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US 10,648,846 B2Granted
Systems and methods for determining a fuel level measurement of a fuel tank using optical sensors
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsMichael A. Carralero, Kawthar Kasim, Paul Scott Truzzi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An example fuel quantity indicating system includes a fuel tank, optical sensors mounted inside the fuel tank that each include a sensor chip and a diaphragm that deflects when ambient pressure differs from a reference pressure of the sensor chip, an optical fiber bundle that has an optical fiber connected to each of the optical sensors for guiding light to each of the optical sensors, and a processor connected to the optical fiber bundle for receiving outputs of the optical sensors indicative of respective pressures, and for determining a fuel level measurement of the fuel tank based on the outputs of the optical sensors.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- a fuel tank;
- a plurality of optical sensors mounted inside the fuel tank, wherein the plurality of optical sensors each include a sensor chip and a diaphragm that deflects when ambient pressure differs from a reference pressure of the sensor chip;
- an optical fiber bundle having an optical fiber connected to each of the plurality of optical sensors for guiding light to each of the plurality of optical sensors;
- and
- one or more processors connected to the optical fiber bundle for receiving outputs of the plurality of optical sensors indicative of respective pressures, and for determining a fuel level measurement of the fuel tank based on the outputs of the plurality of optical sensors, wherein the one or more processors further receive information related to one or more of a roll, a pitch, and a yaw of the fuel tank, and wherein the one or more processors determine a height of fuel in the fuel tank based on (i) a ratio of a difference of pressures indicated by a first optical sensor and a second optical sensor and a specific gravity of fuel included in the fuel tank and (ii) an angle of tilt of the fuel tank determined from the information related to one or more of the roll, the pitch, and the yaw of the fuel tank.
2 more elements
A system comprising:
- a fuel tank;
- a plurality of optical sensors mounted inside the fuel tank, wherein the plurality of optical sensors each include a sensor chip and a diaphragm that deflects when ambient pressure differs from a reference pressure of the sensor chip;
- an optical fiber bundle having an optical fiber connected to each of the plurality of optical sensors for guiding light to each of the plurality of optical sensors;
- and
- one or more processors connected to the optical fiber bundle for receiving outputs of the plurality of optical sensors indicative of respective pressures, and for determining a fuel level measurement of the fuel tank based on the outputs of the plurality of optical sensors, wherein the one or more processors determine a height of fuel in the fuel tank at a position of each of the plurality of optical sensors based on the respective pressures and on an angle of tilt of the fuel tank, and wherein the one or more processors determine the fuel level measurement of the fuel tank based on a sum of a volume of fuel as determined due to the height for each of the plurality of optical sensors.
2 more elements
An aircraft comprising:
- a fuel tank positioned in one or more of a wing and a fuselage of the aircraft;
- a plurality of optical sensors mounted inside the fuel tank, wherein the plurality of optical sensors each include a sensor chip and a diaphragm that deflects when ambient pressure differs from a reference pressure of the sensor chip;
- an optical fiber bundle having an optical fiber connected to each of the plurality of optical sensors for guiding light to each of the plurality of optical sensors;
- and
- one or more processors connected to the optical fiber bundle for receiving outputs of the plurality of optical sensors indicative of respective pressures, and for determining a fuel level measurement of the fuel tank based on the outputs of the plurality of optical sensors and accounting for any deflections of the wing and flight dynamics, wherein the one or more processors determine a height of fuel in the fuel tank at a position of each of the plurality of optical sensors based on the respective pressures and on an angle of tilt of the fuel tank due to the flight dynamics, wherein the one or more processors determine the fuel level measurement of the fuel tank based on a sum of a volume of fuel as determined due to the height for each of the plurality of optical sensors.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.