Damage positioning method and system for aircraft

Abstract

The invention provides a damage positioning method and system for an aircraft. The method comprises the steps that a plurality of intelligent wheel chokes are arranged at a plurality of undercarriage positions of the aircraft, and a damage positioning module is arranged at the damage position of the aircraft; determining a first plurality of distances between the plurality of smart chokes using communications between the plurality of smart chokes; constructing a position coordinate system of the aircraft based on the first plurality of distances; determining a second plurality of distances from the damage to the plurality of intelligent wheel chokes by using communication between the plurality of intelligent wheel chokes and the damage positioning module; and according to the plurality of first distances and the plurality of second distances, obtaining one or more pieces of corresponding component information and the position information of the damage in the position coordinate system from a database of the aircraft so as to carry out damage positioning.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of aircraft maintenance, and more particularly, to a method and system for aircraft damage location. Background Art

[0002] Aircraft maintenance is a necessary condition to ensure flight safety. Therefore, aircraft need to be regularly inspected and maintained to detect damage in a timely manner and perform repairs. The first step in the disposal of aircraft airframe structure damage requires maintenance engineers to locate and record the damage.

[0003] Existing damage location generally requires manual measurement and referring to the structure identification chapter in the structure repair manual to find the part numbers of the damaged structure components. For structures such as the fuselage barrel section and wing box, due to their similar structural characteristics, it is impossible to visually and conveniently confirm the frame, stringer, rib station positions, etc. Therefore, this process consumes a lot of man-hours and often has errors and deviations. In addition, there is no corresponding research in the field of automatic matching of aircraft structure damage positions at home and abroad.

[0004] Therefore, in order to reduce the flight safety risks brought by misjudgment of damage positions, improve the execution efficiency of structure damage location, and reduce the maintenance cost of aircraft, there is a need for improved damage location technology in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention content is provided to introduce some concepts in a simplified form that will be further described in the following detailed implementation manners. The present invention content is not intended to identify the key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to help determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0006] One of the purposes of the present invention is to provide a method and system for aircraft damage location, which uses intelligent wheel chocks during the damage location process in aircraft line maintenance and overhaul to improve the accuracy and inspection efficiency of damage location.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for aircraft damage location, the damage location method including: setting a plurality of intelligent wheel chocks at a plurality of landing gear positions of the aircraft, and setting a damage location module at the damage of the aircraft; using the communication between the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks to determine a first plurality of distances between the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks; constructing a position coordinate system of the aircraft based on the first plurality of distances; using the communication between the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks and the damage location module to determine a second plurality of distances from the damage to the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks; and obtaining corresponding one or more component information and the station information of the damage in the position coordinate system from the aircraft database according to the first plurality of distances and the second plurality of distances for damage location.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first plurality of distances and the second plurality of distances are determined using ultra-wideband ranging technology, ultrasonic ranging technology, Wifi ranging technology, or Bluetooth ranging technology.

[0009] In a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the damage location method further includes determining the first plurality of distances and the second plurality of distances by a bilateral two-way ranging method.

[0010] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks includes three intelligent wheel chocks disposed at the nose landing gear position and the main landing gear position of the aircraft, and the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks wake up when displaced to send and receive ranging signals.

[0011] In a further embodiment of the present disclosure, constructing a position coordinate system of the aircraft based on the first plurality of distances further includes: constructing a position coordinate system centered on the aircraft when it is determined that the first plurality of distances form an isosceles triangle and satisfy a preset distance range between the nose landing gear position and the main landing gear position of the aircraft.

