Sensor device and method for sensing gas for aircraft shock-absorber
AssigneeAirbus Operations GmbH
InventorDavid Marles
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sensor and method for sensing gas absorbed in hydraulic fluid in an aircraft shock absorber are disclosed. The hydraulic fluid and a gas are in fluid communication with each other. The sensor may be incorporated in the shock absorber or in servicing apparatus such as a servicing cart. The amount of gas absorbed in the hydraulic fluid is provided as a parameter which in combination with other parameters allows a user an improved means to determine the maintenance state of the shock absorber and to derive servicing actions.
Claims21
A sensor device for determining at least one parameter at an aircraft shock absorber, the aircraft shock absorber having at least one chamber containing both hydraulic fluid and a gas in fluid communication with each other, an amount of the gas being absorbed in the hydraulic fluid,
- wherein the at least one chamber comprises first and second compartments separated by a restrictive opening, wherein;
- the sensor device comprises a total dissolved gas sensor,
- wherein the total dissolved gas sensor is disposed in the second compartment containing hydraulic fluid,
- wherein the total dissolved gas sensor directly contacts the hydraulic fluid and is configured to directly measure an absorption level of the amount of the gas absorbed in the hydraulic fluid in order to determine the at least one parameter.
A servicing cart for servicing an aircraft shock absorber, the aircraft shock absorber having:
- at least one chamber containing both hydraulic fluid and a gas in fluid communication with each other, an amount of the gas being absorbed in the hydraulic fluid,
- the at least one chamber including a gas port and a fluid port, wherein the at least one chamber comprises first and second compartments separated by a restrictive opening, the servicing cart including:
- a fluid sampling chamber arranged to receive a sample of the hydraulic fluid from the at least one chamber of the aircraft shock absorber via the fluid port,
- a second sampling chamber arranged to receive a sample of the gas from the at least one chamber of the aircraft shock absorber via the gas port;
- a gas absorption sensor device coupled to the fluid sampling chamber and arranged to measure an absorption level of the amount of the gas absorbed in the sample of the hydraulic fluid for determining a gas absorption parameter,
- a gas sensor device coupled to the gas sampling chamber and arranged to measure a pressure of the sample of the gas for determining a pressure parameter,
- wherein the gas sensor device comprises a total dissolved gas sensor,
- wherein the total dissolved gas sensor is disposed in the second compartment containing hydraulic fluid,
- wherein the total dissolved gas sensor directly contacts the hydraulic fluid, and
- wherein the gas absorption parameter and the pressure parameter are provided to a user of the servicing cart to allow the aircraft shock absorber to be serviced.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.