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US 12,656,210 B2Granted
Monitoring system
AssigneeMbda UK Limited
InventorsGregory Michael Burnell, Matthew Charles Wilshin, Terence Alexander Bentley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method of and system for monitoring mechanical fatigue of a complex weapon system. First, data representing a movement of the complex weapon system is acquired. On the basis of the acquired data, a measure of mechanical fatigue damage to the complex weapon system arising from the movement is calculated. On the basis of that calculated measure, a cumulative total of the mechanical fatigue damage accrued by the complex weapon system is updated to account for the mechanical fatigue damage arising from the movement.
Claims20
A method of monitoring mechanical fatigue of a complex weapon system, the method comprising the steps of:
- acquiring, by at least one accelerometer of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) mounted to the complex weapon system, data representing a movement of the complex weapon system, wherein the data comprises acceleration measurements captured at successive time intervals along a plurality of spatial axes;
- on the basis of the acquired data, calculating, by a fatigue-damage calculator executed by a processor configured for hardware certification of the complex weapon system, a fatigue-damage spectrum characterizing cumulative mechanical strain experienced by the complex weapon system during the movement;
- updating, on the basis of the calculated fatigue-damage spectrum, a cumulative total of mechanical fatigue damage accrued by the complex weapon system to account for the mechanical fatigue damage arising from the movement;
- empirically calibrating certified fatigue-damage threshold value by subjecting a certification instance of the complex weapon system to a controlled accelerated-aging program that physically imposes multi-axis vibration and shock loads replicating maximum operational conditions expected during service life, the program comprising:
- (a) mounting the certification instance on a vibration test fixture and operating the vibration test fixture to deliver controlled mechanical shocks and sustained vibration profiles representative of maximum operational loads, launch accelerations, and flight-induced dynamic conditions:
- (b) acquiring, by accelerometers of the certification instance, the acceleration measurements during the controlled accelerated-aging program and computing corresponding fatigue-damage spectra and cumulative totals in real time to monitor fatigue-induced structural degradation and
- (c) establishing, from the degradation, the certified fatigue-damage threshold value corresponding to a cumulative total measured at a point of structural degradation or performance deviation of the certification instance, certified threshold being stored in memory and transferred to operational complex weapon systems for use during in-service monitoring:
- comparing the cumulative total to the certified fatigue-damage threshold value, wherein the certified fatigue-damage threshold value corresponds to a quantity of the mechanical fatigue damage for which the complex weapon system is certified;
- and
- generating, by a notification module, a signal identifying that the complex weapon system has reached or exceeded an associated certified fatigue limit in response to the cumulative total exceeding the certified fatigue-damage threshold value.
7 more elements
A system for monitoring fatigue damage to a complex weapon system, the system comprising:
- a data-acquisition module including at least one accelerometer of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) mounted to the complex weapon system and configured to acquire data representing movement of the complex weapon system, the data comprising acceleration measurements captured at successive time intervals along a plurality of spatial axes;
- a fatigue-damage calculator executed by a processor configured for hardware certification of the complex weapon system and arranged to calculate, based on the acquired data, a fatigue-damage spectrum characterizing cumulative mechanical strain experienced by the complex weapon system during the movement;
- a fatigue-damage accumulator configured to update, based on the calculated fatigue-damage spectrum, an in-situ cumulative total of mechanical fatigue damage accrued by the complex weapon system during active operation by filtering, integrating, and accumulating acceleration signals from the IMU to quantify strain energy imparted to the structure, such that the cumulative total represents a live measure of a mechanical fatigue state of the complex weapon system;
- a certification module configured to empirically calibrate and certify a fatigue-damage threshold value by controlling a vibration-test fixture to subject a certification instance of the complex weapon system to a controlled accelerated-aging program that physically imposes multi-axis vibration and shock loads replicating maximum operational conditions expected during service life, the certification module being further configured to:
- (a) operate the vibration-test fixture to deliver controlled mechanical shocks and sustained vibration profiles representative of maximum operational loads, launch accelerations, and flight-induced dynamic conditions;
- (b) receive, from accelerometers of the certification instance, the acceleration measurements during the accelerated-aging program and compute corresponding fatigue-damage spectra and cumulative totals in real time to monitor fatigue-induced structural degradation;
- and
- (c) establish, from the monitored degradation, a certified fatigue-damage threshold value corresponding to a cumulative total measured at a point of structural degradation or performance deviation of the certification instance, the certified threshold being stored in memory and transferred to operational complex weapon systems for use during in-service monitoring;
- a comparison module configured to compare the cumulative total to the certified fatigue-damage threshold value;
- and
- a notification module configured to generate a signal indicating that the complex weapon system has reached or exceeded the certified fatigue-damage threshold value.
8 more elements
A certification apparatus for empirically establishing a fatigue-damage threshold for a complex weapon system, the apparatus comprising:
- a vibration-test fixture configured to support a certification instance of the complex weapon system and apply controlled multi-axis vibration and shock loads replicating maximum operational conditions expected during service life;
- a sensor suite mounted to the certification instance and comprising an inertial measurement unit (IMU) including a plurality of accelerometers and at least one gyroscope configured to measure linear and angular acceleration of the certification instance during the applied loads;
- a calibration processor configured to:
- (a) acquire, in real time, acceleration measurements from the sensor suite;
- (b) filter and integrate the acceleration signals to compute mechanical strain energy imparted to the structure;
- (c) accumulate the strain energy to determine cumulative mechanical fatigue damage;
- and
- (d) identify a certified fatigue-damage threshold value corresponding to a cumulative total measured at a point of structural degradation or performance deviation of the certification instance;
- a validation module configured to confirm the structural degradation by at least one of visual inspection or non-destructive testing;
- and
- a data-storage interface configured to record the certified fatigue-damage threshold value together with associated test parameters in a non-transitory memory for transfer to operational complex weapon systems.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.