Electronic apparatus and method for assisting an aircraft pilot, related computer program

• US 10,176,649 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2016
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Sannino, Christian, Sprauel, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEUNG, CALVIN K
• Application Number:
  US15/358,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20170148236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0085 Devices for aircraft health monitoring, e.g. monitoring flutter or vibration
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0278 Qualitative, e.g. if-then rules; Fuzzy logic; Lookup tables; Symptomatic search; FMEA
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B

Abstract

Disclosed is an electronic apparatus for assisting an aircraft pilot. The aircraft includes avionics equipment implementing operational capacities and a monitoring system configured to determine monitoring information from operational capacities and operating parameters of the avionics equipment. The assistance apparatus includes in an acquisition module configured to acquire the monitoring information and an anomaly detection module configured to detect at least one anomaly from among a breakdown of an avionics equipment and a failure of an operational capacity, from monitoring information and anomaly detection rules contained in a predefined database. The assistance apparatus includes an inference module configured to identify, for each anomaly, one or several causes that may have caused the anomaly, based on relationships between breakdowns and failures, the relationships being contained in the database.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus for assisting a pilot of an aircraft, the aircraft including avionics equipment implementing operational capacities of the aircraft and a monitoring system, each avionics equipment being associated with one or several operating parameters, the monitoring system being configured to determine monitoring information relative to the aircraft from operating parameters and operational capacities,

the apparatus being intended to be onboard the aircraft and comprising:

an acquisition circuit configured to acquire the monitoring information from the monitoring system,

an anomaly detection circuit configured to detect at least one anomaly from among a breakdown of an avionics equipment and a failure of an operational capacity, from acquired monitoring information and anomaly detection rules, the anomaly detection rules being contained in a predefined database,

an inference circuit configured to identify, for each detected anomaly, one or several causes that may have caused said anomaly, based on first level relationships between avionics equipment breakdowns and operational capacity failures, the first level relationships being contained in the predefined database, and

a likelihood circuit configured to calculate, for each identified cause, a likelihood indicator based on at least one parameter chosen from the group consisting of;

a likelihood of occurrence for each avionics equipment breakdown, a history of preceding avionics equipment breakdowns and a confidence level associated with the monitoring system, the parameters being contained in the predefined database.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a first display module configured to display, on a screen intended for the pilot, each detected anomaly separately.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first display module is further configured to display the detected anomalies in the form of group(s), with one group for each cause.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a second display module configured to display, on a screen intended for the pilot, each operational capacity.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the apparatus further comprises an operational impact circuit configured to determine one or several operational capacities modified by the detected anomaly or anomalies, based on second level dependency relationships between operational capacity failures, the second level relationships being contained in the predefined database, and

wherein the second display module is further configured to display separately the unchanged operational capacities and the operational capacities modified by the detected anomaly or anomalies.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises the predefined database.

7. An electronic apparatus for assisting a pilot of an aircraft, the aircraft including avionics equipment implementing operational capacities of the aircraft and a monitoring system, each avionics equipment being associated with one or several operating parameters, the monitoring system being configured to determine monitoring information relative to the aircraft from operating parameters and operational capacities,

the apparatus being intended to be onboard the aircraft and comprising:

an acquisition circuit configured to acquire the monitoring information from the monitoring system,

an anomaly detection circuit configured to detect at least one anomaly from among a breakdown of an avionics equipment and a failure of an operational capacity, from acquired monitoring information and anomaly detection rules, the anomaly detection rules being contained in a predefined database,

an inference circuit configured to identify, for each detected anomaly, one or several causes that may have caused said anomaly, based on first level relationships between avionics equipment breakdowns and operational capacity failures, the first level relationships being contained in the predefined database, and

an operational impact circuit configured to determine one or several operational capacities modified by the detected anomaly or anomalies, based on second level dependency relationships between operational capacity failures, the second level relationships being contained in the predefined database.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the apparatus further comprises a first display module configured to display, on a screen intended for the pilot, each detected anomaly separately.

9. A method for assisting a pilot of an aircraft, the aircraft including avionics equipment implementing operational capacities of the aircraft and a monitoring system, each avionics equipment being associated with one or several operating parameters, the monitoring system being configured to determine monitoring information relative to the aircraft from operating parameters and operational capacities,

the method being implemented by an electronic assistance apparatus and comprising:

acquiring the monitoring information from the monitoring system,

detecting at least one anomaly from among a breakdown of an avionics equipment and a failure of an operational capacity, from acquired monitoring information and anomaly detection rules, the anomaly detection rules being contained in a predefined database,

identifying, for each detected anomaly, one or several causes that may have caused said anomaly, based on first level relationships between avionics equipment breakdowns and operational capacity failures, the first level relationships being contained in the predefined database, and

calculating, for each identified cause, a likelihood indicator based on at least one parameter chosen from the group consisting of;

a likelihood of occurrence for each avionics equipment breakdown, a history of preceding avionics equipment breakdowns and a confidence level associated with the monitoring system, the parameters being contained in the predefined database.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the method further comprises determining one or several operational capacities modified by the detected anomaly or anomalies, based on second level dependency relationships between operational capacity failures, the second level relationships being contained in the predefined database.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium on which is stored a computer program including software instructions which, when implemented by a computer apparatus on an aircraft including avionics equipment implementing operational capacities of the aircraft and a monitoring system, each avionics equipment being associated with one or several operating parameters, the monitoring system being configured to determine monitoring information relative to the aircraft from operating parameters and operational capacities, is configured to implement the steps of:

acquiring the monitoring information from the monitoring system,

detecting at least one anomaly from among a breakdown of an avionics equipment and a failure of an operational capacity, from acquired monitoring information and anomaly detection rules, the anomaly detection rules being contained in a predefined database,

identifying, for each detected anomaly, one or several causes that may have caused said anomaly, based on first level relationships between avionics equipment breakdowns and operational capacity failures, the first level relationships being contained in the predefined database, and

calculating, for each identified cause, a likelihood indicator based on at least one parameter chosen from the group consisting of;

a likelihood of occurrence for each avionics equipment breakdown, a history of preceding avionics equipment breakdowns and a confidence level associated with the monitoring system, the parameters being contained in the predefined database.