive the measurement results of the level meter and automatically calculate the oil volume in the tank, avoiding the complex operation of manually looking up the oil dipstick table reading.

[0026] 4. The level meter and the mounting bracket in the present invention have a universal adjustment mechanism, which, combined with the algorithm software integrated in the ground handheld device, can correct the ground parking attitude angle.

[0027] 5. The present invention further expands the ultra-small range limitation of the ground parking attitude angle by using the traditional oil dipstick as an auxiliary measurement system.

[0028] 6. The use of the device of the present invention only requires a reserved interface on the upper wall of the fuel tank. The interface form on the fuel tank can be consistent with the gravity refueling port seat.

[0029] 7. The device of the present invention avoids opening holes in the lower wall of the fuel tank, which will not cause oil leakage on the flight line, thereby improving the safety and reliability of the aircraft. It also avoids the time-consuming and high-cost maintenance work of draining the fuel tank for inspection after the oil dipstick leaks.

[0030] These and other features and advantages will become apparent by reading the following detailed description and by reference to the associated drawings.It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are illustrative only and are not restrictive of the aspects of what is claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to understand the manner in which the above features of the present invention are used in detail, the above briefly summarized contents can be described in more detail with reference to various embodiments, some of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings only show some typical aspects of the present invention and should not be considered to limit its scope, because the description may allow for other equally effective aspects.

[0032] Figure 1 The figure is a schematic diagram of a device for auxiliary measurement of fuel quantity of a civil aircraft according to one aspect of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of distance measurement by a radar level meter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of distance measurement by an ultrasonic level meter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of a connection example of a level meter and a mounting bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the interface cover and the interface seat according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the connection between a level meter, a mounting bracket and an interface socket according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 7 The flowchart is a flowchart of an implementation method for auxiliary measurement of fuel quantity of civil aircraft according to another aspect of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a method for auxiliary measurement of fuel quantity of a civil aircraft according to another aspect of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and the features of the present invention will be further revealed in the following specific description.

[0041] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an apparatus 100 for auxiliary measurement of fuel quantity of a civil aircraft according to one aspect of the present invention is illustrated.

[0042] like Figure 1As shown in FIG. 1 , the device 100 for auxiliary measurement of fuel quantity of civil aircraft may include a non-contact level meter 102, a mounting bracket 104 and a ground handheld device 106. The non-contact level meter 102 may be powered by a battery, does not rely on an external power supply and circuit, and is more portable. The non-contact level meter 102 may be a radar level meter or an ultrasonic level meter. The radar level meter uses the echo ranging principle 200 as shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown in the figure, the radar level meter can transmit low-energy microwaves to the fuel surface through the antenna, which are reflected by the fuel surface and then received by the antenna. The time interval between the transmitted pulse and the received pulse is proportional to the distance from the radar level meter antenna to the oil surface, and the distance can be calculated based on the time interval. Ultrasonic level meters use the echo ranging principle 300 Figure 3 As shown in the figure, an ultrasonic level meter can emit high-frequency ultrasonic pulses through a transducer (i.e., probe). The emitted ultrasonic pulses propagate in the air and are reflected back when encountering the surface of a liquid or solid material. The transducer receives these reflected ultrasonic pulses, i.e., echoes. The electronic equipment inside the level meter calculates the time difference between the emission of the ultrasonic wave and the reception of the echo. Since the propagation speed of ultrasonic waves in the air is known (approximately 340 meters per second under standard atmospheric conditions), the level meter can calculate the propagation distance of the ultrasonic wave by measuring the time difference. The propagation distance of the ultrasonic wave is equal to the distance from the transducer to the surface of the material. Therefore, the ultrasonic level meter can calculate the height of the material based on this.

[0043] The non-contact level meter 102 may have a waterproof and explosion-proof design, and its shell is usually made of a waterproof and explosion-proof shell made of materials such as die-cast aluminum alloy. This shell is not only sturdy and durable, but also has good protection capabilities. In addition, the non-contact measurement method of the non-contact level meter 102 reduces direct contact with the measured medium, thereby reducing the failure rate and improving safety.