[0012] In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, obtaining corresponding one or more component information and the station position information of the damage in the position coordinate system from the aircraft's database according to the first plurality of distances and the second plurality of distances further includes: determining the aircraft model based on the first plurality of distances; determining the station position information of the damage in the position coordinate system based on the second plurality of distances; and determining the one or more component information based on the aircraft model and the station position information.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a damage location system for an aircraft. The damage location system includes: a damage location module disposed at the damaged location of the aircraft; a plurality of intelligent wheel chocks disposed at multiple landing gear positions of the aircraft, and each intelligent wheel chock of the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks includes: a base station processor for communicating with other intelligent wheel chocks of the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks to determine a first plurality of distances between the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks, and communicating with the damage location module to determine a second plurality of distances from the damage to the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks; a low-power processor for collecting data information from the base station processor, the data information including the first plurality of distances and the second plurality of distances, and constructing a position coordinate system of the aircraft based on the first plurality of distances; and a communication module for forwarding the data information from the low-power processor; and a server storing one or more databases of the aircraft, and the server is configured to obtain corresponding one or more component information and the station position information of the damage in the position coordinate system from the one or more databases according to the data information from the communication module of the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks for damage location.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first plurality of distances and the second plurality of distances are determined using ultra-wideband ranging technology, ultrasonic ranging technology, Wifi ranging technology, or Bluetooth ranging technology.

[0015] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks further includes a motion sensor for identifying the motion state of the corresponding intelligent wheel chock and waking up the corresponding intelligent wheel chock to send and receive ranging signals when it is recognized that the corresponding intelligent wheel chock has been displaced.

[0016] In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks further includes a battery assembly and / or a wireless charging module for charging the corresponding intelligent wheel chock.

[0017] In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the server includes: a memory for storing one or more databases of the aircraft; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory, the at least one processor being configured to: receive data information from a corresponding communication module among the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks; match the aircraft type information in the one or more databases according to the first plurality of distances in the data information to determine the aircraft type; obtain the station position information of the damage in the position coordinate system of the aircraft according to the second plurality of distances in the data information in combination with the determined aircraft type; and obtain the corresponding one or more component information from the one or more databases according to the station position information.

[0018] In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the server is connected to the terminal device through a wireless network or a wired network to display the one or more component information and the station position information of the damage in the position coordinate system on the terminal device.

[0019] By reading the following detailed description and referring to the associated drawings, these and other features and advantages will become apparent. It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are illustrative only and do not limit the aspects claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to understand in detail the manner in which the above-described features of the present invention are used, the above briefly summarized content may be described in more detail with reference to the various embodiments, some of which are shown in the drawings. However, it should be noted that the drawings only show some typical aspects of the present invention and should not be considered to limit its scope, as the description may allow other equally effective aspects.

[0021] Figure 1 is a flowchart of a method for aircraft damage location according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2Schematic diagram of a damage location system for an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of an intelligent chock for a damage location system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of a server for a damage location system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 5 Architectural diagram of using an intelligent chock for aircraft structure damage location according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 6 Architectural diagram of an aircraft with three intelligent chocks according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of automatic matching of structural damage positions according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] In the drawings, the drawings are not drawn to actual scale. Detailed implementation manners

[0029] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. Although some embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Instead, these embodiments are provided to more thoroughly and completely understand the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are only for exemplary purposes and are not used to limit the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0030] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more; the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inner", "outer", etc. indicate the orientation or positional relationship only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus cannot be construed as a limitation of the present disclosure. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. "Vertical" is not strictly vertical, but within the allowable error range. "Parallel" is not strictly parallel, but within the allowable error range.

[0031] The orientation terms used in the following description are all the directions shown in the figures, and do not limit the specific structure of the present disclosure. In the description of the present disclosure, it should also be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "coupled" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0032] Reference to "embodiment" in this document means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The phrase appears in various places in the specification and does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. Those skilled in the art will explicitly and implicitly understand that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0033] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "and / or" is merely an associative relationship describing associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after.

[0034] Figure 1 The flowchart of a damage location method for an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0035] As Figure 1 shown in, in step 102, a plurality of intelligent wheel chocks can be provided at multiple landing gear positions of the aircraft, and a damage location module can be provided at the damage location of the aircraft.

[0036] In step 104, the communication between the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks can be used to determine a first plurality of distances between the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks.

[0037] In step 106, a position coordinate system of the aircraft can be constructed based on the first plurality of distances.

[0038] In step 108, the communication between the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks and the damage location module at the damage location of the aircraft can be used to determine a second plurality of distances from the damage to the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks.

[0039] In step 110, one or more corresponding component information and the station position information of the damage in the position coordinate system can be obtained from the database of the aircraft according to the first plurality of distances and the second plurality of distances for damage positioning. Specifically, for example, by matching with the data in the database, the model of the aircraft can be determined based on the first plurality of distances, and the station position information of the damage in the position coordinate system constructed in step 106 can be determined based on the second plurality of distances. Thus, one or more component information corresponding to the damage can be found from the database based on the determined model and station position information.

