Aircraft Hydraulic Flow Bypass for Essential Actuator Priority

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Solution Overview

Problem

Aircraft hydraulic systems face challenges in managing variable hydraulic demands without increasing weight, as additional hydraulic fluid, vessels, and pumps are required during maintenance, leading to reduced fuel efficiency.

Innovation Solution

A hydraulic monitoring control unit that receives operational signals from aircraft sub-systems to control hydraulic fluid flow to actuators, bypassing non-essential components during altered operational states to reserve power for essential ones, thereby maintaining sufficient hydraulic flow without adding weight or increasing fluid volume.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If additional hydraulic fluid, retaining vessels, and pumps are increased to accommodate additional hydraulic demand during maintenance, then sufficient hydraulic flow rate is achieved, but aircraft weight increases and fuel efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehydraulic flow rateVSAvoidaircraft weight

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts hydraulic flow distribution based on operational state. During normal operation, all actuators receive hydraulic flow. During maintenance mode, the control unit detects the altered state and dynamically redirects flow only to essential actuators, eliminating the need for additional hydraulic components and reducing aircraft weight

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If additional hydraulic pumps are added to maintain sufficient flow rate during maintenance, then hydraulic demand is met, but device complexity and weight increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehydraulic flow rateVSAvoidnumber of pumps

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The hydraulic system is segmented into essential and non-essential actuators. The control unit selectively activates hydraulic flow only to essential actuators during maintenance mode, allowing the existing pump system to suffice without requiring additional pumps or increased system complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Adaptability or versatility

If hydraulic flow is maintained to all actuators during altered operational state, then all components remain operational, but hydraulic flow rate to essential components is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomponent operabilityVSAvoidhydraulic flow rate to essential components

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different flow allocation strategies to different actuators based on their essentiality. Essential actuators receive prioritized hydraulic flow while non-essential actuators are bypassed during maintenance mode, ensuring sufficient flow rate to critical components without compromising overall system adaptability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS11485479B2Hydraulic control systems and methods for components of an aircraft

Publication Date: 2022.11.01 THE BOEING CO

AI summary

A hydraulic system for a vehicle includes a hydraulic monitoring control unit configured to receive an operational signal from a sub-system of the vehicle and control flow of hydraulic fluid to actuators of components based on the operational signal. The hydraulic monitoring control unit is configured to bypass the flow of the hydraulic fluid in relation to a subset of the actuators in response to the operational signal indicating an altered operational state of the sub-system.