Maintenance system for an equipment set

• US 7,908,052 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2001
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Howlett, Peter, Fournier, Francois
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sriraman; Nikhil
• Application Number:
  US10/089,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20060155425A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,507 Days
• Field of Search: 340/500, 340/507, 340/510, 340/511, 340/514, 340/525, 340/945, 340/963, 340/971, 342/73.1, 342/158.1, 364/551.01, 364/579, 364/580, 364/900, 371/11, 371/15, 371/16, 371/20, 371/20.1, 371/24, 371/25, 371/27, 700/2, 700/81, 700/82, 701/3, 701/14, 701/29, 701/33, 701/1, 701/31, 701/34, 701/35, 702/91, 702/118, 702/120, 702/121, 702/188, 370/242, 370/245
• US Class Current: 701/34
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 with safety arrangements

Abstract

A rapidly installable and rapidly removable set of equipment (1-6, 11) which can be replaced by standard exchanges, furnished with individual electronic circuits for monitoring proper operation (1a-6a, 20a-23a, 30a-32a, 1 1a) assuming, at their level, a BITE function (Build [sic] In Test Equipment) for testing, for fault diagnosis and for issuing fault messages sent by data transmission to a central maintenance computer (7) itself formulating a report regarding the overall state of operation of the set of equipment. It relates more especially to the hardware parts of the electronic circuits for monitoring proper operation which are integral with the equipment (1-6) or with equipment parts (20-23, 30-32) and which are furnished with a nonvolatile memory (405) and by means of detection, selection and capture (403, 413, 423) into their nonvolatile memories (405), of the report formulated by the central maintenance computer (7). Since these hardware parts of circuits for monitoring proper operation track the tribulations of the equipment parts or pieces of equipment with which they are integral, they make it possible for the latest report regarding the overall state of operation of the set of equipment often causing the removal, to be always available, in a repair center, with an item removed for repair, thereby facilitating the drawing up of a repair diagnosis.

Claims

1. A maintenance system comprising:

a plurality of equipment units each associated with a monitoring unit, the monitoring unit being configured to monitor the respective equipment unit, the monitoring unit including,

a test unit configured

to test proper operation of each equipment unit and

to issue fault messages when testing indicates a failure of the respective equipment unit, and

a non-volatile memory unit configured to store at least the fault messages;

a central maintenance unit configured to communicate with test units of the plurality of equipment units, the central maintenance unit including a diagnosis unit configured

to check a state of the plurality of equipment units by using the fault messages, and

to generate a report on an overall state of operation of the maintenance system; and

a data transmission link configured to provide a data connection between the plurality of equipment units and the central maintenance unit,

wherein

the central maintenance unit makes the report available on the data transmission link, and

each of the plurality of equipment units include a detection circuit configured

to detect and capture the report from the data transmission link, and

to transfer the report from the data transmission link into a respective non-volatile memory unit after the report is available on the data transmission link.

2. The maintenance system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a subset of equipment units grouping at least some of the plurality of equipment units into a group of equipment units, the subset including,

a group test unit connected to the data transmission link and configured

to test proper operation of the equipment units of the group and

to issue group fault messages when testing indicates a failure of at least one equipment unit of the group, and

to make the group fault messages available on the data transmission link, and

a non-volatile memory unit configured to store at least the group fault messages,

wherein

the detection circuit of the equipment units of the group

detects and captures group fault messages, and

transfers the group fault messages into respective non-volatile memory units when the group fault messages are available on the data transmission link, and

the central maintenance unit takes the group fault messages into account when making the report.

3. The maintenance system according to claim 2, wherein the detection circuit

analyzes labels of messages that are transmitted over the data transmission link, and

isolates the group fault messages and the report found by analyzing the labels of the messages.

4. The maintenance system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface linked to the central maintenance unit by the data transmission link and configured to display the report to a user.

5. The maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein the report is a post flight report that includes a log of all the fault messages received by the central maintenance unit during a flight of an aircraft.

6. The maintenance system according to claim 5, further comprising:

an airborne external communications network connected to the maintenance system and configured to send the report to a fleet management center.

7. The maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein the central maintenance unit submits the report when receiving an instruction after a flight.