Method for determining at least one position of a moving structure of an aircraft from its speed, and aircraft comprising a device for its implementation

Abstract

Method for determining at least one position of a moving structure of an aircraft from its velocity, and aircraft comprising a device for its implementation. The invention relates to a method for determining at a given instant at least one position of a moving structure (M), which comprises a step of determining at least one velocity of the moving structure (M) at the given instant, a step of comparing the determined velocity with listed velocities, each associated with a listed position, and a step of determining the position of the moving structure (M) at the given instant that corresponds to the listed position associated with the listed velocity equal to or closest to the velocity determined at the given instant. This solution makes it possible, from a limited number of elements, to determine the position of the moving structure (M) at each instant and not only at the beginning and end of the movement.The invention also relates to a device for implementing said method and to an aircraft comprising at least one such device. Figure 1.

Description

Title of the invention: A method for determining at least one position of a moving structure of an aircraft from its speed, and an aircraft comprising a device for its implementation

[0001] The present application relates to a method for determining at least one position of a moving structure of an aircraft from its speed and to an aircraft comprising a device for its implementation.

[0002] According to one embodiment, an aircraft includes several movable landing gears, each between retracted and extended positions, and for each of them a landing gear box configured to house the landing gear in the retracted position.

[0003] Each landing gear comprises various elements articulated with respect to each other as well as actuators allowing the landing gear to be moved between the retracted and extended positions.

[0004] Each landing gear compartment includes at least one movable door between an open position in which the door allows the landing gear to be in the extended position and a closed position in which the door closes the landing gear compartment when the landing gear is in the retracted position.

[0005] The aircraft also includes sensors to determine the position of each landing gear compartment hatch and of certain articulated and / or actuator elements of each landing gear.

[0006] According to one embodiment, each of these sensors is a proximity sensor that determines a unique position of a moving element such as one of the articulated elements, actuators, or hatches. Thus, according to one configuration, for a given moving element, the aircraft includes two proximity sensors positioned at the two ends of the stroke of that moving element.

[0007] This embodiment is not entirely satisfactory because it requires a large number of proximity sensors and substantial wiring, which impacts the mass of the aircraft and its maintenance.

[0008] According to another drawback, this embodiment does not allow the position of a moving element to be determined when the latter is not located at one of the ends of its stroke.

[0009] The present invention aims to remedy all or part of the drawbacks of the prior art.

[0010] To this end, the invention relates to a method for determining at a given instant at least one position of a moving structure of an aircraft, said moving structure being animated by at least one movement between first and second positions and configured to occupy intermediate positions between first and second positions.

[0011] According to the invention, the method includes, prior to, a step of developing at least one repertoire for the movement associating listed positions and velocities of the moving structure, the listed positions being chosen from the first and second positions as well as the intermediate positions, to each of said listed positions being associated a listed velocity and, in operation, a step of determining at least one velocity of the moving structure at the given instant, a step of comparing the determined velocity with the listed velocities and each associated with a listed position as well as a step of determining the position of the moving structure at the given instant which corresponds to the listed position associated with the listed velocity equal to or closest to the determined velocity at the given instant.

[0012] Unlike the prior art, the method of determining at least one position of the moving structure makes it possible, from a limited number of speed determination systems, to determine the position of the moving structure at each instant and not only at the beginning and end of the movement.

[0013] According to one variant, the step of determining a speed of the moving structure consists of capturing first and second images, separated by a given duration, in which the moving structure is visible, determining a change of scale between the first and second images captured and calculating the speed of the moving structure from the given duration and the change of scale between the first and second images captured.

[0014] According to another variant, the step of determining a speed of the moving structure consists of determining a frequency shift for a wave emitted and received by a radar after being reflected by the moving structure and calculating the speed of the moving structure from the frequency shift determined previously.

[0015] According to another characteristic, the speed of the moving structure is equal to an average of measured speeds.

