Method for and apparatus of monitoring how an operator operates a machine

• US 5,065,349 A
• Filed: 01/11/1990
• Issued: 11/12/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mast-Air Enterprise
• Original Assignee: Mast-Air Enterprise
• Inventors: Thomas, Bernard M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon, Joseph L.
• Application Number:
  US07/463,230
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• Field of Search: 364/424.03, 364/424.04, 364/431.04, 364/431.12, 364/550, 364/551.01, 340/439, 340/521, 340/669-671, 340/902, 340/969, 324/113, 324/114, 73/116, 73/117.3, 360/5, 360/6
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable

Abstract

Performance of a helicopter is evaluated with an apparatus including a recorder section and a reader section interconnected during a start-up period while the pilot is initially operating the helicopter. The recorder includes two analog to digital converters connected across temperature and rotor torque sensors of the helicopter. The converters derive digital signals having values representing the amplitudes of analog signals derived by the sensors. The recorder section has a first logic network that couples the digital signals with a data collecting memory. The reader section includes a second logic network, a digital read-out device and manually activated coding wheels for deriving numeric representing digital signals. The first and second logic networks are programmed so that: (a) during the start-up period numeric representing digital signals derived from the coding wheels and corresponding with the values of readings of meters responsive to the sensors are coupled from the reader to the data memory, and (b) during operation of the helicopter, while the reader and recorder are not connected, digital signals from the converters having values commensurate with readings of the meters are supplied to the first logic network. The first logic network responds to the digital signals from the converters to store in the data memory digital values derived from the converters. After operation of the helicopter has been completed, and while the recorder and reader are interconnected, the first and second logic networks are interconnected so that the second logic network supplies to the digital read-out device numerical values commensurate with the relative values of the numeric representing digital signals derived during (a) and the digital signals derived and stored during (b).

Claims

1. A device for use with a vehicle comprising a recorder to be mounted on the vehicle;

said recorder including a first programmable logic circuit, an analog to digital converter having an input to be connected to a measuring instrument on an instrument panel of the vehicle, and a memory circuit for recording at determined periods of time a digital signal commensurate with the output value of the converter; and

a reader to be kept by an owner of the vehicle and to be temporarily connected from time to time to the recorder, said reader including a second programmable logic circuit, manually activated digital signal source for deriving a digital value introduced by an owner of the vehicle, and a readout device;

the first and second programmable logic circuits being programmed to exchange binary signals while the recorder and reader are connected so that each time the recorder and reader are connected, the reader logic circuit;

(a) compares a first code stored in the recorder with a second code stored in the reader, (b) authorizes a further coupling of signals from the recorder to the reader in response to the compared first and second codes having a predetermined relation, (c) is activated to read a digital signal representing the value stored in the memory circuit of the recorder in response to the existence of the predetermined relation and (d) transmits a digital signal representing said stored signal to a read-out device of the reader to be read by the owner;

the first and second programmable circuits being programmed so that, while the recorder and reader are connected with the vehicle in operation while the measuring instrument is deriving a non-zero value, the second programmable logic circuit responds to an introduced digital value derived from the manually activated digital signal source introduced by the owner of the vehicle, said introduced digital value being identical to a value indicated by the measuring instrument, the first logic circuit being programmed to respond to the digital signal value derived by the converter and to calculate a coefficient corresponding to the relative values of the introduced digital value generated by the digital signal source and the digital signal value derived by the converter for permanently storing said coefficient so that during subsequent connections of the recorder and reader, the first logic circuit responds to the stored value and multiplies it by said stored coefficient, the first and second logic circuits being programmed so the result is a signal having a value transmitted to the readout device to be read by the vehicle owner.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said recorder comprises plural independent analog to digital converters, each being respectively connected to a different measuring instrument of the vehicle and wherein the first logic circuit calculates and independently stores each coefficient corresponding to each of the measuring instruments.

3. The device of claim 1 further including an electronic circuit having an impedance and amplification suitable for monitoring the response of the measuring instrument, said circuit being connected between the measuring instrument and the converter, said electronic circuit and said analog to digital converter being powered with direct current by a direct-direct converter so there is galvanic isolation between output and input terminals of the DC-DC converter, said converter circuit being coupled to the first logic circuit via a link, including a component for providing galvanic isolation between the analog to digital converter and the logic circuit.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the manually activated digital signal source comprises a set of coding wheels for manually introducing the introduced digital value of the manually activated digital signal source and further including a validation switch to be operated by the owner at the very moment he notes that the measuring instrument indicates the same value as the one indicated by the coding wheels, the coding wheels and the validation switch being connected to the second logic circuit so that said second logic circuit effectively takes into account the digital value supplied by the coding wheels and the digital value derived by the analog to digital converter at the very moment the validation switch is operated, for calculating said corresponding coefficient.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the first logic circuit is programmed so that it (a) collects at determined time intervals the digital values corresponding to an output of the measuring instrument, and (b) stores in memory said corresponding values and corresponding measuring time schedules derived by a clock.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the first logic circuit is programmed so that it collects at determined time intervals the digital values derived from the analog to digital converter and corresponding to an output of the measuring instrument and stores only the maximum or minimum detected value.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is designed to be used on helicopters, the recorder including at least two analog to digital converters, one of said analog to digital converters to be connected to a measuring instrument for indicating engine torque value of the helicopter rotor, and the other analog to digital converter being adapted to be connected to a measuring instrument for indicating the temperature of gases exhausting from the helicopter nozzle, the first programmable logic circuit being programmed to determine and store effective flight time of the helicopter by comparing the engine torque value of the rotor with a predetermined value.