[0040] In a non-limiting example, the determination of each distance in this solution can adopt UWB (Ultra-Wideband) ranging technology, that is, the first plurality of distances in step 104 and the second plurality of distances in step 108 can be determined by UWB ranging technology. It can be understood that according to the actual situation, other ranging technologies such as ultra-wideband ranging technology, ultrasonic ranging technology, Wifi ranging technology, or Bluetooth ranging technology can also be used for ranging. Further, for example, the first plurality of distances and the second plurality of distances can be determined by the two-way ranging method.

[0041] Specifically, UWB ranging can adopt the TWR (Two-Way Ranging) method, and the distance between the UWB base station and the UWB tag can be calculated by measuring the round-trip message time difference, and the accuracy can reach 10 cm, for example.

[0042] Further, the bilateral TWR (Two-Way Ranging) method with higher accuracy can be adopted to record the waiting time of two responses between two UWB devices (that is, the time difference between the signal sent and the signal received by the same device) T response1 、T response2 、and the response delay time of the two UWB devices (that is, the time difference between the signal received and the signal sent by the same device) T relay1 、T relay2 . Correspondingly, the distance D between the two UWB devices satisfies:

[0043]

[0044] where C is the transmission speed of the signal. The error of the distance D mainly depends on the crystal oscillator quality and timestamp accuracy of the UWB device and the interference in the measurement environment.

[0045] In another non-limiting example, the multiple intelligent chocks in this solution may include three intelligent chocks disposed at the nose landing gear position and the main landing gear position of the aircraft. It can be understood that different aircraft may have different landing gear configurations according to the type, size, and design purpose of the aircraft, and the aircraft chock is a safety device used to prevent the aircraft from accidentally moving when parked on the ground. Correspondingly, the multiple intelligent chocks in this solution may include a greater or smaller number of intelligent chocks according to different landing gear configurations or different measurement requirements (such as measurement accuracy requirements), etc. For example, for multiple chocks used for an aircraft, some or all of the multiple chocks may be set as intelligent chocks according to actual needs. Additionally, the multiple intelligent chocks in this solution may be set to wake up, for example, when a displacement occurs to send and receive ranging signals.

[0046] For the case of three intelligent chocks disposed at the nose landing gear position and the main landing gear position of the aircraft, in step 106, a position coordinate system centered on the aircraft may be further constructed when it is determined that the first multiple distances form an isosceles triangle and satisfy a preset distance range between the nose landing gear position and the main landing gear position of the aircraft.

[0047] Figure 2 FIG. shows a schematic diagram of a damage location system for an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 2 shown, the damage location system includes a damage location module 220, multiple intelligent chocks (including, for example, a first intelligent chock 212, a second intelligent chock 214, and / or a third intelligent chock 216), and a server 260 (i.e., a background server). Among them, the damage location module 220 is disposed at the damage 250 (i.e., structural damage) of the aircraft, and the multiple intelligent chocks are disposed at multiple landing gear positions of the aircraft. The server 260 stores one or more databases of the aircraft and is communicatively connected to the multiple intelligent chocks to receive data information from the multiple intelligent chocks, so as to obtain one or more component information related to or corresponding to the damage 250 and the station position information of the damage 250 from the one or more databases for damage location.

[0048] It should be noted that Figure 2 the shown damage location system is illustrative only and not limiting. The damage location system of the present invention may include more or fewer components than Figure 2 that shown in

[0049] Referring to the damage localization method described above, the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks can be configured to: determine a first plurality of distances between the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks by using the communication between the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks, and construct a position coordinate system of the aircraft based on the first plurality of distances; determine a second plurality of distances from the damage 250 to the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks by using the communication between the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks and the damage localization module 220; and obtain corresponding one or more component information and the station position information of the damage in the position coordinate system from the aircraft's database (the database can be stored in the server 260, for example) according to the first plurality of distances and the second plurality of distances for damage localization.