[0016] According to another feature, the stage of developing the directory consists of moving the mobile structure following the movement and, for each position listed in the directory, a stage of determining the speed of the mobile structure and associating the determined speed with said position in the directory.

[0017] According to another feature, the directory development step is carried out only once.

[0018] According to another feature, the method includes a step of updating the speeds listed in the directory from the speed measurements used to determine the position of the moving structure.

[0019] The invention also relates to a device for determining at least one position of a moving structure which comprises: a. at least one storage unit configured to store a directory associating listed positions and velocities of the moving structure, b. at least one velocity determination system configured to evaluate or measure a velocity of the moving structure, c. at least one processing unit configured to compare at least one speed measured by the speed determination system and the listed speeds and to determine the position of the moving structure based on this comparison.

[0020] According to another feature, the speed determination system includes at least one camera such as a Lidar-type or time-of-flight-type camera or at least one radar using the Doppler effect.

[0021] According to another feature, the device includes several speed determination systems.

[0022] The invention also relates to an aircraft comprising at least one device for determining at least one position of a movable structure according to one of the preceding characteristics.

[0023] Other features and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the invention, given by way of example only, with reference to [Fig.1], which is a perspective view of an aircraft landing gear in two positions and illustrates one embodiment of the invention.

[0024] As illustrated in [Fig. 1], an aircraft comprises a fixed structure 10 and at least one landing gear 12, movable relative to the fixed structure 10, animated by a first movement T1 from a first position PI, referred to as deployed, to a second position P2, referred to as retracted, and by a second movement T2 from the second position P2 to the first position PL

[0025] According to an embodiment visible in [Fig.1], the landing gear 12 comprises a leg 14, at least one wheel 16 connected to a first end 14.1 of the leg 14, at least one strut 18 connecting the leg 14 and the fixed structure 10 of the aircraft, at least one connecting rod 20, at least one actuator 22 as well as joints 24 connecting the leg 14, the wheel(s) 16, the strut(s) 18, the connecting rod(s) 20 and the actuator(s) 22 to each other and / or to the fixed structure 10.

[0026] Regardless of the embodiment, the landing gear 12 is a movable structure M, configured to move relative to the fixed structure 10 between first and second positions PI, P2, comprising moving elements among the leg 14, the wheel(s) 16, the strut(s) 18, the connecting rod(s) 20, the actuator(s) 22 and the joint(s) 24.

[0027] In addition, the aircraft includes at least one landing gear bay attached to the fixed structure 10 and configured to house the landing gear 12 in the retracted position. Each landing gear bay includes at least one door movable relative to the fixed structure 10 between an open position in which the door allows the landing gear 12 to be in the extended position and a closed position in which the door closes the landing gear bay when the landing gear 12 is in the retracted position.

[0028] Each landing gear compartment hatch of the aircraft is a movable structure M, configured to move relative to a fixed structure 10, comprising at least one movable element and following first and second back-and-forth movements T1, T2 between closed and open positions.

[0029] Regardless of the embodiment, the aircraft includes at least one movable structure M configured to move relative to a fixed structure 10 by following at least one movement T1, T2 from a first extreme position PI to a second extreme position P2, said movable structure M being selected from a landing gear 12 and a landing gear bay door of an aircraft.

[0030] According to one configuration, the movable structure M pivots about a pivot axis relative to the fixed structure 10 between first and second extreme positions P1, P2, which correspond respectively to the extended and retracted positions. Of course, the invention is not limited to this kinematics.

[0031] During a given movement T1, T2 between first and second extreme positions PI, P2, the mobile structure M is configured to occupy intermediate positions Pi between the first and second extreme positions PI, P2, distributed between the latter.

[0032] During each movement T1, T2, the mobile structure M exhibits a velocity that varies between the first and second extreme positions PI, P2. According to one configuration, during each movement, the velocity of the mobile structure M is zero at the beginning of the movement, increases then decreases until it becomes zero again at the end of the movement.

