Aerial refueling boom elevation estimation system
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsRICHARD GOLOB, JUSTIN CLEVE HATCHER, JUNG SOON JANG, KIMBERLY ANN HINSON, JEFFREY L. MUSGRAVE
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aerial refueling boom elevation estimation (“ARBEE”) system for estimating an elevation angle of an aerial refueling boom on an aerial refueling aircraft is described. The ARBEE system may include a data collector, storage unit, optimizer, and comparator.
Claims20
A method of estimating an elevation angle of an aerial refueling boom on an aerial refueling aircraft, the method comprising:
- collecting measured data signals from a hoist-cable length sensor, a plurality of aerial refueling boom position sensors, and a dynamic pressure sensor;
- generating a first database of measured data corresponding to the collected measured data signals;
- optimizing the measured data of the first database to create a second database of optimized data corresponding to the measured data, wherein the measured data includes measured aerial refueling boom elevation data and wherein the optimized data includes optimized aerial refueling boom elevation estimation data;
- comparing the optimized data to the measured data to determine a difference between the optimized aerial refueling boom elevation data and the measured aerial refueling boom elevation data to determine an elevation data error;
- determining if the elevation data error is greater than a predetermined threshold value;
- updating the optimized data if the elevation data error is greater than the predetermined threshold value;
- and
- utilizing the optimized data to determine the elevation angle of the aerial refueling boom.
An aerial refueling boom elevation estimation (“ARBEE”) system for estimating an elevation angle of an aerial refueling boom on an aerial refueling aircraft, the ARBEE system comprising:
- a data collector in signal communication with the storage unit, a cable length sensor, a plurality of aerial refueling boom position sensors, and a dynamic pressure sensor;
- a storage unit in signal communication with the optimizer and the comparator and the optimizer is also in signal communication with the comparator;
- an optimizer;
- and
- a comparator.
A method of estimating elevation angle of an aerial refueling boom on an aerial refueling aircraft, the method comprising:
- receiving measured hoist-cable length data corresponding to the hoist-cable length of a hoist-cable extending from the aerial refueling aircraft to the aerial refueling boom;
- and
- determining an aerial refueling boom elevation angle from the measured hoist-cable length data, a first predetermined constant coefficient value, and a second predetermined constant coefficient value,
- wherein the first and second predetermined constant coefficient values are determined by preforming a polynomial fit on optimized data stored on an optimized data database,
- wherein the optimized data, in the optimized data database, corresponds to measured data from a plurality of aerial refueling boom position sensors, a hoist-cable length sensor, and a dynamic pressure sensor, and
- wherein the measured data was collected a priori.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.