[0050] In a non-limiting example, each intelligent wheel chock of the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks can include a motion sensor, which is used to identify the motion state of the corresponding intelligent wheel chock, and wake up the corresponding intelligent wheel chock to send and receive ranging signals when it is recognized that the corresponding intelligent wheel chock has a displacement.

[0051] In another non-limiting example, each intelligent wheel chock of the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks can include a battery assembly for charging the corresponding intelligent wheel chock. It can be understood that, according to the actual situation, other methods can also be used to charge or power the intelligent wheel chock, such as the intelligent wheel chock can include a wireless charging module to charge it wirelessly, or be powered by connecting the intelligent wheel chock to an external power device, etc. In addition, the intelligent wheel chock can be configured with one or more charging and power supply functions.

[0052] The damage localization system for an aircraft can implement the Figure 1 damage localization method described above. For example, the first plurality of distances and the second plurality of distances can be determined by using a ranging technology such as UWB (Ultra-Wideband). The specific ranging method can be referred to above and will not be elaborated here.

[0053] The above describes the damage localization method and system for an aircraft of the present invention. The damage localization method and system are convenient to use, accurate and efficient, and easy to deploy.

[0054] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an intelligent wheel chock for a damage localization system according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The intelligent wheel chock can be one of the plurality of intelligent wheel chocks arranged at multiple landing gear positions of the aircraft, such as Figure 2 the first intelligent wheel chock 212, the second intelligent wheel chock 214, and / or the third intelligent wheel chock 216 shown. The intelligent wheel chock can have the function of a positioning base station. Specifically, the intelligent wheel chock can be used for mutual communication and pairing between the intelligent wheel chocks, measuring the distances between the intelligent wheel chocks, so as to establish a position coordinate system relative to the aircraft. The intelligent wheel chock can also be used as a base station to Figure 2communicates with the damage location module 220 therein to measure the distances between each intelligent chock and the damage module 220. The intelligent chock can also be used to upload pairing information, distance information, etc. to the server for further processing.

[0055] For the sake of convenience of description, the UWB ranging technology is taken as an example for explanation below, but it can be understood that other ranging technologies can also be adopted.

[0056] As Figure 3 shown, the intelligent chock may include a base station processor 302 (such as a UWB base station chip), a low-power processor 304 (i.e., a low-power chip), and a communication module 306. In a further non-limiting embodiment, the intelligent chock may further include a motion sensor 308 and a battery assembly 310 (such as a lithium battery power supply). However, it should be noted that Figure 3 the intelligent chock shown is only illustrative and not limiting. The intelligent chock of the present invention may include more or fewer components than Figure 3 the intelligent chock shown.

[0057] Among them, the base station processor 302 can be used to communicate with other intelligent chocks among multiple intelligent chocks to determine the first plurality of distances between the multiple intelligent chocks, and communicate with the damage location module 220 to determine the second plurality of distances from the damage to the multiple intelligent chocks. In other words, the base station processor 302 can communicate with other intelligent chocks in the same group to realize the distance measurement between other intelligent chocks deployed on the aircraft position. In addition, the base station processor 302 can communicate with the UWB tag in the damage location module 220 to measure the distance between the intelligent chock and the damage location module 220.

[0058] The low-power processor 304 can be used to collect data information from the base station processor 302. The data information includes the first plurality of distances and the second plurality of distances, and construct a position coordinate system of the aircraft based on the first plurality of distances. For example, the low-power processor 304 can process the position information, realize the automatic pairing of each intelligent chock within a reasonable distance and record the distance between the damage location modules 220, and send the data to the communication module 306.

[0059] The communication module 306 can be used to forward the data information from the low-power processor 304. Specifically, the communication module 306 can send the relative position information of the intelligent chock relative to other intelligent chocks and the damage location module 220 to the background server for further analysis and processing.

[0060] The motion sensor 308 can be used to identify the motion state of the intelligent chock. When the intelligent chock is carried and displaced, the motion sensor 308 can send a signal to the low-power processor 304 to wake up the intelligent chock.

[0061] The battery assembly 310 can be used to supply power to various electrical components in the intelligent wheel chock, and it can be charged through the charging port 312. As a non-limiting example, the battery assembly 310 is a lithium battery power source, which is configured to meet the operation of the intelligent wheel chock for more than 6 months with a single charge.

