Network and sensor topology for a rotorcraft

• US 9,485,605 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Beran, Jan, Moravek, Patrik, Tesarik, Tomas
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, DUC CHI
• Application Number:
  US14/501,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20160165377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 370/401, 370/328, 370/254, 370/241
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/30 using a wired architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Systems are provided for monitoring a rotorcraft. In one embodiment, a system includes at least one wireless concentrator unit. At least one wireless sensor unit communicates over a wireless connection with the at least one wireless concentrator unit. At least one first sensor communicates over a wired connection with the at least one wireless sensor unit. A monitoring system communicates over a wired connection with the at least one wireless concentrator unit.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a rotorcraft, comprising:

at least one wireless concentrator unit;

at least one wireless sensor unit that communicates over a wireless connection with the at least one wireless concentrator unit;

at least one first sensor that communicates over a wired connection with the at least one wireless sensor unit; and

a monitoring system that communicates over a wired connection with the at least one wireless concentrator unit.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one second sensor that communicates over a wired connection with the at least one wireless concentrator unit.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the at least one second sensor is a tachometer.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the at least one second sensor communicates second sensor data to the at least one wireless concentrator unit and the at least one wireless concentrator unit stores the second sensor data.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the at least one second sensor communicates the second sensor data to the at least one wireless concentrator unit based on at least one of a request received from the monitoring system and a trigger event.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the at least one wireless sensor unit communicates first sensor data generated by the at least one first sensor to the at least one wireless concentrator unit over the wireless connection with the at least one wireless concentrator unit.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the at least one wireless sensor unit communicates the first sensor data to the at least one wireless concentrator unit based on at least one of a request received from the monitoring system and a trigger event.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the at least one wireless concentrator unit packages the second sensor data with the first sensor data and communicates the packaged data to the monitoring system over the wired connection with the at least one wireless concentrator unit.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one first sensor is an accelerometer.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one first sensor communicates sensor data to the at least one wireless sensor unit over the wired connection with the at least one wireless sensor unit.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the at least one first sensor communicates the sensor data to the at least one wireless sensor unit based on a request received from the monitoring system.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the at least one wireless sensor unit receives the sensor data, and stores the sensor data.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the at least one wireless sensor unit communicates the sensor data to the at least one wireless concentrator unit over the wireless connection with the at least one wireless concentrator unit.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the at least one wireless sensor unit communicates the sensor data to the at least one wireless concentrator unit based on a request received from the at least one wireless concentrator unit.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one wireless concentrator unit receives sensor data generated by the at least one first sensor from the at least one wireless sensor unit over the wireless connection and communicates the sensor data to the monitoring system over the wired connection with the at least one wireless concentrator unit.

16. A system for monitoring a rotorcraft, comprising:

a plurality of first sensors that generate first sensor data;

at least one wireless sensor unit that receives the first sensor data from the plurality of first sensors over a plurality of wired connections;

at least one wireless concentrator unit that receives the first sensor data from the at least one wireless sensor unit over a wireless connection with the at least one wireless sensor unit;

at least one second sensor that generates second sensor data, wherein the at least one wireless concentrator unit receives the second sensor data from the at least one second sensor; and

a monitoring system that receives data associated with the first sensor data and the second sensor data from the at least one wireless concentrator unit over a wired connection with the wireless concentrator unit.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the plurality of first sensors include a plurality of accelerometers.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the at least one second sensor includes a tachometer.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the monitoring system includes a rotor track and balance system that evaluates the first sensor data and the second sensor data.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the at least one wireless concentrator unit sends a request for data to the at least one wireless sensor unit and wherein the at least one wireless sensor unit sends the first sensor data to the at least one wireless concentrator unit over the wireless connection in response to the request.