OVERALL OPTIMIZATION OF THE CONFIGURATION OF A MESHED WIRELESS NETWORK OF RF DEVICES IN AN AIRCRAFT

• US 20110208973A1
• Filed: 02/16/2011
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Airbus Helicopters
• Original Assignee: Eurocopter
• Inventors: Dauzere-Peres, Stéphane, Jimenez, Charlotte
• Application Number:
  US13/028,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20110208973A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/181
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisions for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L

Abstract

The invention relates to overall optimization of an identification system (2) comprising a meshed wireless network of RF devices (17) on board an aircraft (1). Starting from an inventory (51) of components of the aircraft (1) that need to be identified, a list (50) is drawn up of “modeling” input parameters (34-39) and a series (27) is drawn up of functional constraints. A plurality of potential profiles (V1, Vn) is modeled for identification systems (2). Said plurality of potential profiles (V1-Vn) is sorted in order to define a restricted group (32) of acceptable versions, and then a target function (47) using automatic comparison (33) of multiple cases is applied to determine an eligible version (Vx) that is optimized, having decision and state variables (45, 46) with values that are of binary order for the aircraft (1) as a whole.

Claims

1. A method of modeling and optimizing an RF identification system comprising a plurality of on-board components in a selected aircraft configuration;

the system comprising at least;

two RF devices, each in the form of an electronic label coupled to an on-board component, an RF device in the form of a local reader, and an RF device in the form of a compatible wireless data concentrator and connected to said local reader;

said reader being compatible with and near at least one of said devices in the form of an electronic label, wherein starting from an inventory of on-board components that are to be identified, an input list is predefined of “

modeling”

parameters and a series is predefined of functional constraints that are appropriate to said aircraft configuration;

said list and series are run through to model a plurality of potential profiles of identification systems, each potential profile having;

a set of decision variables and a set of state variables;

said set of decision variables comprising at least;

a decision variable indicative of the suitability or unsuitability of a possible position for each on-board RF device;

a decision variable indicative of a range of possible technologies that can be selected for each on-board device; and

said set of state variables includes at least one variable indicative of the real radio coverage or non-coverage of each device in the form of an electronic label at a possible position by means of its near-by reader;

said plurality of potential profiles is sorted as a function of said series of functional constraints to define a restricted group of acceptable versions; and

then a target function and said series are applied to automatic comparison of multiple cases in order to determine an eligible version from within the restricted group by calculation to resolve said target function;

said eligible version being optimized for decision and state variables having values of binary order;

said target function optimizing at least one decision factor that is determining for the selected aircraft configuration as a whole.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said target function is applied by determining a “

partial”

eligible version for which said resolution calculation provides real values for the decision and state variables;

said target function being applied again until at least one eligible version has been determined that has decision and state variables with binary values, and for which the respective decision factors are close together.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein an at least “

partial”

eligible version is determined by applying the target function and said series of constraints, when at least one election recommendation is reached by said automatic comparison of multiple cases, after which it is determined whether this partial eligible version makes it possible to provide optimized values of binary order for the decision and state variables.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the election recommendation comprises at least:

an error value at the optimized solution derived from the target function and/or a value for the duration of processing by the automatic comparison.

5. A method according to claim 1, providing for an adjustment of the series of functional constraints by relaxing at least one of the constraints;

for example a scan is made through the series of functional constraints in order to proceed with progressive adjustment of said series, and thus accelerate determining an eligible version having binary variables.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the constraint values of the list are selected from:

the effective coverage by a reader of each device in the form of a label;

limiting the total number of readers for the selected configuration;

restricting the total number of concentrators for the selected configuration;

effective association of a choice of technology with each RF device;

coverage ability between the device in the form of a label and the reader;

convergence of the positions for each device in the form of a label and for its reader; and

boundary marker for the total weight of the identification system.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein in order to determine said binary values of the state variable concerning effective radio coverage of each device in the form of an electronic label by its reader, the automatic comparison incorporates in its determination a function of a Friis equation that evaluates the powers transmitted and received by each on-board RF device.

8. An aircraft on which on-board components are identified, each with the help of at least one RF device in the form of a label, wherein the technology and the position of at least some of said devices are derived from the modeling/simulation method according to claim 1.

9. An aircraft according to claim 8, wherein at least one device in the form of an electronic label is provided exclusively with a freely readable memory zone;

a procedure for authenticating the RF device is followed by a procedure for deciphering payload data which procedures are performed remotely via a reader that is itself on board;

the remote authentication procedure having recourse to an authentication digest in the form of a message authentication code obtained by hashing the payload data as a function of a secret authentication key;

the remote deciphering procedure making use of a generated value and of a secret deciphering key of truncated length.