Turbine Thrust Reverser Lock Monitoring with Sensor Confidence Index
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Monitoring the locking system of a turbomachine thrust reverser is challenging due to the large amount of information received by the engine computer, making it difficult to determine the reliability of the lock state, especially when there are multiple locks and sensors involved.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines the state and reliability of the locking system by using multiple sensors to assess the validity of each lock's state, assigning a confidence index based on the number of valid sensors detecting the same state, and comparing this index to a threshold to ensure reliable information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple locking sensors are used to monitor each lock, then the reliability of lock state detection is improved, but the complexity of information processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the monitoring system into hierarchical levels: individual lock sensors monitor specific locks, lock modules aggregate sensor data for each lock, and the control unit synthesizes overall system state. This segmentation allows reliable monitoring through multiple sensors while managing complexity through structured information processing at different levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple sensor inputs for each lock into a unified lock state determination. By merging the signals from two sensors per lock through logical operations (AND gate for locked state, OR gate for unlocked state), the system achieves enhanced reliability while maintaining manageable complexity through standardized combination logic.
2Reliability
If the number of locks is increased, then the security of the thrust reverser system is improved, but the amount of information to be processed increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent organizes the monitoring system into discrete lock modules, each handling a specific lock with its dedicated sensors. This modular segmentation allows the system to scale to multiple locks while keeping each module's information processing load constant and manageable, preventing information overload as system security requirements increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces lock modules as intermediary components between individual lock sensors and the central control unit. These intermediaries pre-process and consolidate sensor data for each lock before transmission to the control unit, reducing the overall information processing load while maintaining comprehensive monitoring of multiple locks for enhanced security.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for monitoring a locking system (1) comprising N locks (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e). Each lock (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e) is monitored by two locking sensors (3a, 4a, 3b, 4b, 3c, 4c, 3d, 4d, 3e, 4e). Each locking sensor is capable of indicating if the lock that said locking sensor is monitoring is in a locked or unlocked state. Each locking sensor can be in a valid or invalid state. The method comprises the following steps: - determining the state of the locking system (1) on the basis of the state of the locks detected by the locking sensors; and - determining a reliability level associated with the state of the locking system on the basis of the number of valid locking sensors monitoring the locks that are in the same state as the locking system.