AUTOMATIC CONFIGURATION-TRACKING APPARATUS, AND A METHOD AND A SYSTEM FOR SUCH TRACKING

• US 20090234517A1
• Filed: 03/16/2009
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Helicopters
• Original Assignee: Eurocopter
• Inventors: PAULY, Eric, FEUILLEBOIS, Christian, GLADE, Mathieu
• Granted Patent: US 8,190,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

The invention relates to tracking the configuration of a vehicle (1) having a multitude of components for which it is desired to consult and record various items of data specific thereto, and their identification/authentication parameters, history, and operating state. A plurality of transponders (17, 17A), each coupled to one component of the vehicle (1), communicate this specific data via a meshed wireless network in order to enable the data to be transmitted by secure wireless transmission to an external installation (15). A secrecy perimeter coincides substantially with an outline of the vehicle (1).

Claims

1. A method of tracking the configuration of an aircraft (1) comprising a multitude of components for which it is desired to consult and record various items of data specific thereto including identification/authentication parameters, history, and an operating state, the method providing for a prior stage of installing a plurality of on-board wireless electronic labels (17) on the components of the aircraft (1), each label being coupled and dedicated to a particular component, and then a transaction stage with a transfer step of transferring data between the aircraft (1) and an external installation (15), wherein the installation stage provides a fitting step of fitting on board the aircraft (1) at least two local readers (18) together with at least one compatible wireless router (21) connected to one or more local readers (18), each reader (18) being compatible with and near to a group of on-board electronic labels (17), and at least one wireless concentrator (23) compatible with at least one router (21) installed and configured during the fitting step so as to communicate firstly with at least said router (21) and secondly with the external installation (15) in such a manner that during the transfer step the installation (15) communicates wirelessly exclusively with the concentrator (23), this communication passing within the aircraft (1) via a wireless mesh network that defines a secrecy perimeter (26).

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said wireless mesh network is formed between at least one base node (19) that wirelessly connects a group of labels (17) to their local reader (18), an intermediate network frame (22) wirelessly connecting the reader (18) to at least one router (21), and an on-board terminal mesh (24) that connects the router (21) to the concentrator (23).

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic labels (17) are suitable for communicating wirelessly with a nearby reader (18) exclusively within their own respective nodes (19), while the on-board router (21) is suitable for communicating wirelessly exclusively within its mesh (24) with the compatible concentrator (23).

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein during the installation stage, the wireless mesh network is configured, in terms of range and of wireless communications protocol, to define around the aircraft (1) said secrecy perimeter (26) that coincides substantially with the outline (27) of the aircraft (1) or is at least close to said outline (27), outside which perimeter no wireless reading or writing of the electronic labels (17) is possible.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein during the installation stage, each wireless node (19) is configured so that its electronic labels (17) are coupled to components forming a functional sector or group (4-11) of the aircraft (1).

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the transaction stage, is performed in a manner that is secure, automatic, and regular, during any use or maintenance of the aircraft (1), the transaction stage is performed at regular intervals determined as a function of how an on-board timer is programmed, or at the end of a period of use or maintenance of the aircraft (1), a state detector of the aircraft (1) is logically coupled to the mesh (24) of the concentrator (23) so that said given state triggers the transaction stage.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the transaction stage is triggered manually or on demand, from the external installation (15) or from a dedicated on-board control.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein during the transaction stage, specific data is transmitted from the electronic labels (17) or is updated from the concentrator (23), with at least one step of coordination between a plurality of nodes (19) and/or at least one step of filtering the specific data.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication within a node (19), a network frame (22), and a mesh (24), makes use of the ultra-high frequency (UHF) range, being of the wireless personal area network (WPAN) type.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the communications (19, 22, 24, 25) are secure radio links, complying with the IEEE 802.15.4 standard.

11. An automatic system (2) for configuration tracking of an aircraft (1), the system (2) being suitable for implementing the method according to claim 1, and including an installation (15) external to the aircraft (1) having a tracking tool (16), and at least on board the aircraft (1) a plurality of wireless electronic labels (17), each label being coupled to a component of the aircraft (1), at least two local readers (18) for forming a base node (19) with a group of electronic labels (17), at least one nearby router (21) for forming an intermediate network frame (22) with a local reader (18), and at least one on-board concentrator (23) for forming a terminal mesh (24) of a secure wireless mesh network, via which network data specific to the components is transmitted between the labels (17) and the external installation (15).

12. An aircraft (1) connected to at least one system (2) according to claim 11, and including an installation (15) external to the aircraft (1), wherein a secrecy perimeter (26) coincides substantially with an outline (27) of the aircraft (1) or is at least close to said outline (27), with no wireless reading or writing of the electronic labels (17) of the aircraft (1) being possible outside said perimeter (26).

13. An aircraft (1) according to claim 12, wherein the aircraft (1) is subdivided into functional sectors (4-11) within each of which sectors (4-11) there is arranged a group of electronic labels (17), at least one vital functional sector (4) including one or more active labels (17A), while other sectors of the aircraft (1) include passive or semi-active labels (17) exclusively, i.e., where semi-active labels have their own power supply that provides power only to a chip of the label (17) without providing power for wireless communication.

14. An aircraft (1) according to claim 12, wherein at least one component of the tracking system (2) is connected to a low consumption power supply, a power supply that includes at least one battery and a piezoelectric device for charging the battery.

15. An aircraft (1) according to claim 12, wherein the tracking system (2) presents at least one communications frequency range that is distinct from all other frequency ranges used by the electronics (3) on board the aircraft (1).