Aircraft Fatigue Management via Virtual Load Sensor
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current fatigue management systems for aircraft components are limited by the need for direct load measurements and reliance on flight regime definitions, which can be inaccurate due to pilot variance and separation of high frequency and ground-air-ground loads, leading to conservative maintenance schedules and potential over-servicing of components not fully utilized.
Innovation Solution
A fatigue management system utilizing an on-board virtual load sensor that reconstructs continuous load history by correlating pilot input parameters with load data from classification flights, allowing for accurate fatigue life assessment without internal load sensors, and using neural networks to associate flight parameters with load classes for reliable fatigue consumption analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If direct load measurements are used, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to installation of internal load sensors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the load sensor functionality through software correlation algorithms that map pilot inputs to load characteristics based on classification flight data, eliminating the need for physical sensors while maintaining measurement capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces pilot input parameters as an intermediary variable that correlates with actual load conditions, allowing load assessment without direct measurement by serving as a proxy indicator of component stress
2Ease of operation
If flight regime recognition is used, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to pilot variance and inaccurate regime definitions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the approach from categorical flight regime recognition to continuous parameter-based correlation, using specific pilot input values and their relationships to determine load characteristics, thereby eliminating the discrete classification inaccuracies
3Reliability
If conservative maintenance schedules are used, then reliability is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to unnecessary servicing of components
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables each aircraft to self-assess its component fatigue status based on its own operational history and pilot inputs, allowing maintenance to be performed only when actually needed rather than following uniform conservative schedules
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous feedback from pilot inputs and operational parameters to update fatigue consumption assessments in real-time, allowing dynamic adjustment of maintenance schedules based on actual component usage rather than static conservative intervals
4Ease of manufacture
If separation of high frequency and ground-air-ground loads is used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to loss of continuous load history
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains continuous correlation between pilot inputs and load characteristics throughout the entire flight profile, preserving the continuous load history by continuously mapping operational parameters to fatigue consumption without breaking the data chain into separate frequency components
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
The invention relates to a fatigue management system for determining the individual life of an aircraft, particularly the individual life of components of a helicopter, by means of an on board virtual load sensor and a method of operating a fatigue management system.