[0062] Figure 4 The figure shows a schematic diagram of a server for a damage location system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The server shows a general hardware environment in which the present invention can be applied according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The server can be any machine configured to perform processing and / or computing, and can be, but is not limited to, a workstation, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, or any combination thereof. The above server can be implemented in whole or at least in part by this device or a similar device or system.

[0063] The server may include components connected to or communicating with the bus 420. For example, the server may include a bus 420, one or more processors 405, and one or more memories 410, etc.

[0064] (The) memory 410 can be any storage device capable of implementing data storage. The memory 410 may include, but is not limited to, disk drives, optical storage devices, solid-state memories, floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes or any other magnetic medium, optical discs or any other optical medium, ROM (read-only memory), RAM (random access memory), cache memory and / or any other memory chip or cartridge, and / or any other medium from which a computer can read data, instructions, and / or code. The memory 410 may store computer-executable software 415 including computer-readable instructions, which when executed cause the processor to perform various functions described herein. The memory 410 may have various data / instructions / codes for implementing various functions related to the design of the server in the damage location system described herein. For example, (the) memory 410 may store one or more databases of an aircraft.

[0065] (The) processors 405 can be any type of processor and can include, but are not limited to, general-purpose processors and / or special-purpose processors (such as special processing chips), intelligent hardware devices (such as general-purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 405 can be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, a memory controller (not shown) can be integrated into (the) processor 405. (The) processors 405 are responsible for managing bus 420 and general processing, including executing software 415 stored in memory 410. (The) processors 405 can also be configured to execute various functions related to the damage location method described herein. For example, (the) processors 405 can be configured to: receive data information from corresponding communication modules in multiple intelligent wheel chocks; match the aircraft model information in one or more databases in memory 410 according to the first plurality of distances in the data information to determine the aircraft model; obtain the station position information of the damage in the position coordinate system of the aircraft in combination with the determined aircraft model according to the second plurality of distances in the data information; and obtain the corresponding one or more component information from one or more databases in memory 410 according to the station position information.

[0066] Software 415 can be stored in memory 410 and includes, but is not limited to, an operating system, one or more application programs, drivers, and / or other data and code. Instructions for executing various functions described herein can be included in one or more application programs, and the components of the server can be implemented by processor 405 reading and executing the instructions of one or more application programs. In some cases, software 415 may not be directly executable by the processor, but can (for example, when compiled and executed) cause the computer to execute various functions related to the damage location method described herein.

[0067] In a non-limiting example, the server can be connected to a terminal device via a wireless network or a wired network to display the finally determined one or more component information and the station position information of the damage in the position coordinates on the terminal device.

[0068] Figure 5 The architecture diagram of using intelligent wheel chocks for aircraft structure damage location according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The architecture includes intelligent wheel chocks 330 with the function of a positioning base station (i.e. Figure 2The first intelligent wheel chock 212, the second intelligent wheel chock 214, and / or the third intelligent wheel chock 216), the damage location module 220, and the server 260 (i.e., the back-end server). By spatially locating the structural damage position with the aid of the intelligent wheel chock 330 and automatically comparing it with the structural repair manual database in the server 260, the damage station information can be quickly given.

[0069] Reference Figure 2 , the damage location module 220 can be placed at the position of the damage 250 as a tag for communicating with the base station processor 302 (also known as the positioning base station, such as a UWB base station chip) in each intelligent wheel chock. The damage location module 220 can be provided with a UWB tag 202, and the UWB tag 202 can be used in the form of a separate module or integrated into existing maintenance equipment for the convenience of maintenance engineers' actual operation.

[0070] The server 260 can be used for data storage and data analysis. Various databases can be stored in the server 260, such as maintenance materials such as the size data of each type of aircraft and the structural repair manual. Correspondingly, the distance data fed back by the paired intelligent wheel chocks can be compared with the aircraft type size database to obtain the type of aircraft to be repaired. Further, according to the relative position information fed back by the damage location module 220 to the intelligent wheel chock, it can be corresponded with the aircraft digital model in the database to query the specific station of the damage position and the part numbers involved in this position.

