Sound and scent search engine for mechanics

• US 9,643,737 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2015
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Barraci, Nima, Westphal, Jendrick, Stark, Niels-Holger, Kindermann, Merian
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US14/830,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20170050750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance
• 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 5/0825 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0866 the electronic data carrier being a digital video recorder in combination with video camera

Abstract

Method, apparatus, and computer program product for providing a cause of a scent and/or sound detected during operation of a vehicle are provided. In the event a vehicle operator hears a sound or smells a scent while operating a vehicle, a microphone can sample the sound and/or an electronic nose can sample the scent. A sound and/or scent profile is generated from the sampled sound and/or sampled scent. The generated sound and/or scent profile are compared to known sound and/or scent profiles stored in a data structure. In the event the generated sound and/or scent profile matches a known sound and/or scent profile, the data structure is checked for correspondences between the matched, known sound and/or scent profile and a cause of the sound and/or scent. In the event a correspondence to a cause exists, then the cause is output to a user to identify the cause of the sound and/or scent.

Claims

1. A system for diagnosing events, the system comprising:

an input operable to receive electronic data that includes a scent profile;

a computer-readable storage medium that stores a data structure, wherein the data structure stores known scent profiles and correspondences between known scent profiles and known events;

a computer processor operable to;

search the data structure for at least one known scent profile that matches a received scent profile; and

upon finding a match between a known scent profile and the received scent profile, output to a display an indication of one or more events corresponding to the matched known scent profile;

the display communicatively coupled to the computer processor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the input is further operable to receive electronic data that includes a sound profile;

wherein the data structure stores known sound profiles and correspondences between known sound profiles and known events; and

wherein the computer processor is further operable to;

search the data structure for at least one known sound profile that matches a received sound profile; and

upon finding a match between a known sound profile and the received sound profile, output to the display an indication of one or more events corresponding to the matched known sound profile.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the computer processor is further operable to store at least one of the received scent profile and the received sound profile in the data structure upon the at least one of the received scent profile and the received sound profile not matching at least one of a stored known scent profile and a stored known sound profile.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising receiving an identification of an event for at least one of the received scent profile and the received sound profile that does not match at least one of a stored known scent profile and a stored known sound profile;

and

wherein the computer processor is further operable to store the identification of the event in the data structure and to create a correspondence between the identification of the event and the at least one of the received scent profile and the received sound profile not matching at least one of a stored known scent profile and a stored known sound profile.

5. The system of claim 2, further comprising a portable device that includes:

a microphone module operable to detect sound waves and generate a sound profile for the sound waves;

an electronic nose module operable to sample an air volume and generate a scent profile for the air volume; and

transmit electronic data that includes at least one of a generated sound profile and a generated scent profile to the input.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a digital camera operable to capture at least one of a digital picture and a digital video of a location corresponding to at least one of detected sound waves and a sampled air volume.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer processor is further operable to automatically capture at least one of a digital picture and a digital video of a location where the detected sound waves are the loudest or where a scent detected in the air volume is the strongest.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the computer processor is further operable to order replacement component upon the event corresponding to at least one of a matched known scent profile and a matched sound profile being a component failure.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the computer processor is further operable to output repair instructions to the display upon the event corresponding to at least one of a matched known scent profile and a matched sound profile being a component failure.

10. The system of claim 2, further comprising an aircraft, wherein the aircraft includes at least a first volume and a second volume, wherein the first volume comprises a first microphone module operable to detect first sound waves and generate a sound profile for the first sound waves and a first electronic nose module operable to sample the first volume and generate a scent profile for the first volume, and wherein the second volume comprises a second microphone module operable to detect second sound waves and generate a sound profile for the second sound waves and a second electronic nose module operable to sample the second volume and generate a scent profile for the second volume.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first volume comprises one of a flight deck, passenger cabin, equipment bay, cargo bay, and a volume in a flight surface structure.

12. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving electronic data that includes a scent profile;

comparing the received scent profile to electronic data in a data structure containing known scent; and

upon finding a match between a known scent profile and the received scent profile, outputting an indication of one or more events corresponding to the matched known scent profile.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving electronic data that includes a sound profile;

comparing the received sound profile to electronic data in the data structure, wherein the data structure contains known sound profiles;

upon finding a match between a known sound profile and the received sound profile, outputting an indication of one or more events corresponding to the matched known sound profile.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises storing at least one of the received scent profile and the received sound profile in the data structure upon the at least one of the received scent profile and the received sound profile not matching at least one of a stored known scent profile and a stored known sound profile.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising receiving an identification of a event for at least one of the received scent profile and the received sound profile that does not match at least one of a stored known scent profile and a stored known sound profile;

and

storing the identification of the event in the data structure and creating a correspondence between the identification of the event and the at least one of the received scent profile and the received sound profile not matching at least one of a stored known scent profile and a stored known sound profile.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising:

sampling sound waves and generating the sound profile from the sound waves;

sampling an air volume and generate the scent profile from the air volume; and

transmitting electronic data that includes at least one of a generated sound profile and a generated scent profile.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein receiving electronic data that includes at least one of a scent profile and a sound profile comprises receiving at least one of a scent profile and a sound profile from a vehicle;

and

wherein the one or more events corresponding to the matched known scent profile corresponds to a vehicle condition, and wherein the one or more events corresponding to the matched known sound profile corresponds to a vehicle condition.

18. A computer program product for diagnosing events, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code executable by one or more computer processors to;

receive electronic data that includes a scent profile;

compare the received scent profile to electronic data in a data structure containing known scent profiles; and

upon finding a match between a known scent profile and the received scent profile, output an indication of one or more events corresponding to the matched known scent profile.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the computer-readable program code is further executable to:

receive electronic data that includes a sound profile;

compare the received sound profile to electronic data in the data structure, wherein the data structure includes known sound profiles; and

upon finding a match between a known sound profile and the received sound profile, output an indication of one or more events corresponding to the matched known sound profile.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable program code is further executable to store at least one of the received scent profile and the received sound profile in the data structure upon the at least one of the received scent profile and the received sound profile not matching at least one of a stored known scent profile and a stored known sound profile.