[0044] The non-contact level meter 102 may have a universal adjustment mechanism and may have a position indicating device (such as Figure 4 The level gauge 402 shown in the figure can ensure that the level meter is always installed perpendicular to the surface to be measured, that is, to ensure that the level meter is vertically aligned with the tank liquid surface during measurement, and to ensure the accuracy of the liquid level measurement in the tank. The mounting bracket 104 can also have a universal adjustment mechanism. The universal adjustment mechanism of the non-contact level meter 102 and the mounting bracket 104 has multiple implementation forms, Figure 4 An example 400 of connecting a level meter and a mounting bracket using a ball cage to achieve universal adjustment is shown. Figure 4As shown in , the ball cage universal joint is a mechanical device that can achieve large angle adjustment and universal transmission, also known as a ball cage coupling or a ball cage universal coupling. The ball cage universal joint is mainly composed of an outer ring (spherical ring), an inner ring (star sleeve) and a retaining frame (ball cage, for example, the ball cage 406 shown in the figure). In an embodiment of the present application, the outer ring can be on a mounting bracket, the inner ring can be fixed to the level meter, and the retaining frame accommodates steel balls, which are located in the raceways of the inner and outer rings. The ball cage universal joint can achieve a large angle adjustment, which makes it very useful under working conditions that require a large inclination angle or limited radial dimensions. In an embodiment of the present application, the level meter can have a universal adjustment mechanism, and the mounting bracket can also have a universal adjustment mechanism, so that when the level meter and the mounting bracket are connected through the universal adjustment mechanism therein, the level meter can be adjusted in different directions to adapt to different installation environments and measurement requirements, and the influence of tangential displacement on axial displacement measurement can be eliminated to ensure the accuracy of measurement. In the present invention, when the level meter 404 is vertically aligned with the tank liquid surface, the level gauge 402 on the level meter 404 can show that the level meter 404 is horizontal through the position of bubbles or liquid relative to the horizontal mark, thereby ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the level meter 404 during measurement.

[0045] The mounting bracket 104 may be higher than the surface of the upper wall plate of the oil tank, thereby ensuring that the level meter 102 will not contact the oil in the oil tank after installation, and preventing the oil from adhering to the level meter 102 and affecting the measurement.

[0046] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of an interface cover and an interface seat form 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention is explained. In an embodiment of the present invention, a suitable number of installation interfaces can be reserved at a suitable position on the upper wall of an aircraft fuel tank according to the fuel tank structure, size, equipment and pipeline layout in the fuel tank, etc. The installation interface can adopt a design similar to a gravity refueling port seat, and when auxiliary measurement is not required, the fuel tank sealing function can be achieved through a device similar to a gravity refueling port cover. In an embodiment of the present invention, a position with fewer pipelines and equipment within the vertical projection range can be selected as the installation interface position as much as possible, so as to minimize false echoes. Figure 5 The middle interface seat 504 is an example of a reserved installation interface on the aircraft of the present invention. When the device of the present invention is not needed for auxiliary measurement, the interface cover 502 can be used to achieve sealing. For aircraft with gravity refueling function, the interface seat 504 can be adapted to the gravity refueling seat.

[0047] Figure 6The schematic diagram of the connection form 600 of the level meter, the mounting bracket and the interface seat according to an embodiment of the present invention is explained. When the device of the present invention needs to be used for auxiliary oil volume measurement, the interface cover can be removed. Since the mounting bracket matches the interface seat, the mounting bracket can be directly connected to the interface seat and then the level meter can be placed for measurement. The level meter 602, the mounting bracket 604 and the interface seat 606 of the present invention can be as follows Figure 6 When there is no need to measure the auxiliary oil volume, the level meter and the mounting bracket can be removed and the interface cover of the upper wall of the fuel tank can be installed. The installation interface is set on the upper wall of the aircraft fuel tank, which can avoid the opening of the lower wall of the fuel tank and will not cause oil leakage on the route, thereby improving the safety and reliability of the aircraft and avoiding the time-consuming and high-cost maintenance work of draining the fuel tank for inspection after the oil dipstick leaks.

[0048] The present invention may also include a ground handheld device 106. The non-contact level meter 102 and the ground handheld device 106 may be connected wirelessly (e.g., Bluetooth). When the non-contact level meter 102 and the ground handheld device 106 are turned on and can communicate normally, the non-contact level meter 102 may send the measurement result of the fuel tank liquid level to the ground handheld device 106. The ground handheld device 106 may further include an input end and an output end. The current aircraft attitude angle and fuel density may be input to the ground handheld device 106 through the input end. The ground handheld device 106 may have an algorithm software, which may calculate the fuel volume according to the current aircraft attitude angle and the fuel tank liquid level information fed back by the level meter 102, and then calculate the fuel quantity in combination with the fuel density. The calculated fuel quantity may be output to the output end of the ground handheld device 106 to achieve accurate measurement of the liquid level, and may avoid the complicated operation of manually looking up the oil dipstick table reading.

