FILTER ACTIVATION AND DEACTIVATION BASED ON COMPARATIVE RATES

• US 20140100816A1
• Filed: 10/10/2012
• Published: 04/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Rogoff, Stephen Forrest, Vetsch, LeRoy Ernest
• Granted Patent: US 10,712,174 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/176
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 3/032 affecting incoming signal, e.g. by averaging; gating undesired signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 3/08 with provision for safeguarding the apparatus, e.g. against abnormal operation, against breakdown

Abstract

A system includes a plurality of sensors measuring a physical parameter; a processing unit communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensors and configured to receive sensor data from each of the plurality of sensors; wherein the processing unit is further configured to compare rates of change between sensor data for each individual sensor of the plurality of sensors and each of the other individual sensors of the plurality of sensors; wherein the processing unit is further configured to perform a first action when the rate of change of each of the plurality of sensors is within a first threshold of all of the other plurality of sensors; and wherein the processing unit is further configured to perform a second action when the rate of change of at least one of the plurality of sensors is not within the first threshold of at least another of the plurality of sensors.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of sensors measuring a physical parameter;

a processing unit communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensors and configured to receive sensor data from each of the plurality of sensors;

wherein the processing unit is further configured to compare rates of change between sensor data for each individual sensor of the plurality of sensors and each of the other individual sensors of the plurality of sensors;

wherein the processing unit is further configured to perform a first action when the rate of change of each of the plurality of sensors is within a first threshold of all of the other plurality of sensors; and

wherein the processing unit is further configured to perform a second action when the rate of change of at least one of the plurality of sensors is not within the first threshold of at least another of the plurality of sensors.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to compare rates of change between sensor data for each individual sensor of the plurality of sensors and each of the other individual sensors of the plurality of sensors by being configured to determine a plurality of quotients, each of the plurality of quotients determined by dividing the rate of change of a first sensor by the rate of change of a second sensor;

wherein the processing unit is configured to determine whether the rate of change of each of the plurality of sensors is within a threshold of all of the other plurality of sensors by being configured to compare the plurality of quotients to a range of values between a lower limit and an upper limit, wherein the upper limit is a reciprocal of the lower limit.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first action is to output unfiltered sensor data based on sensor data from at least one of the plurality of sensors;

and

wherein the second action is to output filtered sensor data based on sensor data from at least one of the plurality of sensors.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the unfiltered sensor data responds more quickly to changes in the physical parameter;

and

wherein the filtered sensor data mitigates the effect of noise in the sensor data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first action is to output first filtered sensor data based on sensor data from at least one of the plurality of sensors;

and

wherein the second action is to output second filtered sensor data based on sensor data from at least one of the plurality of sensors; and

wherein the first filtered sensor data is filtered less than the second filtered sensor data.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first filtered sensor data responds more quickly to changes in the physical parameter than the second filtered sensor data;

and

wherein the second filtered sensor data more effectively mitigates the effect of noise in the sensor data than the first filtered sensor data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of sensors are the same type of sensor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of sensors are different types of sensors.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to perform a third action when the rates of change of at least one of the plurality of sensors is not within the first threshold of at least another of the plurality of sensors and when the rates of change of each of the plurality of sensors is within a second threshold of all of the other plurality of sensors, wherein the second threshold is larger than the first threshold.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is onboard one of an aircraft, a space vehicle, and a guided missile.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the rate of change for each individual sensor of the plurality of sensors is calculated based on a current sensor measurement, a previous sensor measurement, and a time duration between the current sensor measurement and the previous sensor measurement, wherein the time duration between the current sensor measurement and the previous sensor measurement is the same for each individual sensor of the plurality of sensors.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors are selected from one of air data sensors, speed sensors, velocity sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, inertial measurement units, pressure sensors, location sensors, altitude and depth sensors, distance sensors, temperature sensors, and stored level sensors.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

performing a third action when the rates of change of at least one of the plurality of sensors is not within the first threshold of at least another of the plurality of sensors and when the rates of change of each of the plurality of sensors is within a second threshold of all of the other plurality of sensors, wherein the second threshold is larger than the first threshold.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensors are onboard one of an aircraft, a space vehicle, and a guided missile.

13. A method comprising:

receiving sensor data from each of a plurality of sensors measuring a physical parameter;

comparing rates of change between sensor data for each individual sensor of the plurality of sensors and each of the other individual sensors of the plurality of sensors;

performing a first action when the rate of change of each of the plurality of sensors is within a first threshold of all of the other plurality of sensors; and

performing a second action when the rate of change of at least one of the plurality of sensors is not within the first threshold of at least another of the plurality of sensors.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein comparing rates of change between sensor data for each individual sensor of the plurality of sensors and each of the other individual sensors of the plurality of sensors includes determining a plurality of quotients, each of the plurality of quotients determined by dividing the rate of change of a first sensor by the rate of change of a second sensor;

and

the method further comprising;

determining whether the rate of change of each of the plurality of sensors is within a threshold of all of the other plurality of sensors by being configured to compare the plurality of quotients to a range of values between a lower limit and an upper limit, wherein the upper limit is a reciprocal of the lower limit.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first action includes outputting unfiltered sensor data based on at least one of the plurality of sensors;

and

wherein the second action includes outputting filtered sensor data based on sensor data from at least one of the plurality of sensors.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the first action includes outputting first filtered sensor data based on sensor data from at least one of the plurality of sensors;

and

wherein the second action includes outputting second filtered sensor data based on sensor data from at least one of the plurality of sensors; and

wherein the first filtered sensor data is filtered less than the second filtered sensor data.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising calculating the rates of change of sensor data for each individual sensor of the plurality of sensors by:

finding a difference between a current sensor measurement and a previous sensor measurement; and

dividing the difference by a time duration between the current sensor measurement and the previous sensor measurement, wherein the time duration between the current sensor measurement and the previous sensor measurement is the same for each individual sensor of the plurality of sensors.

20. A system comprising:

a plurality of sensors measuring a physical parameter;

a processing unit communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensors and configured to receive sensor data from each of the plurality of sensors;

wherein the processing device is further configured to compare rates of change between sensor data for each individual sensor of the plurality of sensors and each of the other individual sensors of the plurality of sensors;

wherein the processing unit is further configured to filter sensor data when the rate of change of at least one of the plurality of sensors is not within the first threshold of at least another of the plurality of sensors.