Sensor for detecting hydraulic liquids in aircraft
AssigneeKatholieke Universiteit Leuven
InventorsHelge Pfeiffer, Martine Wevers
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates generally to a system that monitors the condition of hydraulic systems for an aircraft or for other applications and, more particularly, to a system and method for detecting leakage within the hydraulic system aboard an aircraft. Such system is detecting hydraulic liquids by extended sensors based on the collapse of percolation conductivity (COPC) which sensors are covering an area in the aircraft.
Claims56
An aircraft with an improved landing or taking off security means, characterised in that the aircraft comprises a hydraulic liquid leakage monitor for detecting of aircraft hydraulic liquid leakage in situ from the aircraft hydraulic system whereby the aircraft hydraulic liquid conduit that is at least in part surrounded by a sensing means (sensing tape, sheet, fabric or coating) [2] that is permeable for aircraft hydraulic liquid (such as Skydrol® 500 B) and that is coated or is winded around the hydraulic tube [1] to be sensed for an hydraulic fluid escape and whereby the sensing means comprises or is impregnated with a sensing material that comprises a composite comprising at least two components. 1) particles or powder of an electrically-conductive material dispersed in 2) an matrix that is solvable to aircraft hydraulic fluid whereby the concentration, dispersity and/or orientation of the electrically-conductive particles are tailored to be in the proximity of the percolation threshold in a way that the composite itself is normally in the electrically-conductive state but has the percolation conductivity interrupted after entering of aircraft hydraulic fluid into the composite [2] and further comprising electrodes [4] for measuring resistance in sensing material [2].
The aircraft with aircraft hydraulic liquid leakage monitor according to any one of the previous claims, whereby the aircraft hydraulic liquid leakage monitor comprises a sensing tape, sheet, fabric or coating in the form of a strip or wire and so arranged around the aircraft hydraulic liquid conduit that at least one sensing strip or sensing wire is formed with slits between the sensing strip or sensing wire.
The aircraft with aircraft hydraulic liquid leakage monitor according to any one of the previous claims, whereby the at least one sensing strip or sensing wire is being arranged as a coil of two or more turns and whereby the spirals or winds is contiguous with a space between or the sensing strip or sensing wire so arranged that each strip or wire from one elongated unit without contacts or interconnections between the spirals or winds.
The aircraft with aircraft hydraulic liquid leakage monitor according to any one of the previous claims, whereby the at least one sensing strip or sensing wire helical engaged around said the aircraft hydraulic fluid conduit with a contiguous slit, groove or space between the spirals or winds of the helix.
The aircraft with aircraft hydraulic liquid leakage monitor according to any one of the previous claims, whereby at a condition of leak the contiguous slit, groove or space for a hydraulic liquid flow.
The aircraft with aircraft hydraulic liquid leakage monitor according to any one of the previous claims, whereby in a non leak condition the sensing strip or sensing wire is in an electrically-conductive state but when the hydraulic fluid penetrates in said the sensing strip or sensing wire this switches into the non-conductive state and a hydraulic fluid leak is monitored in said aircraft.
The aircraft with aircraft hydraulic liquid leakage monitor according to any one of the previous claims, whereby in a non-leak condition the sensing strip or sensing wire is in an electrically-conductive state but when the hydraulic fluid attacks or destroys a zone in the sensing strip or sensing wire this switches into the non-conductive state and an hydraulic fluid leak is monitored in said aircraft.
The aircraft with aircraft hydraulic liquid leakage monitor according to any one of the previous claims, whereby the sensing strip or sensing wire is a circular electrically conductive coil core around the aircraft hydraulic fluid conduit with said the slit between said each wining or spiral.
The aircraft with aircraft hydraulic liquid leakage monitor according to any one of the previous claims, whereby the sensing strip is a mm strips and the slit is a mm slit.
The aircraft with aircraft hydraulic liquid leakage monitor according to any one of the previous claims, whereby the hydraulic liquid leakage monitor is real-time.
The aircraft with aircraft hydraulic liquid leakage monitor according to any one of the previous claims, whereby the matrix of the sensing tape, sheet, fabric or coating does not resist an attack by used aviation hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic aircraft system.
The aircraft with aircraft hydraulic liquid leakage monitor according to any one of the previous claims, whereby the aircraft hydraulic liquid leakage monitor, wherein the conductive state of the matrix of the sensing tape, sheet, fabric or coating does not resist an attack by used aviation hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic aircraft system.
The aircraft with aircraft hydraulic liquid leakage monitor according to any one of the previous claims, to enhance passenger's safety.
The aircraft with aircraft hydraulic liquid leakage monitor according to any one of the previous claims, to detect presence of leaked hydraulic liquids at a very early stage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.