The invention relates to a payload monitoring system of an aircraft, wherein the system comprises at least one storage area (26, 28, 30, 32, 36, 38, 42) for a payload and at least one pressure sensor (10), wherein the at least one sensor (10) is configured to detect a weight force and its center of gravity of payload resting on the storage area (26, 28, 30, 32, 36, 38, 42). Furthermore, the invention relates to an aircraft and a method for operating an aircraft.

A vehicle occupant sensor system for determining an occupant load distribution in a vehicle having a plurality of passenger seats may include a plurality of sensors, each of the plurality of sensors associated with a different one of the plurality of passenger seats for detecting an occupant in each of the plurality of passenger seats, and a weight of the detected occupant; and a computer connected to receive data from each of the plurality of sensors indicative of the weight and passenger seat location in the vehicle of the detected occupant in each of the plurality of passenger seats, and calculate from the data a total weight and center of gravity of the detected occupants in the plurality of passenger seats.

The different advantageous embodiments provide an apparatus comprising a number of landing gear components for a vehicle, a number of systems, and a number of processor units. The number of systems is configured to generate data about the number of landing gear components and the vehicle. The number of processor units is configured to monitor the data and manage health of the number of landing gear components.

A weight distribution associated with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may be determined prior to dispatch of the UAV and/or after the UAV returns from operation (e.g., a flight). In some embodiments, one or more UAVs may be placed on or proximate to a physical metrics acquisition (PMA) device. The PMA device may include a grid or array of load cells may be used to determine a distribution of weight of the UAV at three or more points associated with the UAV. The distribution of weight may be used generate analytics, which may include a total weight of a vehicle, a center of mass of the vehicle (in two or more dimensions), power requirements of the UAV for a given flight task (e.g., how much battery power the UAV requires, etc.), and/or other analytics. In various embodiments, the PMA device may perform moment of inertia tests for the UAV.

A vehicle occupant sensor system for determining an occupant load distribution in a vehicle having a plurality of passenger seats may include a plurality of sensors, each of the plurality of sensors associated with a different one of the plurality of passenger seats for detecting an occupant in each of the plurality of passenger seats, and a weight of the detected occupant; and a computer connected to receive data from each of the plurality of sensors indicative of the weight and passenger seat location in the vehicle of the detected occupant in each of the plurality of passenger seats, and calculate from the data a total weight and center of gravity of the detected occupants in the plurality of passenger seats.

A method includes obtaining pressure data and temperature data for gas in respective ones of shock struts of a plurality of landing gear. The method includes determining, for each shock strut for a first time corresponding to an end of a first change in gas pressure due to movement of a piston of the shock strut during loading or unloading of the aircraft, a friction value associated with the shock strut based on a gas pressure and a gas temperature at the first time. The method also includes computing, for a particular time before the loading or the unloading of the aircraft causes a second change in gas pressure of one or more of the shock struts, a weight of the aircraft based on the gas pressures of the shock struts at the first times and the friction values associated with the shock struts at the first times.

A system for detecting vehicle load anomalies during ground travel includes at least one inertial sensor sensing a pitch or a roll of a vehicle and outputting at least one of a pitch or a roll value; a computing device having a processor and a memory and an input coupled to an input and monitoring module, where said input and monitoring module receives one of the pitch or roll values output by the at least one inertial sensor, and said computing system further having a measuring module measuring an oscillation based on one of the output pitch or roll values and calculating an adjusted center of gravity value based on a comparison between an expected oscillation and the measured oscillation; said computing device having an output to an alert module that outputs an alert signal through said output if the adjusted center of gravity is outside of a predetermined threshold.

A device for determining the center of gravity (CG) of a remote controlled aircraft includes a base member having a slotted track defined therein and a plurality of support platforms mounted on the base member. Each support platform of the plurality of support platforms is slidably positionable along the slotted track and each support platform may receive a digital CG sensor thereon. A plurality of leveling members is also mounted on the base member, with each leveling member of the plurality of leveling members being independently vertically translatable to adjust the orientation of the base member until the base member is level with the horizontal plane.

This disclosure describes a system and method for determining the center of gravity of a payload engaged by an automated aerial vehicle and adjusting components of the automated aerial vehicle and/or the engagement location with the payload so that the center of gravity of the payload is within a defined position with respect to the center of gravity of the automated aerial vehicle. Adjusting the center of gravity to be within a defined position improves the efficiency, maneuverability and safety of the automated aerial vehicle. In some implementations, the stability of the payload may also be determined to ensure that the center of gravity does not change or shift during transport due to movement of an item of the payload.

The methods and systems provide for increasing the accuracy of aircraft weight and center of gravity determination through the use of filtered strut pressure measurements. Aircraft vertical and horizontal accelerations are determined as the aircraft is taxiing, and used to identify and reduce the number of significantly distorted pressure measurements, to allow the lesser distorted pressure measurements to be averaged, and a lesser number of distorted pressure measurements to be averaged; further identifying the aircraft in near-neutral acceleration and strut pressure values near-neutral of strut seal friction distortions. Pressure sensors, accelerometers, and an inclinometer are mounted in relation to landing gear struts to monitor, measure and record strut pressure as related to strut telescopic movement, rates of strut telescopic movement and aircraft vertical and horizontal accelerations; experienced by landing gear struts, as the aircraft proceeds through typical ground and taxi operations.