Aircraft Landing Brake Optimization via Thrust Reverser Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft landing performance is compromised due to excessive brake usage, leading to premature brake degradation and increased costs, as pilots often employ higher auto brake settings than necessary, necessitating a system to optimize equipment configuration and reduce costs while ensuring safe landings.
Innovation Solution
A system that processes aircraft systems data, airport features data, and navigation plan data to determine optimized equipment configurations for brake settings and thrust reverser configurations, calculating deceleration distances and costs to identify the lowest combined cost of brake usage and fuel consumption, thereby selecting the most cost-effective exit-way for landing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If higher auto brake settings are used to ensure safe landing, then landing safety is improved, but brake degradation accelerates and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the auto brake setting parameter based on multiple input parameters (wind conditions, runway surface, aircraft weight, temperature) to find the optimal brake force level that ensures safe landing while minimizing brake wear. This resolves the contradiction by changing the brake setting from a fixed high value to an optimized variable parameter.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback from brake condition monitoring and landing performance data to continuously refine brake setting recommendations. By analyzing actual brake degradation rates and landing outcomes, the system adjusts future brake setting recommendations to balance safety requirements with brake lifespan extension.
2Reliability
If higher auto brake settings are used to ensure safe landing, then landing safety is improved, but maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system optimizes the auto brake setting parameter to reduce unnecessary brake wear, directly lowering maintenance frequency and costs while maintaining safe landing performance. This resolves the contradiction by finding the minimum necessary brake force required for safe landing under various conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides self-service by automatically calculating and recommending optimal brake settings without requiring pilot judgment or external consultation. This reduces human error in brake setting selection and ensures consistent optimization of maintenance cost versus safety.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If thrust reverser configuration is adjusted to reduce brake usage, then brake lifespan is extended, but fuel consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system simultaneously optimizes two parameters: auto brake setting and thrust reverser configuration. By adjusting both parameters together based on their interaction effects, the system finds the optimal balance point where moderate brake usage is combined with appropriate thrust reverser deployment to minimize total fuel consumption while extending brake lifespan.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the control of brake system and thrust reverser system into a unified optimization framework. By considering both systems together rather than separately, the system identifies combined configurations that achieve better overall efficiency than independent optimization of each system.
4Reliability
If multiple equipment configurations are evaluated, then landing performance optimization is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the evaluation process into distinct stages: first evaluating brake settings independently, then evaluating thrust reverser configurations, and finally combining results. This segmentation of the complex multi-parameter optimization into manageable stages reduces computational complexity while maintaining comprehensive evaluation of all equipment configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary evaluation of individual equipment parameters (brake settings, thrust reverser positions) before combining them into full equipment configurations. By pre-processing and filtering options at the individual parameter level, the system reduces the total number of full configuration evaluations needed, simplifying the overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods that optimize landing performance are provided. The system determines a number, N, of equipment configurations (a combination of a brake setting and a thrust reverser configuration) supported by the aircraft. The system determines a deceleration airspeed to achieve a target taxi speed and, for each of the N equipment configurations, determines a respective deceleration distance. In various embodiments, the system further updates the deceleration distances by one or more of a brake's condition, aircraft historical data, brake warranty and life cycle data, and environmental conditions. The deceleration distances are used to identify a number P of exit-ways that can be used at the runway. Total costs (including brake usage and fuel cost) for each of the P exit-ways is determined, and the equipment configuration that delivers the lowest total cost delivers the optimize landing performance.