[0033] A method for determining at least one position of the moving structure M includes a step of developing at least one repertoire for at least one movement T1, T2 of the moving structure M, said repertoire associating positions of the movement T1, T2 and velocities of the moving structure M, with each of said positions listed in the repertoire being associated with a listed velocity. According to one method, the step of developing the repertoire consists of moving the structure The mobile structure M follows the movement T1, T2, and for each position listed in the directory, a step is taken to determine the velocity of the mobile structure M when it occupies said position and to associate the determined velocity with said position in the directory. The listed positions are chosen from the first and second extreme positions P1, P2, and the intermediate positions P1.

[0034] The inventory development step is carried out only once, in particular before the operation of the aircraft.

[0035] According to one embodiment, to perform the measurement step, a device for determining at least one position of the moving structure M includes at least one system for determining a speed configured to evaluate or measure a speed of the moving structure M when it occupies a given position. In addition, the device for determining at least one position of the moving structure M includes at least one storage unit 26 configured to store the directory associating speeds and positions of the moving structure M among the first and second extreme positions P1, P2, and the intermediate positions P1, each position listed in the directory being associated with a listed speed.

[0036] The method for determining at least one position of the mobile structure M includes a step of determining at least one velocity of the mobile structure M, a step of comparing the previously measured velocity with the listed velocities and associated each with a listed position, and a step of determining the actual position of the mobile structure M which corresponds to the listed position associated with the listed velocity equal to or closest to the measured velocity.

[0037] For this purpose, the device for determining at least one position of the mobile structure M includes at least one speed determination system 28, attached to the fixed structure 10, configured to evaluate or measure a speed of the mobile structure M and at least one processing unit 30 configured to compare speeds measured by speed determination system 28 and the listed speeds and to determine the actual position of the mobile structure M based on this comparison.

[0038] This processing unit 30 may be an aircraft computer dedicated exclusively or not to these comparison and determination functions. Similarly, the storage unit 26 may be an aircraft storage unit dedicated exclusively to storing the directory(ies).

[0039] According to one embodiment, the same speed determination system 28 can be used to develop the directory and determine the actual position of the mobile structure M.

[0040] According to one embodiment, the speed determination system 28 comprises at least one camera such as a Lidar-type camera or a time-of-flight (TOF)-type camera (for Time Of Flight in English). According to this embodiment, the step of determining the velocity of the moving structure M consists of capturing two successive images, separated by a given time interval, in which the moving structure M is visible, determining a change in scale between the two captured images, and calculating the velocity of the moving structure from the given time interval and the change in scale between the two captured images. The change in scale corresponds to a ratio between a first distance separating two points of the moving structure M in the first image and a second distance separating the same points of the moving structure M in the second image.

[0041] According to another embodiment, the speed determination system 28 comprises at least one radar using the Doppler effect and configured to measure the speed of the moving structure M from a frequency difference of a wave between its emission and reception. According to this embodiment, the step of determining the speed of the moving structure M consists of determining a frequency shift for a wave emitted and received by the radar after being reflected by the moving structure M and calculating the speed of the moving structure M from the frequency shift determined previously.

[0042] According to one configuration, each velocity determination system 28 comprises a sighting axis A28 and is connected to the fixed structure 10 such that its sighting axis A28 is correctly positioned relative to the motion T1, T2 of the moving structure M in order to optimize the determination of the scaling change or frequency shift. If necessary, the device for determining at least one position of the moving structure M may comprise several velocity determination systems 28 positioned appropriately to optimize the measurement of the velocity of the moving structure M regardless of its position, the velocity of the moving structure M being equal to an average of the velocities measured by the different velocity determination systems 28.

