Aircraft electronic fingerprint and monitoring performance of an aircraft component using the aircraft's electronic fingerprint

• US 9,384,601 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2014
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PPG Industries Ohio Incorporated (Nouryon BV)
• Original Assignee: PPG Industries Ohio Incorporated (Nouryon BV)
• Inventors: Duarte, Nicolas B., Jiao, Yu
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUD, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US14/460,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20160049021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/3, 701/13, 701/14, 701/36, 340/568.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 15/12 by electric heating electric heating elements in general H05B
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0085 Devices for aircraft health monitoring, e.g. monitoring flutter or vibration
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/00 Testing of vehicles testing fluid tightness G01M3/00; testing elastic properties of bodies or chassis, e.g. torsion-testing, G01M5/00; testing alignment of vehicle headlight devices G01M11/06; testing of engines G01M15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/008 on air- or spacecraft, railway rolling stock or sea-going vessels
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0236 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/00 Ohmic-resistance heating
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/84 Heating arrangements specially adapted for transparent or reflecting areas, e.g. for demisting or de-icing windows, mirrors or vehicle windshields

Abstract

An initial electronic fingerprint for a vehicle and selected component of the vehicle, e.g. an aircraft windshield having a heatable member, is made. During operation of the aircraft, the initial electronic fingerprint of the aircraft and a real time electronic fingerprint of the aircraft are compared to determine the operating performance of the heatable member. The parameter that provides the performance of the component includes a time count within a predetermined time period. As the time count increases during the predetermined time period, the performance of the heatable member toward unacceptable performance increases.

Claims

1. A method of making an initial electronic fingerprint for an aircraft having an electric powered article, comprising:

monitoring performance of the article to determine operating performance range of the article;

operating the aircraft having the article connected thereto under normal flight conditions for a predetermined operating period of time;

monitoring electrical signal of the aircraft during the predetermined operating period of time, the electrical signal comprising current passing through the aircraft electrical system including passing through the article;

acting on data of the electric signal of the aircraft monitored during the predetermined operating period of time to generate the initial electronic fingerprint for the aircraft.

2. The method according to claim 1 comprising recording the initial electronic fingerprint of the aircraft in electronic memory.

3. The method according to claim 1 comprising establishing a fingerprint library to record selected data collected during the predetermined operating period of time.

4. The method according to claim 1 comprising after the predetermined operating period of time, continue operating the aircraft having the article under normal flight conditions and collecting data from the electrical signal of the aircraft operating under normal flight conditions after the predetermined operating period of time.

5. The method according to claim 4 comprising during the continue operating the aircraft having the article under normal flight conditions after the predetermined operating period of time, generating a real time electronic signal from the data collected after the predetermined operating period of time, wherein the real time electronic signal comprises the threshold electric set point and the predetermined count time of the initial electronic signal, and an intercepting time period generated from the data collected after the predetermined operating period of time hereinafter defined as a “

second intercepting time period”

.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the initial electronic fingerprint is compared to the real time electronic signal, and the second intercepting time period is greater than the Intercepting time period of the initial electronic fingerprint and less than an action taking intercepting time period indicating that the article is operating outside the acceptable performance range.

7. The method according to claim 5 wherein the initial electronic fingerprint is compared to the real time electronic signal, and the second intercepting time period is greater than the intercepting time period of the initial electronic fingerprint and greater than an action taking intercepting time period indicating that the article is operating outside the acceptable performance range.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the article is an aircraft windshield having a heatable member to remove ice, snow and fog from outer surface of the windshield and the second intercepting time period being greater than the action taking intercepting time period is an Indication that the heatable member is operating outside acceptable limits, and taking action to prevent damage to the windshield.

9. The method according to claim 5 wherein the article is an aircraft windshield having a heatable member to remove ice, snow and fog from outer surface of the windshield and the threshold electric set point is one ampere, the predetermined count time period is 500 microseconds, and the intercepting time period during the predetermined count time period is 100 microseconds.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the predetermined count time period is defined as a cell, and end of the cell is end of the predetermined count time period, wherein the beginning of a second cell is a value within the first cell and ends at the end of the predetermined count time period within the second cell.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the initial electronic fingerprint comprises a threshold electric set point, a predetermined count time period, and an Intercepting time period during the predetermined count time period, wherein the Intercepting time period is amount of time curve of the electronic signal of the aircraft overlays the threshold electric set point.

12. A method of identifying electronic fingerprint of a vehicle, comprising:

using electronic equipment and methodology to monitor the flow of electric current through the vehicle including through an article of the vehicle to generate data indicating performance of the vehicle and article under normal flight conditions and indicating performance of the article under operating conditions.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein collecting data under acceptable conditions is accomplished by testing the article to determine if it is operating within an acceptable performance range and operating the vehicle having the article operating within acceptable conditions for a predetermined period of time, wherein the data collected under acceptable conditions is formatted to provide an initial electronic fingerprint of the vehicle and the article, and collecting data under operating conditions is accomplished by operating the vehicle having the article after the predetermined period of time, wherein the data collected under operating conditions is formatted to provide a real time electronic signal of the vehicle and the article.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein performance of the article is determined by comparing the initial electronic fingerprint and the real time electronic signal to one another.

15. The method according to claim 14 comprising electronic storing of selected portions of the collected data.

16. The method according to claim 14 wherein the vehicle is an aircraft, the article is an aircraft windshield having a heatable member to remove snow, ice and/or fog from outer surface of the windshield.

17. A method of monitoring performance of an article mounted in or on a vehicle comprising:

generating an initial electronic fingerprint of the vehicle having the article;

generating a real time electronic signal of the vehicle;

comparing the initial electronic fingerprint and the real time electronic signal to determine the difference between intercepting time period and second intercepting time period;

acting on the difference between the intercepting time period and the second intercepting time period to determine if the article is operating within or without predetermined limits, wherein

the generating an initial electronic fingerprint, the generating a real time electronic signal, the comparing and the acting are performed using electronic equipment.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the initial electronic fingerprint comprises a threshold electric set point, a predetermined count time period, and an intercepting time period during the predetermined count time period, wherein the Intercepting time period is amount of time curve of the electronic signal of the aircraft overlays the threshold electric set point, and

wherein the real time electronic signal comprising the threshold electric set point and the predetermined count time of the initial electronic finger print, and an intercepting time period generated from the data collected after the predetermined operating period of time hereinafter defined as a “

second intercepting time period”

.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein data collected to generate an initial electronic fingerprint and a real time electronic signal is electronic, and the Initial electronic fingerprint and the real time electronic signal are stored in an electronic library.

20. The method according to claim 19 wherein the vehicle is an aircraft and the article is a windshield having a heatable member.

21. The method according to claim 19 wherein the article includes at least one sensor selected from the group of a moisture sensor;

a conductive coating temperature sensor;

an arc sensor;

an impact sensor and/or a rupture sensor.

22. The method according to claim 17 wherein the article is tested to determine if it is operating within acceptable range before the initial electronic fingerprint is generated.