IP Library › Granted Patent US 12674701

Granted Patent B2

US 12674701 · App. 18/380,231 · Granted Jul 7, 2026

Method for setting the mass of a load to be transported by an aircraft

Inventors: Thomas Razafimahefa (Saint Chamas, FR); Damien Gavios (Allauch, FR); Pierre Bouchard (Gignac-la-Nerthe, FR); Carl Ockier (Augsburg, DE)

Assignees: AIRBUS HELICOPTERS; AIRBUS HELICOPTERS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH

G01G19/07 G01G19/14

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12674701
App. No.: 18/380,231
Granted: Jul 7, 2026
Kind: B2

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Abstract

A method for setting, in an aircraft, a calculation mass relative to a load to be transported by a hooking system of the aircraft. The method comprises: detecting whether a current state of the aircraft is a flight state with the load to be transported attached to the hooking system and, if so, displaying a proposed mass on a display, validating the proposed mass using a validation interface in order to assign the proposed mass to the calculation mass, or, if the proposed mass is not validated at the end of a predetermined condition, assigning a predetermined mass to the calculation mass.

Claims (50)

1 . A method for setting, in an aircraft, a calculation mass taken into consideration by an avionics system of the aircraft, the calculation mass being relative to a load to be transported carried by a hooking system of the aircraft, the avionics system having a display,

wherein the method comprises:

detecting that a current state of the aircraft is a flight state with the load to be transported attached to the hooking system;

displaying a proposed mass on the display;

after displaying a proposed mass on the display, validating the proposed mass using a validation interface, the proposed mass being assigned to the calculation mass; or

if the proposed mass is not validated at the end of a predetermined condition, assigning a predetermined mass greater than zero to the calculation mass.

2 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein, before validating the proposed mass, the method comprises modifying the proposed mass using a modification interface.

3 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein, the hooking system having a hook that can be closed or open and that is configured to carry the load to be transported, detecting whether a current state of the aircraft is a flight state with the load to be transported attached to the hooking system comprises detecting whether the hook is closed.

4 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein detecting whether a current state of the aircraft is a flight state with the load to be transported attached to the hooking system comprises detecting whether the aircraft is in flight.

5 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein detecting whether a current state of the aircraft is a flight state with the load to be transported attached to the hooking system comprises detecting whether the hooking system is carrying the load to be transported.

6 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein, the hooking system having a hook that can be closed or open and that is configured to carry the load to be transported, the method comprises generating an alert when it is detected that the hook is open while the aircraft is in flight and is carrying the load to be transported with the hooking system.

7 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the proposed mass has a stored value.

8 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the method comprises estimating an estimated value of the load to be transported, the proposed mass being equal to the estimated value.

9 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the predetermined condition is a flight of the aircraft at a forward speed greater than a threshold speed for a stored time period.

10 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein displaying a proposed mass on the display comprises displaying a vehicle management page on the display, the vehicle management page comprising a zone displaying the proposed mass.

11 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the method comprises assigning a predetermined value to the calculation mass when the aircraft is resting on the ground.

12 . A method for determining a total mass of an aircraft, the aircraft having an avionics system, the avionics system being configured to calculate the total mass of the aircraft, the aircraft having a hooking system carrying a load to be transported,

wherein the method for determining a total mass of an aircraft comprises setting a calculation mass of the load to be transported by applying the method for setting a calculation mass according to claim 1 , and calculating the total mass as a function of the calculation mass.

13 . A method for controlling the flight of an aircraft, the aircraft having an avionics system, the avionics system being configured to calculate a limit to be observed as a function of a total mass of the aircraft, the aircraft having a hooking system carrying a load to be transported,

wherein the method for controlling the flight of the aircraft comprises setting a calculation mass of the load to be transported by applying the method for setting a calculation mass according to claim 1 , and calculating the limit as a function of the calculation mass.

14 . A non-transitory computer readable medium that comprises instructions that, when executed by an avionics system, cause the avionics system to implement the method for setting a calculation mass according to claim 1 .

15 . An aircraft provided with an avionics system and a hooking system, the avionics system having a display,

wherein the avionics system is configured to implement the method for setting a calculation mass according to claim 1 .

16 . The aircraft according to claim 15 ,

wherein the aircraft comprises a mass sensor configured to transmit a signal that varies as a function of a mass of the load to be transported.

17 . The aircraft according to claim 15 ,

wherein the avionics system comprises one or more of the following sensors: a sensor for determining whether the aircraft is in flight, a travel speed sensor, a timer device, a sensor detecting a closed or open state of a hook of the hooking system.

18 . A method for setting, in an aircraft, a calculation mass used by an avionics system of the aircraft, the calculation mass corresponding to a load carried by a hooking system of the aircraft, the avionics system having a display,

wherein the method comprises:

detecting that a current state of the aircraft is a flight state with the load attached to the hooking system;

displaying a proposed mass on the display;

after displaying the proposed mass on the display, validating the proposed mass using a validation interface, the proposed mass assigned to the calculation mass; or

if the proposed mass is not validated at the end of a predetermined condition, assigning a predetermined mass greater than zero to the calculation mass.

19 . A method for setting, in an aircraft, a calculation mass used by an avionics system of the aircraft, the calculation mass corresponding to a load to be transported carried by a hooking system of the aircraft, the avionics system having a display,

wherein the method comprises:

detecting that the aircraft is in flight with the load attached to the hooking system;

displaying a proposed mass on the display; and

after displaying the proposed mass on the display, either validating or not validating the proposed mass, if the proposed mass is validated, validating the proposed mass using a validation interface, the proposed mass being assigned to the calculation mass, if the proposed mass is not validated, assigning a predetermined mass greater than zero to the calculation mass.

20 . The method according to claim 19 ,

wherein, before validating the proposed mass, the method comprises modifying the proposed mass using a modification interface, and wherein, the hooking system has a hook that can be closed or open and that is configured to carry the load, and wherein detecting that the aircraft is in flight state with the load attached to the hooking system comprises detecting whether the load attached to the hooking system comprises detecting whether the hook is closed.