Aircraft Ground Sensing System for Precise Touch Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional weight-on-wheels systems for VTOL aircraft provide inadequate ground touch indication, leading to imprecise maneuvers and lack of 'feeling the ground' capability, which is crucial for precise operations.
Innovation Solution
A ground sensing system comprising a bracket, upper arm, lower arm, roller, and sensor is attached to the aircraft's landing gear, where the roller is the first component to contact the ground, and the sensor is triggered when the upper arm rotates upward, providing a precise ground touch indication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a conventional weight-on-wheels system is used, then the aircraft can detect when it is touching the ground, but the detection precision is insufficient for precise maneuvers
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing system is segmented into distinct functional components: a roller element that contacts the ground, an upper arm that translates ground contact into rotational movement, and a sensor that detects the arm's position. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally, improving detection precision while keeping the overall system manageable in complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The upper arm acts as an intermediary mechanism between the ground contact (roller) and the sensor. It converts the ground contact event into a detectable rotational movement, enabling precise detection without requiring the sensor to directly contact the ground or be positioned in a complex location
2Measurement precision
If the roller is positioned to contact the ground first, then ground touch indication precision is improved, but the system structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The upper arm is designed as a dynamic, pivotally coupled component that moves in response to ground contact forces. This dynamic structure allows the system to adapt to varying landing conditions while maintaining precise detection capability, rather than using a static or rigid sensing arrangement
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical weight-on-wheels compression mechanism is replaced with a lighter, more precise roller-arm-sensor system. This substitution reduces the mechanical complexity and weight while providing superior ground touch indication precision through optical or electronic sensing of the arm's position
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise ground touch detection, allowing pilots to initiate and complete maneuvers with greater precision and accuracy compared to conventional systems, enhancing aircraft control and safety.
Implementation Method 1
at least one biasing member positioned between the bracket and the upper arm and configured to bias the arm assembly in an airborne configuration
Implementation Method 2
a sensor located proximate the upper arm and positioned to detect a presence of the upper arm after a portion of the upper arm rotates upward by a desired amount about the upper arm pivot
Data Source
AI summary
A ground sensing system for an aircraft attaches to the aircraft's landing gear to provide a ground touch indication. The ground sensing system includes a bracket, an upper arm, a lower arm, a roller and a sensor. The bracket is mounted to the landing gear while the upper arm is pivotally and biasly coupled to the bracket. The lower arm is pivotally and biasly coupled to the upper arm. The roller mounts to the lower arm and extends just slightly beneath a lowermost surface of the tire when the aircraft is airborne. The sensor is triggered once a portion of the upper arm has sufficiently entered the sensor's field of view, which occurs when the roller is urged upward by the ground during landing.