[0043] During aircraft operation, the kinematics of the moving structure M may change due, for example, to wear of certain elements of the moving structure M. A difference may then appear between the actual position and the position determined by the method of the invention. According to one embodiment, to correct this possible drift, the method for determining at least one position of the moving structure M includes a step of updating the velocities listed in the directory based on the velocity measurements used to determine the position of the moving structure M and measured by the velocity determination system 28 during aircraft operation.

[0044] An aircraft may include one or more devices for determining at least one position of a movable structure M, the latter being chosen from among a landing gear 12 and a landing gear bay hatch of an aircraft.

[0045] Regardless of the embodiment, the method for determining at least one position of the moving structure M makes it possible, from at least one measurement of the velocity of the moving structure M at a given instant, to determine the actual position of the moving structure M at that given instant by comparing the measured velocity to velocities listed and each associated with a given position. Unlike the prior art, the method for determining at least one position of the moving structure M makes it possible, from a limited number of velocity determination systems 28, to determine the position of the moving structure M at each instant and not only at the beginning and end of the movement.Knowing the actual position of the landing gear at any given moment makes it possible to better coordinate the movements of the landing gear and the landing gear bay doors, thus optimizing the closing of the landing gear bay, which results in a reduction in the aircraft's fuel consumption.

[0046] Furthermore, these measurements of the speed of the mobile structure M can make it possible to evaluate a change in its kinematics and to optimize its maintenance.

Claims

Demands

1. Method of determining at a given instant at least one position of a moving structure (M) of an aircraft, said moving structure (M) being animated by at least one movement (T1, T2) between first and second positions (PI, P2) and configured to occupy intermediate positions (Pi) between the first and second positions (PI, P2);characterized in that the method includes, prior to, a step of developing at least one repertoire for the movement (T1, T2) associating listed positions and velocities of the moving structure (M), the listed positions being chosen from the first and second positions (PI, P2) as well as the intermediate positions (Pi), to each of said listed positions being associated a listed velocity and, in operation, a step of determining at least one velocity of the moving structure (M) at the given instant, a step of comparing the determined velocity with the listed velocities and each associated with a listed position as well as a step of determining the position of the moving structure (M) at the given instant which corresponds to the listed position associated with the listed velocity equal to or closest to the velocity determined at the given instant.;

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the step of determining a speed of the moving structure (M) consists of capturing first and second images, separated by a given duration, in which the moving structure (M) is visible, determining a change of scale between the first and second images captured and calculating the speed of the moving structure (M) from the given duration and the change of scale between the first and second images captured.

3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the step of determining a velocity of the moving structure (M) consists of determining a frequency shift for a wave emitted and received by a radar after being reflected by the moving structure (M) and of calculating the velocity of the moving structure (M) from the frequency shift determined previously.

4. A method according to any one of claims 2 to 3, characterized in that the speed of the moving structure (M) is equal to an average of measured speeds.

5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that

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12. that the step of developing the directory consists of moving the mobile structure (M) following the movement (T1, T2) as well as, for each position listed in the directory, a step of determining the speed of the mobile structure (M) and associating the determined speed with said position in the directory. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the directory development step is carried out only once. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the method includes a step of updating the velocities listed in the directory from the velocity measurements used to determine the position of the moving structure (M). Device for determining at least one position of a moving structure (M) enabling the implementation of a method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device comprises: a. at least one storage unit (26) configured to store a directory associating listed positions and speeds of the moving structure (M), b. at least one speed determination system (28) configured to evaluate or measure a speed of the moving structure (M), c. at least one processing unit (30) configured to compare at least one speed measured by the speed determination system (28) and the listed speeds and to determine the position of the moving structure (M) based on this comparison. A device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the speed determination system (28) comprises at least one camera such as a Lidar or time-of-flight camera. A device according to claim 8, characterized in that the speed determination system (28) comprises at least one radar using the Doppler effect. A device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the device comprises several speed determination systems (28). An aircraft comprising at least one device for determining at least one position of a movable structure (M) according to any one of claims 8 at 11.

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