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US 10,946,979 B2Granted
Apparatus for controlling vehicle impact absorption systems and related methods
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorAkif O. Bolukbasi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus for controlling vehicle impact absorption systems and related methods are disclosed herein. An example apparatus includes a predictor to generate a prediction of an impact event for a vehicle based on data received from sensors of the vehicle. The example apparatus includes an energy absorption allocator to determine an amount of vehicle energy to be absorbed by a crash protection system of the vehicle upon the impact event. The example apparatus includes a communicator to generate an instruction to activate the crash protection system based on the prediction and the amount of vehicle energy to be absorbed by the crash protection system and transmit the instruction to a controller of the crash protection system.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising:
- a predictor to generate a prediction of an impact event for a vehicle based on data received from sensors of the vehicle;
- an energy absorption allocator to:
- determine a first amount of vehicle energy to be absorbed by a first crash protection system of the vehicle upon the impact event;
- and
- a second amount of the vehicle energy to be absorbed by a second crash protection system of the vehicle;
- and
- a communicator to:
- generate an instruction to activate the first crash protection system based on the prediction and the first amount of vehicle energy to be absorbed by the first crash protection system;
- and
- transmit the instruction to a controller of the first crash protection system.
7 more elements
A method comprising:
- predicting, by executing an instruction with a processor, an impact event for an aircraft based on sensor data received from sensors of the aircraft;
- determining, by executing an instruction with the processor, respective amounts of aircraft energy to be absorbed by a first crash protection system of the aircraft and a second crash protection system of the aircraft;
- and
- selectively activating, by executing an instruction with the processor, one or more of the first crash protection system or the second crash protection system based on the respective amounts of aircraft energy to be absorbed by each of the first and second crash protection systems.
1 more element
An aircraft comprising:
- a plurality of sensors to generate sensor data during flight of the aircraft;
- a first controller to control a first crash protection system;
- a second controller to control a second crash protection system;
- and
- a third controller in communication with the first controller and the second controller, the third controller to:
- generate a prediction of a crash event for the aircraft based on the sensor data;
- determine an impact terrain surface for the crash event;
- and
- transmit an instruction to at least one of the first controller to activate the first crash protection system or the second controller to activate the second crash protection system based on the prediction, the instruction including an energy absorption parameter for the at least one of the first crash protection system or the second crash protection system, the energy absorption parameter to be based on the impact terrain surface.
6 more elements
An aircraft comprising:
- a plurality of sensors to generate sensor data during flight of the aircraft, the sensor data including engine torque data;
- a first controller to control a first crash protection system;
- a second controller to control a second crash protection system;
- and
- a third controller in communication with the first controller and the second controller, the third controller to:
- generate a prediction of a crash event for the aircraft based on the sensor data;
- and
- determine if the engine torque data satisfies a threshold;
- and
- transmit an instruction to at least one of the first controller to activate the first crash protection system or the second controller to activate the second crash protection system based on the prediction and the engine torque data satisfying the threshold.
7 more elements
An aircraft comprising:
- a plurality of sensors to generate sensor data during flight of the aircraft;
- a first controller to control a first crash protection system;
- a second controller to control a second crash protection system;
- a third controller in communication with the first controller and the second controller;
- and
- a fourth controller in communication with a third crash protection system, the third controller to:
- generate a prediction of a crash event for the aircraft based on the sensor data;
- transmit a first instruction to the first controller to activate the first crash protection system based on the prediction;
- transmit a second instruction second controller to activate the second crash protection system based on the prediction;
- and
- transmit a third instruction to activate the fourth controller when an amount of aircraft impact energy to be absorbed by the first crash protection system and the second crash protection system is less than a total amount of aircraft impact energy, transmit a second instruction to activate the fourth controller.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.