Non-regression method of a tool for designing a monitoring system of an aircraft engine

• US 10,094,740 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2014
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Safran Aircraft Engine Company
• Original Assignee: Safran Aircraft Engine Company
• Inventors: Gouby, Aurelie, Lacaille, Jerome Henri Noel
• Primary Examiner(s): DAO, THUY CHAN
• Application Number:
  US14/506,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20150120214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,464 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/00 Testing of engines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/277 with comparison between actual response and known fault-free response
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites

Abstract

A system of non-regression tests of a designing tool including modules used to build a monitoring device of an aircraft engine is provided. The system includes a processor configured to automatically create an experience base by instrumenting behavior tests upon executing the modules, the experience base including reference input signals, sets of reference parameters, reference output signals, and collections of results of reference executions relating to the modules; start again the behavior tests on the modules depending on the corresponding reference input signals and the corresponding sets of reference parameters thus generating test output signals and collections of results of test executions; and compare the test output signals with the corresponding reference output signals and the collections of results of test execution with the corresponding collections of results of reference executions in order to test the non-regression of the designing tool.

Claims

1. A method of non-regression tests of a tool for designing a monitoring device of an aircraft engine, said designing tool including modules used to build the monitoring device, each module integrating algorithmic functions dedicated to specific tasks and being configured by a set of parameters, each module being adapted to be executed on an input signal to deliver an output signal, the method comprising:

automatically creating an experience base by instrumenting behavior tests upon executing the modules, said experience base including reference input signals, sets of reference parameters, reference output signals, and collections of results of reference executions relating to said modules,

starting again said behavior tests on said modules depending on the corresponding reference input signals and the corresponding sets of reference parameters thus generating test output signals and collections of results of test executions, and

comparing said test output signals with the corresponding reference output signals and said collections of results of test executions with said corresponding collections of results of reference executions in order to test the non-regression of the designing tool,

wherein the method further comprises, upon executing a module, creating the experience base including;

creating collections of instances of reference modules for the different modules, each module being associated with a collection of instances of reference modules and each instance of reference module being defined by the algorithmic functions of the corresponding module, and its set of reference parameters, each instance of reference module being associated with a reference input signal, a reference output signal, and a collection of results of reference executions, and

recording the different instances of reference modules of a same module in a storage system.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the collection of results of reference executions associated with an instance of reference module includes a reference execution flow rate and a reference execution duration.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the non-regression test of a module to be tested includes:

creating a collection of instances of test module associated with the collection of instances of reference module corresponding to said module to be tested,

assigning for each instance of test module the set of reference parameters of the instance of the corresponding reference module,

executing each instance of test module on the reference input signal of the instance of the corresponding reference module to generate a test output signal and a corresponding collection of results of test executions, said collection of results of test executions including a test execution flow rate and a test execution duration,

comparing the test execution flow rate of each instance of test module with the reference execution flow rate of the instance of the corresponding reference module,

comparing the test output signal of each instance of test module with the reference output signal of the instance of the corresponding reference module, and

comparing the test execution duration of each instance of test module with the reference execution duration of the instance of the corresponding reference module.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the non-regression test of said module to be tested includes:

calculating an execution flow rate deviation between the test execution flow rate of each instance of test module and the reference execution flow rate of the instance of the corresponding reference module, and comparing said execution flow rate deviation with a flow rate threshold,

checking a non-regressive equality between the test output signal of each instance of test module and the reference output signal of the instance of the corresponding reference module, and

calculating an execution duration deviation between the test execution duration of each instance of test module and the reference execution duration of the instance of the corresponding reference module, and comparing said execution duration deviation with a duration threshold.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a reexecution one by one of the instances of reference modules recorded in the experience base in order to test the non-regression of the different modules.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising automatically triggering a regression alert in case the non-regression test is not validated for at least one module, the alert being accompanied by a regression report including an identifier of each module concerned as well as the corresponding non-regression test.

7. A system of non-regression tests of a tool including a processor coupled to a memory storing executable software instructions for designing a monitoring device of an aircraft engine, said designing tool including modules used to build the monitoring device, each module integrating algorithmic functions dedicated to specific tasks and being configured by a set of parameters, each module being adapted to be executed on an input signal to deliver an output signal, the system comprising:

processing means configured to automatically create an experience base by instrumenting behavior tests upon executing the modules, said experience base including reference input signals, sets of reference parameters, reference output signals, and collections of results of reference executions relating to said modules,

processing means configured to start again said behavior tests on said modules depending on the corresponding reference input signals and the corresponding sets of reference parameters thus generating test output signals and collections of results of test executions,

processing means configured to compare said test output signals with the corresponding reference output signals and said collections of results of test executions with said corresponding collections of results of reference executions in order to test the non-regression of the designing tool, and

processing means configured to, upon executing a module, create the experience base including;

creating collections of instances of reference modules for the different modules, each module being associated with a collection of instances of reference modules and each instance of reference module being defined by the algorithmic functions of the corresponding module, and its set of reference parameters, each instance of reference module being associated with a reference input signal, a reference output signal, and a collection of results of reference executions, and

recording the different instances of reference modules of a same module in a storage system.

8. A tool including a processor coupled to a memory storing executable software instructions for designing a monitoring device of an aircraft engine, including modules used to build the monitoring device, each module integrating algorithmic functions dedicated to specific tasks and being configured by a set of parameters, each module being adapted to be executed on an input signal to deliver an output signal, the tool comprising:

processing means configured to automatically create an experience base by instrumenting behavior tests upon executing the modules, said experience base including reference input signals, sets of reference parameters, reference output signals, and collections of results of reference executions relating to said modules,

processing means configured to start again said behavior tests on said modules depending on the corresponding reference input signals and the corresponding sets of reference parameters thus generating test output signals and collections of results of test executions,

processing means configured to compare said test output signals with the corresponding reference output signals and said collections of results of test execution with said corresponding collections of results of reference executions in order to test the non-regression of the designing tool, and

processing means configured to, upon executing a module, create the experience base including;

creating collections of instances of reference modules for the different modules, each module being associated with a collection of instances of reference modules and each instance of reference module being defined by the algorithmic functions of the corresponding module, and its set of reference parameters, each instance of reference module being associated with a reference input signal, a reference output signal, and a collection of results of reference executions, and

recording the different instances of reference modules of a same module in a storage system.

9. A system including the designing tool according to claim 8 and a processor coupled to a memory storing executable software instructions for monitoring at least one equipment of an aircraft engine designed by the designing tool.