Monitoring system for aircraft drive wheel system

A method for obtaining and monitoring critical landing gear wheel-mounted drive system operating parameters and performance indicators within an aircraft landing gear wheel environment in real time during ground travel of an aircraft driven autonomously with the landing gear wheel-mounted drive systems, comprising:

• a. equipping an aircraft for autonomous ground travel with drive systems operative to drive the aircraft during ground travel without reliance on aircraft main engines or external vehicles mounted on axles completely within spaces defined by inboard wheel wall sections and outboard wheel wall sections of each one of a pair of nose landing gear drive wheels, and providing a multiple part housing shaped to fit completely within the space defined by the inboard wheel wall section and the outboard wheel wall section of each nose landing gear wheel, wherein corresponding inboard and outboard sections of the multiple part housing are spaced inwardly from the inboard and outboard wheel wall sections;
• b. operatively supporting and enclosing components of each drive system completely within the multiple part housing, the components of each drive system comprising a roller traction drive system in actuating contact with an electric drive motor assembly having a stator element positioned toward an axle and a rotor element positioned outwardly of the stator element to extend toward the roller traction drive system, and operatively supporting outwardly of the multiple part housing and within the defined space a clutch assembly positioned to engage and disengage the roller traction drive system into and out of actuation with the electric drive motor assembly;
• c. providing for each drive system an array of sensors selected and positioned to obtain directly or indirectly and to monitor in real time operating parameters and performance indicators of the components of the drive system, wherein the array of sensors comprises at least two wheel speed sensors capable of determining both wheel speed and direction of each nose landing gear wheel, at least one sensor capable of determining speed of each electric drive motor assembly rotor element, at least three temperature sensors capable of determining temperature of the components of each drive system, and a clutch sensor capable of determining engagement of the roller traction drive system by the clutch assembly, and the array of sensors is functionally located to provide and communicate the most accurate information relating to the operating parameters and performance indicators of the components of each drive system;
• and
• d. in real time as the aircraft is driven during ground travel by the nose landing gear drive wheel-mounted drive systems, determining the operating parameters and performance indicators of the components of each drive system with the array of sensors, communicating the determined operating parameters and performance indicators of the components of the drive system, and continuing to drive the aircraft with the nose landing gear drive wheel-mounted drive systems as indicated by the communicated operating parameters and performance indicators of the components of each drive system.

A monitoring system for real time determination of critical aircraft nose landing gear wheel-mounted electric drive system operating parameters and performance indicators selected operating parameters during autonomous ground travel of an aircraft driven by nose landing gear wheel-mounted electric drive systems without reliance on aircraft main engines or external vehicles, comprising

• a. an aircraft equipped for autonomous ground travel without reliance on aircraft main engines or external vehicles with an electric drive system mounted on axles completely within spaces defined by inboard wheel wall sections and outboard wheel wall sections of each one of a pair of nose landing gear drive wheels on said aircraft;
• b. a multiple part housing shaped to fit completely within said space defined by said inboard wheel wall section and said outboard wheel wall section of each said nose landing gear drive wheel, wherein corresponding inboard and outboard sections of said multiple part housing are spaced inwardly from said inboard and outboard wheel wall sections;
• c. each said electric drive system comprises an electric drive motor assembly comprising a rotor element positioned outwardly of a stator element and a roller traction drive system in actuating contact with said electric drive motor assembly supported completely within said multiple part housing, and further comprises a clutch assembly positioned within said defined space to engage or disengage the roller traction drive system;
• and
• d. an array of sensors selected and positioned to obtain directly or indirectly and to monitor in real time operating parameters and performance indicators of said electric drive system, said array of sensors comprising at least two wheel speed sensors positioned to determine both wheel speed and direction of each nose landing gear wheel, at least one sensor positioned to determine speed of each electric drive motor assembly rotor element, at least three temperature sensors positioned to determine temperature of said electric drive system, and a clutch sensor positioned to determine engagement of the roller traction drive assembly by the clutch assembly, wherein the array of sensors is functionally located relative to said defined space and said multiple part housing to obtain and communicate directly or indirectly information relating to said operating parameters and performance indicators of said electric drive system.