AIRCRAFT ACTIVE HISTORY MEMORY MODULE

• US 20160332750A1
• Filed: 01/12/2015
• Published: 11/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: DeRoy, Robert M.
• Application Number:
  US14/594,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20160332750A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 13/08 the air being heated or cooled
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2013/0603 Environmental Control Systems
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

In one example, a system includes a component of an air management system of an aircraft and an active history memory module attached to the component. The active history memory module includes interface circuitry configured to receive data corresponding to one or more operational parameters of the aircraft. The active history memory module further includes computer-readable memory operably connected to the interface circuitry and configured to store the data corresponding to the one or more operational parameters.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a component of an air management system of an aircraft; and

an active history memory module attached to the component, the active history memory module comprising;

interface circuitry configured to receive data corresponding to one or more operational parameters of the aircraft; and

computer-readable memory operably connected to the interface circuitry and configured to store the data corresponding to the one or more operational parameters.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a controller configured to control operation of the component of the air management system and communicatively coupled to the active history memory module via the interface circuitry;

wherein the controller is configured to receive the data corresponding to the one or more operational parameters of the aircraft via an aircraft data bus; and

wherein the interface circuitry is configured to receive the data corresponding to the one or more operational parameters of the aircraft from the controller via the interface circuitry.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the interface circuitry is configured to:

store the received data corresponding to the one or more operational parameters in the computer-readable memory for a first time period prior to receiving, from the controller, an indication of a storage inhibit event; and

inhibit storage of the received data in the computer-readable memory after a threshold amount of time subsequent to receiving the indication of the storage inhibit event.

4. The system of claim 3,

wherein the controller is configured to:

identify a fault corresponding to the component of the air management system;

determine that a criticality level of the identified fault satisfies threshold criticality criteria; and

transmit the indication of the storage inhibit event in response to determining that the criticality level of the identified fault satisfies the threshold criticality criteria.

5. The system of claim 4,

wherein the controller is configured to select one of a plurality of fault codes that uniquely identifies the identified fault and transmit the selected fault code to the active history memory module via the interface circuitry;

and

wherein the active history memory module is configured to store the selected fault code in the computer-readable memory.

6. The system of claim 2,

wherein the computer-readable memory comprises first computer-readable memory and second computer-readable memory;

and

wherein the interface circuitry is configured to;

store the received data corresponding to the one or more operational parameters in the first computer-readable memory; and

transfer at least a portion of the received data stored in the first computer-readable memory to the second computer-readable memory in response to receiving an indication of a fault event from the controller.

7. The system of claim 6,

wherein the first computer-readable memory comprises volatile computer-readable memory;

and

wherein the second computer-readable memory comprises non-volatile computer-readable memory.

8. The system of claim 1,

wherein the computer-readable memory comprises a circular buffer configured to store a threshold amount of data;

and

wherein the interface circuitry is configured to store the received data corresponding to the one or more operational parameters in the circular buffer and overwrite oldest data first when the circular buffer stores the threshold amount of data.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, by a controller configured to control operation of a component of an air management system of an aircraft, data corresponding to one or more operational parameters of the aircraft via an aircraft data bus;

transmitting, by the controller, the data corresponding to the one or more operational parameters to an active history memory module attached to the component of the air management system via interface circuitry of the active history memory module; and

storing, by the interface circuitry, the data corresponding to the one or more operational parameters in computer-readable memory of the active history memory module attached to the component of the air management system.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting, by the controller to the active history memory module via the interface circuitry, an indication of a storage inhibit event; and

receiving, by the active history memory module via the interface circuitry, the indication of the storage inhibit event ;

wherein storing the data corresponding to the one or more operational parameters in the computer-readable memory comprises;

storing the data in the computer-readable memory for a first time period prior to receiving, by the active history memory module, the indication of the storage inhibit event; and

inhibiting storage of the received data in the computer-readable memory after a threshold amount of time subsequent to receiving the indication of the storage inhibit event.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying, by the controller, a fault corresponding to the component of the air management system; and

determining, by the controller, that a criticality level of the identified fault satisfies threshold criticality criteria;

wherein transmitting the indication of the storage inhibit event comprises transmitting the indication of the storage inhibit event in response to determining that the criticality level of the identified fault satisfies the threshold criticality criteria.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

selecting, by the controller, one of a plurality of fault codes that uniquely identifies the identified fault;

transmitting, by the controller, the selected fault code to the active history memory module via the interface circuitry; and

storing, by the active history memory module, the selected fault code in the computer-readable memory.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein storing the data corresponding to the one or more operational parameters in the computer-readable memory of the active history memory module comprises storing the received data in first computer-readable memory of the active history memory module, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the active history memory via the interface circuitry, an indication of a fault event from the controller, the fault event corresponding to a malfunction of at least one sub-component of the component of the air management system; and

transferring at least a portion of the received data stored in the first computer-readable memory to second computer-readable memory in response to receiving the indication of the fault event.

14. The method of claim 13,

wherein storing the received data in the first computer-readable memory comprises storing the received data in volatile computer-readable memory;

and

wherein transferring at least the portion of the received data to the second computer-readable memory comprises transferring at least the portion of the received data to non-volatile computer-readable memory.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein storing the data corresponding to the one or more operational parameters in the computer-readable memory of the active history memory module comprises:

storing the data in a circular buffer of the computer-readable memory configured to store a threshold amount of data; and

overwriting oldest data of the circular buffer first when the circular buffer stores the threshold amount of data.