MOBILE MONITORING DEVICE AND METHOD OF COLLECTING SENSOR MEASURED DATA

• US 20160381586A1
• Filed: 06/23/2016
• Published: 12/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Mueller, Jan, Fuss, Tim
• Granted Patent: US 10,455,437 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/02 Measuring two or more variables by means not covered by a single other subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/22 Capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/028 by filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/30 using a wired architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/823 where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/88 Providing power supply at the sub-station
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/42 for mass transport vehicles, e.g. buses, trains or aircraft

Abstract

A mobile monitoring device including a data signal interface for coupling to a data line arranged in an aircraft and carrying one or more sensor signals, such that, in operation, the data signal interface branches off and receives as input signal part of the energy of the sensor signals carried on the data line such that the input signal is characteristic of the one or more sensor signals, and provide an output signal characteristic of the input signal. The mobile monitoring device further includes a wireless communication interface connected to the data signal interface for receiving the output signal and adapted to wirelessly transmit the output signal to a remote location. The present disclosure further relates to a system including an aircraft and the mobile monitoring device, and to a method of collecting sensor measurement data from a plurality of sensors of an aircraft using the mobile monitoring device.

Claims

1. A mobile monitoring device comprising:

a data signal interface adapted to;

be coupled to a data line arranged in an aircraft and carrying one or more sensor signals, such that, in operation, the data signal interface branches off and receives as input signal part of the energy of the one or more sensor signals carried on the data line such that the input signal is characteristic of the one or more sensor signals; and

provide an output signal characteristic of the input signal; and

a wireless communication interface connected to the data signal interface for receiving the output signal and adapted to wirelessly transmit the output signal to a remote location.

2. The mobile monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the output signal is a digitized version of the input signal.

3. The mobile monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the data signal interface comprises a processor which is arranged and adapted to receive the input signal and to process the input signal to generate the output signal, wherein the processor implements a decoding module which is operable to calculate for one or more of the sensor signals, of which the input signal is characteristic, corresponding measurement values and to generate the output signal such that it is characteristic of the one or more measurement values.

4. The mobile monitoring device according to claim 3, wherein the processor is adapted to generate the output signal such that it has a predefined format which is independent of the input signal and in which predefined portions indicate the measurement values.

5. The mobile monitoring device according to claim 3, wherein the decoding module is user-configurable such that it can be adapted by a user to different input signals.

6. The mobile monitoring device according to claim 5, wherein the user-configurable decoding module comprises a configurable software decoder or a plurality of selectable software decoders.

7. The mobile monitoring device according to claim 3, wherein the decoding module is adapted to process the input signal in the form of analog data and/or wherein the decoding module is adapted to process the input signal in the form of digital data.

8. The mobile monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein

the data signal interface is adapted to branch off signals only during predetermined or selectable time intervals;

and/or

the wireless communication interface is adapted to transmit the output signal only during predetermined or selectable time intervals; and

/or

the data signal interface is adapted to provide the output signal or the wireless communication interface is adapted to transmit the output signal only if one or more parameters of the input signal or the output signal or derived from or included in the input signal or the output signal exceed one or more predefined limit values; and

/or

the data signal interface is adapted to filter bus messages transmitted on the data line in accordance with defined filter criteria and generate the output signal such that it is only characteristic of bus messages passing the filtering.

9. The mobile monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the data signal interface is adapted to be capacitively or inductively coupled to a data line, and/or wherein the data signal interface is adapted to be coupled to a data line via a branch line.

10. The mobile monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the data signal interface is adapted to branch off less than 10% of the energy carried on a data line to which the data signal interface is coupled.

11. The mobile monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the mobile monitoring device comprises an energy source in the form of a rechargeable or nonrechargeable battery, or wherein the mobile monitoring device is adapted to receive energy for powering the mobile monitoring device from the data line.

12. A system comprising:

an aircraft comprising

at least one data line; and

at least one sensor;

wherein each of the at least one sensor is coupled to one of the at least one data line, and

wherein each of the at least one sensor is adapted to measure a respective physical characteristic related to the aircraft, generate a sensor signal representative of the physical characteristic and output the sensor signal to the data line to which it is coupled so that the data line carries the respective sensor signal;

at least one mobile monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least one mobile monitoring device is coupled to one of the at least one data line such that the data signal interface branches off and receives as input signal part of the energy of the one or more sensor signals carried on the respective data line; and

a sensor data collection device located separate from and external to the aircraft or located within the aircraft and adapted to wirelessly receive the output signal of each of the at least one mobile monitoring device.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the output signal of each of the at least one mobile monitoring device is received directly by the sensor data collection device, or wherein the aircraft comprises a relay device adapted to receive the output signal of at least one of the at least one mobile monitoring device and to forward the received output signals to the sensor data collection device.

14. A method of collecting sensor measurement data from a plurality of sensors of an aircraft, comprising at least one data line and at least one sensor, wherein each of the at least one sensor is coupled to one of the at least one data line, and wherein each of the at least one sensor is adapted to measure a respective physical characteristic related to the aircraft, generate a sensor signal representative of the physical characteristic and output the sensor signal to the data line to which it is coupled so that the data line carries the respective sensor signal, the method comprising:

coupling each of at least one mobile monitoring device according to claim 1 to one of the data lines such that the data signal interface branches off and receives as input signal part of the energy of the one or more sensor signals carried on the respective data line; and

receiving the output signal of each of the at least one mobile monitoring device at a sensor data collection device arranged separate from and external to the aircraft or arranged within the aircraft.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the at least one mobile monitoring device is a mobile monitoring device comprising:

a data signal interface adapted to;

be coupled to a data line arranged in an aircraft and carrying one or more sensor signals, such that, in operation, the data signal interface branches off and receives as input signal part of the energy of the one or more sensor signals carried on the data line such that the input signal is characteristic of the one or more sensor signals; and

provide an output signal characteristic of the input signal; and

a wireless communication interface connected to the data signal interface for receiving the output signal and adapted to wirelessly transmit the output signal to a remote location;

wherein the data signal interface comprises a processor which is arranged and adapted to receive the input signal and to process the input signal to generate the output signal, wherein the processor implements a decoding module which is operable to calculate for one or more of the sensor signals, of which the input signal is characteristic, corresponding measurement values and to generate the output signal such that it is characteristic of the one or more measurement values; and

wherein the decoding module is user-configurable such that it can be adapted by a user to different input signals; and

the method further comprising configuring for each of the at least one mobile monitoring device the decoding module to adapt it to the sensor signals carried on the respective data line.