[0071] Figure 6 Fig. shows the architecture diagram of an aircraft using three intelligent wheel chocks according to an embodiment of the present invention. Taking this aircraft as an example, the following is an explanation. Refer back to Figures 1 - 5 , the specific process is as follows:

[0072] (1) According to the existing aircraft size data, set the distance range for the intelligent wheel chocks to be paired.

[0073] (2) When the aircraft is being overhauled, place three intelligent wheel chocks at the front landing gear position and the main landing gear position to fix the aircraft, namely the first intelligent wheel chock 212, the second intelligent wheel chock 214, and the third intelligent wheel chock 212. During the handling of the three intelligent wheel chocks, the motion sensor 308 in each intelligent wheel chock wakes up the base station processor 302 after recognizing the motion. After waking up, the base station processor 302 in the intelligent wheel chock searches for nearby intelligent wheel chocks and continuously measures the distance between it and the nearby intelligent wheel chocks. When it meets the conditions such as Figure 6 shown as an isosceles triangle and conforms to the aircraft landing gear position relationship, the three intelligent wheel chocks are automatically paired to form a coordinate system centered on the aircraft to be overhauled.

[0074] It can be understood that for scenarios with more or fewer intelligent wheel chocks, different distance conditions can be preset. Similarly, when these intelligent wheel chocks meet the corresponding distance conditions, a position coordinate system centered on the aircraft is constructed.

[0075] (3) The maintenance engineer places the damage positioning module 220 at the position of the airframe structure damage 250. The UWB tag 202 in the positioning module 220 sends a pulse signal for distance measurement and communicates with the base station processors 302 in each intelligent wheel chock to measure its distances to three intelligent wheel chocks that fix the aircraft.

[0076] (4) After the intelligent wheel chocks complete the distance measurement of the damage position, the data is uploaded to the server 260 through the communication module 306. By matching the distances between the three intelligent wheel chocks with the aircraft dimensions in the aircraft type database of the server 260, the aircraft type under maintenance is intelligently identified. According to the relative position relationship between the damage 250 and the landing gear (i.e., the three intelligent wheel chocks), the station position information of the damage is determined, and further the structural information of the damage is automatically matched from the database of the server 260.

[0077] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of automatic matching of the structural damage position according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Specifically, the corresponding structural repair manual and structural digital model are found according to the identified aircraft type, the damage position data is automatically mapped with the aircraft model, and the station position of the damage 250 and the component information 720 nearby are extracted. Thus, the maintenance engineer only needs to view the extracted component information 720 and screen the damaged structural types therein. For example, according to the actual situation, it can be screened that the corresponding component of the damage 250 is the nose skin, and the damage 250 can be located by combining the station position information.

[0078] It can be seen that for Figure 6 the shown aircraft, three intelligent wheel chocks and the damage positioning module at the damage location are used for damage positioning. Specifically, first, three distances between the three intelligent wheel chocks (abbreviated as distance information A) are measured to construct the coordinate system of the aircraft; then, three distances between the three intelligent wheel chocks and the damage positioning module (abbreviated as distance information B) are measured; then, all these distance information (including distance information A and distance information B) are sent to the server. From the database of the server, the aircraft type is determined according to distance information A, and the station position information of the damage in the constructed coordinate system is determined according to distance information B; then, according to the aircraft type and the station position information, multiple component information related to the damage is obtained from the database (refer to Figure 7) The maintenance engineer can select appropriate components from the multiple component information to obtain information such as the part number of the finally damaged relevant component. Finally, the maintenance engineer can perform subsequent processing on the damage based on the part number of the finally damaged relevant component (i.e., the damaged part number) and the station position information of the damage.

[0079] It can be understood that, taking Figure 7 's "Item 1" as an example, if the damage is skin damage (in most cases), it is necessary to locate the damaged part number (i.e., the part number of the skin) and the station position information, because for large components such as the skin, only recording the component number is not enough, and specific station position information also needs to be recorded. In contrast, taking Figure 7 's "Item 4" as an example, if the damage is a small part on the edge of the skin, then only the damaged part number needs to be located.

