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Aircraft data instrumentation and acquisition system

  • US 4,626,996 A
  • Filed: 02/17/1983
  • Issued: 12/02/1986
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/17/1982
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A data acquisition system for an aircraft, the system comprising:

  • a central control and data acquisition computer connected to a digital signal bus and to data recorder means;

    a plurality of data acquisition sub-units for being mounted at respective positions distributed about said aircraft and each comprising a local computer, bus interface means connected to said digital signal bus in parallel with the bus interface means of each other sub-units, power supply means, and a plurality of disengageable electrical connector devices each connected to an output of said power supply means, to said local computer and to said bus interface means;

    for each data acquisition sub-unit, a plurality of analog signal transducers for sensing respective aircraft operating parameters and, for each transducer, an adaptive transducer interface module, each interface module comprising transducer drive signal supply means connected to the power supply means of the associated data acquisition sub-unit via a respective one of the connector devices of that sub-unit, analog-to-digital conversion and signal holding means connected to the local computer and bus interface means of said associated data acquisition sub-unit via said respective one of the connector devices of that sub-unit, transducer connector terminal means connected to the associated transducer to said transducer drive signal supply means and to said analog-to-digital conversion and signal holding means, first, second, third and fourth pairs of electrically conductive elements, and circuit support means for mounting said pairs with the elements of each pair positioned adjacent one another for having a resistor connected therebetween, said transducer connector terminal means including a first terminal which is connected to one electrically conductive element of each of the first and third pairs thereof, a second terminal which is connected to one electrically conductive element of each of the second and fourth pairs thereof, a third terminal which is connected to the other electrically conductive element of each of the first and second pairs thereof, and a fourth terminal which is connected to the other electrically conductive element of each of the third and fourth pairs thereof;

    said drive signal supply means of each interface module being operable for deriving, from the output of the power supply means of said associated data acquisition sub-unit, drive signals for driving the transducer connected to the interface module;

    said analog-to-digital conversion and holding means of each interface module being operable, under the control of the local computer of said associated data-acquisition sub-unit, to form and hold digital signals representing samples of the analog signal supplied by the transducer connected to that interface module and to make said held digital signals available to the local computer of said associated data acquisition sub-unit;

    each said local computer being operable, under the control of said central control and data acquisition computer, to cause the digital signals made available to it to be transferred in sequence to said central computer via said digital signal bus; and

    said central computer being operable to cause said digital signals to be recorded by the data recorder means.

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