System for centralized maintenance of onboard electronic equipment

• US 7,809,527 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2007
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Albouy, Christian, Fournier, Francois, Bailly, Carine
• Primary Examiner(s): Wachsman; Hal D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh; Phuong
• Application Number:
  US11/952,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20080147740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 702184-190, 702144-149, 700/100
• US Class Current: 702/184
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A centralized maintenance system for aircraft which includes line replacement units (LRUs). The system includes at least one digital database whose data are information relating to the LRUs; and a device for updating the data of the database. The lifetime information for the LRUs is known and contained in the digital database. The database includes a mean time between failure (MTBF) data of each LRU. The MTBF data is able to be modified and updated, according to at least one event modifying the failure probabilities for at least one LRU.

Claims

1. A centralized maintenance system for an aircraft, the aircraft including line replaceable units (LRUs), the LRUs including items of equipment and/or electronic modules of the aircraft and/or physical links, the system comprising:

at least one digital database including data which is information relating to the LRUs; and

means for updating the data of the database allowing an interface between the centralized maintenance system and means specific to an operator,

wherein lifetime information for the LRUs is known and included in the centralized maintenance system,

wherein said digital database comprises a mean time between failure (MTBF) data of each LRU,

the MTBF data is modifiable in the database by the updating means, in the course of a life of each LRU, according to at least one event modifying the failure probabilities for at least one LRU, and

wherein an event entails taking into account the mean MTBF, denoted CMTBF, corresponding to the mean of a set of measurements relating to a measured duration between two consecutive failures of an LRU, said measurements being carried out on an enumerated set of LRUs of the same type that are integrated within other aircraft and constitute a feedback of experience relating to the reliability of said LRU.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one event is a change of hardware configuration of an LRU, an MTBF information cue associated with the LRU and with its hardware configuration, denoted MTBF_PN, being updated and saved in the database.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein each LRU of the set possesses the same hardware configuration.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the remaining lifetime of at least one LRU is saved in the database, said LRU being calculated on the basis of the information arising from the items of equipment and readjusted on the basis of the information of the database comprising the modifiable MTBF information.