[0080] The above-described content includes examples of various aspects of the claimed subject matter. Of course, it is impossible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methods for the purpose of depicting the claimed subject matter, but those of ordinary skill in the art should recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Thus, the disclosed subject matter is intended to cover all such alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A damage location method for an aircraft, comprising: A plurality of intelligent wheel chocks are arranged at a plurality of landing gear positions of the aircraft, and a damage location module is arranged at a damaged position of the aircraft; determining a first plurality of distances between the plurality of smart wheel chocks using communications between the plurality of smart wheel chocks; constructing a position coordinate system of the aircraft based on the first plurality of distances; determining a second plurality of distances from the damage to the plurality of smart wheel chocks using communication between the plurality of smart wheel chocks and the damage location module; as well as One or more corresponding component information and the position information of the damage in the position coordinate system are obtained from a database of the aircraft according to the first plurality of distances and the second plurality of distances to locate the damage.

2. The damage localization method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first plurality of distances and the second plurality of distances are determined by using ultra-wideband ranging technology, ultrasonic ranging technology, Wifi ranging technology or Bluetooth ranging technology.

3. The damage localization method according to claim 2, characterized in that: Further comprising determining the first plurality of distances and the second plurality of distances by a bilateral two-way ranging method.

4. The damage localization method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of smart wheel chocks include three smart wheel chocks disposed at the front landing gear position and the main landing gear position of the aircraft, and the plurality of smart wheel chocks wake up to send and receive ranging signals when displacement occurs.

5. The damage localization method according to claim 4, characterized in that: Constructing the position coordinate system of the aircraft based on the first plurality of distances further comprises: When it is determined that the first plurality of distances form an isosceles triangle and satisfy a preset distance range between the front landing gear position and the main landing gear position of the aircraft, a position coordinate system centered on the aircraft is constructed.

6. The damage localization method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Obtaining corresponding one or more component information and the position information of the damage in the position coordinate system from a database of the aircraft according to the first plurality of distances and the second plurality of distances further comprises: determining a model of the aircraft based on the first plurality of distances; Determining the position information of the damage in the position coordinate system based on the second plurality of distances; and The one or more component information is determined based on the aircraft model and the station location information.

7. A damage localization system for an aircraft, comprising: A damage location module, wherein the damage location module is disposed at a damaged location of the aircraft; A plurality of smart wheel chocks, the plurality of smart wheel chocks being arranged at a plurality of landing gear positions of the aircraft, and each of the plurality of smart wheel chocks comprising: a base station processor, configured to communicate with other smart wheel chocks of the plurality of smart wheel chocks to determine a first plurality of distances between the plurality of smart wheel chocks, and to communicate with the damage location module to determine a second plurality of distances from the damage to the plurality of smart wheel chocks; a low-power processor, configured to collect data information from the base station processor, the data information including the first plurality of distances and the second plurality of distances, and construct a position coordinate system of the aircraft based on the first plurality of distances; and a communication module, configured to forward data information from the low-power processor; and A server storing one or more databases of the aircraft, and the server is used to obtain corresponding one or more component information and the position information of the damage in the position coordinate system from the one or more databases according to data information from corresponding communication modules in the multiple smart wheel chocks to locate the damage.

8. The damage localization system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first plurality of distances and the second plurality of distances are determined by using ultra-wideband ranging technology, ultrasonic ranging technology, Wifi ranging technology or Bluetooth ranging technology.

9. The damage localization system according to claim 7, characterized in that: Each of the multiple smart wheel chocks further includes a motion sensor, which is used to identify the motion state of the corresponding smart wheel chock and wake up the corresponding smart wheel chock to send and receive ranging signals when it is identified that the corresponding smart wheel chock is displaced.

10. The damage localization system according to claim 7, characterized in that: Each of the multiple smart wheel chocks further includes a battery assembly and / or a wireless charging module for charging the corresponding smart wheel chock.

11. The damage localization system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The server comprises: a memory for storing one or more databases for the aircraft; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory, the at least one processor configured to: receiving data information from corresponding communication modules in the plurality of smart wheel chocks; According to the first plurality of distances in the data information, matching the aircraft model information in the one or more databases to determine the aircraft model; According to the second plurality of distances in the data information, in combination with the determined aircraft type, obtaining the position information of the damage in the position coordinate system of the aircraft; and Obtain corresponding one or more component information from the one or more databases according to the site information.

12. The damage localization system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The server is connected to the terminal device via a wireless network or a wired network to display the one or more component information and the location information of the damage in the position coordinate system on the terminal device.

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