[0049] The non-contact level meter 102 and the ground handheld device 106 in the present invention can also have a false echo learning function, which allows it to identify and ignore interference echoes generated by the internal structure of the container, obstacles or other non-target surfaces, and can correctly confirm the real echo in the presence of multiple false echoes, thereby obtaining accurate measurement results. The application of the false echo learning function can greatly improve the measurement accuracy and reliability in the presence of interference objects.

[0050] Figure 7 1 is a flow chart illustrating an implementation 700 for assisting fuel quantity measurement in a civil aircraft according to another aspect of the present invention. Figure 7As shown in , the example implementation 700 of auxiliary measurement of fuel quantity of civil aircraft starts from 702. First, the interface cover of the upper wall plate of the fuel tank can be removed (frame 704), and the level meter and the mounting bracket can be fixed at the reserved interface (frame 706). The universal adjustment device on the level meter or the mounting bracket can be adjusted according to the position indicating device on the level meter to ensure that the level meter and the liquid surface to be measured are vertical (frame 708). Then, the level meter and the handheld device can be turned on to confirm that the level meter can measure normally and is in normal communication with the handheld device (frame 710). The current aircraft attitude angle and fuel density information can be input on the handheld device (frame 712). The handheld device can receive the oil level information fed back by the level meter (frame 714), and then the handheld device can feed back the oil quantity calculation result (frame 716). After the measurement is completed, the handheld device and the level meter can be turned off (frame 718), and then the level meter and the mounting bracket can be removed (frame 720), and the interface cover of the upper wall panel of the fuel tank can be installed (frame 722). At this point, the auxiliary measurement of fuel quantity for civil aircraft is completed (frame 722).

[0051] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a method 800 for assisting fuel quantity measurement in a civil aircraft according to another aspect of the present invention is illustrated. Figure 8 As shown in , the method 800 for auxiliary measurement of fuel quantity of civil aircraft may include fixing a level meter at an upper wall area of ​​a fuel tank using a mounting bracket (block 802), determining the oil level information in the fuel tank using the level meter (block 804), and calculating the fuel quantity based on the oil level information (block 806). The method for auxiliary measurement of fuel quantity of civil aircraft does not require a flash test, saves test costs, realizes a more accurate measurement of the fuel tank liquid level, and avoids the complex operation of manually looking up the oil dipstick table reading.

[0052] What has been described above includes examples of various aspects of the claimed subject matter. Of course, it is not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methods for the purpose of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Thus, the disclosed subject matter is intended to encompass all such alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device for auxiliary measurement of fuel quantity of civil aircraft, the device comprising: A level meter, which is used to measure the liquid level of the oil tank; A mounting bracket, the mounting bracket is used to fix the level meter at an upper wall area of ​​the oil tank; and A ground handheld device is used to receive the fuel tank liquid level information fed back by the level meter and calculate the fuel amount in the fuel tank based on the fuel tank liquid level information.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The level meter is a non-contact level meter. It is battery powered and has a universal adjustment mechanism and a position indication device.

3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that The level meter has a waterproof and explosion-proof design.

4. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The mounting bracket is higher than the surface of the upper wall plate of the oil tank and has a universal adjustment mechanism.

5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that The mounting bracket is adapted to fit the gravity fuel filler port seat.

6. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The ground handheld device further calculates the fuel quantity according to the current aircraft attitude angle, the fuel tank liquid level information fed back by the level meter, and the fuel density.

7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that The ground handheld device has an input end and an output end. The current aircraft attitude angle and fuel density information are input through the input end, and the fuel quantity calculation result is output through the output end.

8. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The level meter sends the measurement result of the oil tank liquid level to the ground handheld device in a wireless manner.

9. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The level meter and the ground handheld device have a false echo learning function.

10. A method for auxiliary measurement of fuel quantity of a civil aircraft, the method comprising: Use the mounting bracket to fix the level meter on the upper wall area of ​​the oil tank; Using the level meter to determine the oil level information in the oil tank; as well as The fuel amount is calculated based on the fuel level information.

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