8. Apparatus for monitoring how an operator operates a machine having a sensor for a variable value operating parameter and a meter responsive to the sensor, the sensor deriving an analog signal having an amplitude indicative of the variable value of the operating parameter, the meter including a display to be read by the operator and indicating the performance of the operator, the apparatus comprising:

a recorder section and a reader section, said sections to be interconnected during a start-up period while the operator is initially operating the machine;

the recorder section including;

means to be connected across the sensor for deriving a digital signal having a value representing the amplitude of the analog signal derived by the sensor, a data collecting memory, and a first logic network, the first logic network being connected to be responsive to the digital signal having a value representing the amplitude of the analog signal derived by the sensor and to couple digital signals with the memory;

the reader section including a second logic network, a digital read-out device and manually activated means for supplying numeric representing digital signals to the second logic network, the second logic network being connected to couple digital signals with the read-out device;

the first and second logic networks being programmed so that;

(a) during the start-up period a numeric representing digital signal derived from the manually activated means and corresponding with the value of a reading of the meter is coupled from the reader to a memory, and (b) during operation of the machine, while the reader and recorder are not connected, digital signals from the converter means having values commensurate with readings of the meter are supplied to the first logic network, the first logic network responding to the digital signals from the converter means to store in said data memory digital values derived from the converter means, and (c) after operation of the machine has been completed, and while the recorder and reader are interconnected, the first and second logic networks are interconnected so that the second logic network supplies to the digital read out device numerical values commensurate with the relative value of the numeric digital signals representing the digital signals derived and stored during machine operation (b).

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the first and second logic networks are programmed so that (i) during start-up period (a) the numeric representing digital signal is stored in the data memory, (ii) the first logic network combines the numeric representing digital signal stored in the data memory during start-up period (a) with the digital signals derived from the converter during machine operation (b) to derive the digital signals representing numerical values commensurate with relative values of the numeric and the digital signals derived and stored during machine operation (b), and (iii) during (c) the digital signals derived during (ii) are coupled from the first logic network to the second logic network, thence to the digital read out device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the first logic network is programmed so that (ii) occurs during machine operation (b) and the digital signals representing numerical values commensurate with the relative value of the numeric and the digital signals derived and stored during machine operation (b) are stored in the data memory during machine operation (b), and the signals stored during machine operation (b) are read from the data memory to the second logic network via the first logic network during (c).

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the first and second logic networks are programmed so that the numerical values commensurate with the relative values represent the ratio of the numeric derived during start-up period (a) to the value of the digital signals derived during machine operation (b).

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the first and second logic networks store coded digital signals, the first and second logic networks being programmed so that the coded digital signals in the first and second logic networks are compared during the start-up period prior to start up period (a), operations (a), (b) and (c) being enabled only in response to the compared coded signals having a predetermined relation to each other.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the first and second logic networks are programmed so that during (a) the coded digital signal stored in the second logic network is coupled to and compared in the first logic network with the coded digital signal stored in the first logic network.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the relative values are indicated by a ratio of the numeric derived during (a) and the digital signals derived during (b).

15. A method of monitoring how an operator operates a machine having a sensor for a variable value operating parameter and a meter responsive to the sensor, the sensor deriving an analog signal having an amplitude indicative of the variable value of the operating parameter, the method being performed with an apparatus including a recorder section and a reader section, the recorder section including means to be connected across the sensor for deriving a digital signal having a value representing the amplitude of the analog signal derived by the sensor, a data collecting memory, and a first logic network;

the reader section including a second logic network, a digital readout device and manually activated means for supplying numeric representing digital signals to the second logic network;

the method comprising the steps of;

activating said sections and said digital signal deriving means so the sections are interconnected during a start-up period while the operator is initially operating the machine and the means for deriving the digital signal is connected across the sensor, whereby during the start-up period the digital signal has a value representing the amplitude of the analog signal derived by the sensor;

during the start-up period;

(i) coupling the digital signal having a value representing the amplitude of the analog signal derived by the sensor to the data collecting memory, (ii) connecting the second logic network with the manually activated means while the manually activated means supplies numeric representing digital signals to the second logic network, (iii) activating the manually activated means to a value commensurate with a maximum value being read on the meter, and (iv) coupling the numeric value representing the maximum value from the manually activated means from the reader to a memory;

activating the reader and recorder so the reader and recorder are disconnected during operation of the machine by the operator;

during operation of the machine by the operator, coupling digital signals having values commensurate with readings of the meter from the converter means to the data memory;

activating the recorder and reader so the second logic network is connected with the read-out device after operation of the machine has been completed so that the second logic network supplies to the read-out device digital signals representing values commensurate with the relative value of the numeric and the digital signals derived while the machine is being operated; and

monitoring the relative values to determine how the operator operates the machine.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the machine is a helicopter including first and second sensors for respectively monitoring engine torque of the helicopter rotor and temperature of exhaust gases from a nozzle of the helicopter, the engine torque of the rotor and the exhaust temperature being monitored and stored during each of (a) the start-up period, (b) during helicopter operation and subsequent to helicopter operation, the method further comprising comparing the values of the engine torque and temperature derived during operation with maximum values therefor as manually set during the start-up period.