Back to results
US 12,656,159 B2Granted
Aircraft fuel quantity indication system and method
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsSigvard Johann Wahlin, Andrew Frederick Douglass
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aircraft fueling adapter incorporating an aircraft fueling adapter flow meter is disclosed for improving accuracy of fueling protocols by providing an additional independent flow data point in mass units and/or volume units in the fueling process that can be compared against existing fuel flow readings.
Claims19
A method for confirming an accurate delivery of an amount of fuel delivered from a fuel supply into an aircraft fuel tank, the method comprising:
- engaging an aircraft fueling adapter with a fuel supply assembly, said aircraft fueling adapter fixedly engaged with an aircraft structure, said aircraft structure comprising an aircraft fuel inlet, said aircraft fueling adapter comprising:
- an aircraft fueling adapter body, said aircraft fueling adapter body further comprising an aircraft fueling adapter exterior and an aircraft fueling adapter body interior, said aircraft fueling adapter interior comprising an aircraft fueling adapter interior wall and an aircraft fueling adapter interior pathway, said aircraft fueling adapter interior pathway substantially defined by the aircraft fueling adapter interior wall;
- an aircraft fueling adapter interior pathway inlet;
- an aircraft fueling adapter interior pathway outlet;
- an aircraft fueling adapter flow meter, said aircraft fueling adapter flow meter in communication with the aircraft fueling adapter interior pathway, said aircraft fueling adapter flow meter configured to determine an amount of fuel in a fuel flow delivered from the fuel supply, said fuel flow passing the aircraft fueling adapter flow meter, said amount of the fuel flow traversing a path from the fuel supply to the aircraft fueling adapter and into the aircraft fuel tank;
- directing a flow of fuel from the fuel supply to the aircraft fueling adapter;
- directing the fuel flow from the aircraft fueling adapter into the aircraft fuel tank;
- determining at the aircraft fueling adapter an amount of fuel delivered from the fuel supply into the aircraft fuel tank;
- and determining a first determined fuel value to confirm the accurate delivery of the amount of fuel flow fuel delivered from the fuel supply into the aircraft fuel tank.
6 more elements
A method for fueling an aircraft, the method comprising:
- providing a fuel supply;
- providing an aircraft fuel tank in an aircraft, said aircraft fuel tank in communication with an aircraft fuel tank inlet;
- providing an aircraft fueling adapter fixedly engaged with the aircraft, said aircraft fueling adapter in communication with the aircraft fuel tank inlet, said aircraft fueling adapter further in communication with the fuel supply, said aircraft fueling adapter comprising an aircraft fueling adapter flow meter;
- delivering a fuel flow from the fuel supply to the aircraft fuel tank;
- determining a first determined fuel value based on said fuel flow, said fuel flow configured to pass through the aircraft fueling adapter, said first determined fuel value measured at the aircraft fueling adapter by the aircraft fueling adapter flow meter and determining a second determined fuel value measured at the fuel supply based on said fuel flow leaving the fuel supply.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.