Fuel pump management system and method of operating a fuel pump management system
AssigneeBombardier Inc.
InventorVincenzo Furgiuele
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of and a system for operating a fuel pump management system of an aircraft. The method comprises receiving, from a fuel gauge, an electronic reading of a level of fuel fluid contained in a fuel tank; and analysing the electronic reading of the level of the fuel fluid, the analysing comprising upon determining that the level of fuel fluid is equal or below a predetermined fuel level threshold, causing a fuel pump in communication with the fuel tank to be shut down.
Claims17
A fuel pump management system for an aircraft, the system comprising:
- a fuel gauge configured to electronically read a level of fuel fluid contained in a fuel tank;
- a fuel pump in fluid communication with the fuel tank and a power unit to be alimented in fuel fluid, the fuel pump avoiding inclusion of a ground fault interrupter in said fuel pump;
- and
- a controller connected to the fuel gauge and the fuel pump, the controller being configured to (1) analyze the level of fuel fluid read by the fuel gauge and (2) upon determining that the level of fuel fluid is equal or below a predetermined fuel level threshold, cause the fuel pump to be shut down, wherein prior to causing the fuel pump to be shut down, the controller determines whether the aircraft in which the fuel pump management system is installed is on the ground, and wherein the controller causes the fuel pump to shut down only if it has previously determined that the aircraft is on the ground, and wherein the fuel pump remains operational during taxiing or in-flight even though the level of fuel fluid is equal or below the threshold.
A method of operating a fuel pump management system of an aircraft, the method comprising:
- receiving, from a fuel gauge, an electronic reading of a level of fuel fluid contained in a fuel tank;
- determining whether the aircraft in which the fuel pump management system is installed is on the ground;
- and
- analyzing the electronic reading of the level of the fuel fluid, the analyzing comprising:
- upon determining that the level of fuel fluid is equal or below a predetermined fuel level threshold and that the aircraft is on the ground, causing a fuel pump in communication with the fuel tank to be shut down, wherein the fuel pump avoids inclusion of a ground fault interrupter in said fuel pump, and wherein the fuel pump remains operational during taxiing or in-flight even though the level of fuel fluid is equal or below the threshold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.