Fluid gauging system and fuel tank equipment
AssigneeZodiac Aerotechnics
InventorsStéphane Souques, Daniel Lamourette
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluid gauging system includes a set of fuel level probes and two computation modules adapted for inferring fluid level information based on measurement signals which originate from the probes. In a refuelling operation mode, the probes are distributed into two dynamically configurable subsets, which are separate and assigned respectively to the computation modules for deriving two results for the fluid level independently from each other. Such system has special interests for fuel tank equipment designed for aircraft. A major advantage is a reduction in the total number of fuel level probes which are necessary to obtain reliable results whatever the fuel level and the aircraft attitude and acceleration.
Claims12
Fluid gauging system comprising:
- a set of probes each suitable for issuing a measurement signal indicative of a liquid level existing at said probe when the probe set is installed within a fluid tank, and when the liquid level is within a sensing range of the probe;
- and
- at least two computation modules, each computation module being connected for receiving the measurement signals from those of the probes which pertain to a probe subset dedicated to said computation module, separately from another probe subset which is dedicated to the other computation module, and each computation module being adapted for inferring a fluid level information based on an information about an attitude and acceleration of the fluid tank, and on at least one measurement signal which originates from the probes of the subset which is dedicated to said computation module,
- wherein the fluid gauging system further comprises:
- a dynamically configurable connection set adapted for transmitting the measurement signal which originates from any one of the probes to any one of the computation modules;
- and
- at least two control modules arranged to control the connection set, in at least one first operation mode of the fluid gauging system, for assigning one variable subset of the probes to each computation module, depending on the information about the attitude and acceleration of the fluid tank, and depending on information from at least some of the probes indicating whether the liquid level existing at each probe is within the sensing range of said probe or not, so that each variable subset of probes assigned to one of the computation modules is separate from the other variable subset assigned to the other computation module, and contains at least one of the probes with the liquid level existing at said probe being within the sensing range of said probe,
- so that in the first operation mode, each computation module receives measurement signals only from the probes which pertain to the variable subset of probes assigned to said computation module, and so that both computation modules infer respective fluid level information independently and in parallel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.