Hydraulic systems
AssigneeAirbus Operations GmbH
InventorsAshley BIDMEAD, Chris WOOTTON
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aircraft brake system includes a supply line for supplying hydraulic fluid to wheel brakes, and an associated return line. Hydraulic fluid is replenished in at least a portion of the return line both before applying a braking force to the one or more wheels of the aircraft during landing, and before an intervening, optional, step if so performed of testing the brake system before landing of the aircraft. Replenishing the hydraulic fluid can be conducted by a control unit automatically and/or in response to a pressure drop in the return line measure by a transducer.
Claims20
A method of operating a brake system of an aircraft, the brake system comprising:
- a supply line for supplying hydraulic fluid to one or more brakes, which are arranged, under action of the hydraulic fluid, to apply a braking force to one or more wheels of an aircraft landing gear assembly of the aircraft;
- and
- a return line for return of hydraulic fluid from the one or more brakes;
- the method comprising steps of:
- increasing pressure and/or volume of hydraulic fluid in at least a portion of the return line both (a) before initiating a subsequent step of activating the brake system to apply a braking force to the one or more wheels of the aircraft during landing, and (b) before an intervening, optional, step of performing a test of the brake system before landing of the aircraft.
A method of initializing a braking system on an aircraft before being used to cause braking of wheels of the aircraft on landing, the aircraft having a first hydraulic system to power various parts of an aircraft including one or more control surfaces and one or more wheel brakes, and a second hydraulic system, provided as an alternate system which provides redundancy, the second hydraulic system being configured to power various parts of an aircraft including one or more control surfaces and one or more wheel brakes, the method comprising increasing in situ a volume and/or pressure of the hydraulic fluid in a return line of the second hydraulic system from a supply of hydraulic fluid on the aircraft in advance of testing the second hydraulic system before landing of the aircraft.
A hydraulic brake system for activating wheel brakes of an aircraft, the brake system comprising:
- a supply line for supplying hydraulic fluid to one or more brakes, which are arranged, under action of the hydraulic fluid, to apply a braking force to one or more wheels of an aircraft landing gear assembly of the aircraft;
- a return line for return of hydraulic fluid from the one or more brakes;
- and
- a control unit configured to operate in each of separate and distinct modes of operation of:
- a first mode of increasing a pressure and/or volume of hydraulic fluid in at least a portion of the return line without simultaneously activating the wheel brakes;
- and
- a second mode of causing activation of the wheel brakes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.