Device for making available navigation parameter values of a vehicle

• US 9,694,902 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2013
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Fervel, Marc, Goupil, Philippe, Tatham, Gilles, Brot, Patrice, Guillet, Alain
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr, Fadey
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHUDY, ANGELINA M
• Application Number:
  US14/134,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20140236395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 701 3, 701 4
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/00 Control systems or transmitting systems for actuating flying-control surfaces, lift-increasing flaps, air brakes, or spoilers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/03 with multiple-channel loop, i.e. redundant control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0077 using redundant signals or controls
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0056 in an emergency situation, e.g. hijacking

Abstract

A device for making available navigation parameter values of a vehicle is provided. The device includes components distributed in the following categories: several sensors collecting measurement data relating to at least one navigation parameter of the vehicle; several computers processing the measurement data collected by the sensors and calculating said navigation parameters; several networks linking the sensors to the computers and linking the computers to systems using said parameters. The networks transmit all the collected measurement data to the computers, which calculate a value for each navigation parameter as well as an estimated value of the associated fault, using a single common fusion algorithm.

Claims

1. A device for making centrally available, navigation parameter values of a vehicle, comprising a plurality of components distributed in the following categories:

a plurality of sensors that collect measurement data relating to at least one navigation parameter of the vehicle, wherein the plurality of sensors includes a first sensor configured to sense a selected navigation parameter using a first sensor operation mode and a second sensor configured to sense the selected navigation parameter using a second sensor operation mode different from the first sensor operation mode such that a common mode failure affecting the first sensor will not affect the second sensor;

a plurality of computers that process the measurement data collected by the plurality of sensors and calculate said at least one navigation parameter of the vehicle, wherein the plurality of computers includes a first computer configured to process the measurement data collected by the first sensor and the second sensor and calculate the selected navigation parameter using a first computer operation mode and a second computer configured to process the measurement data collected by the first sensor and the second sensor and calculate the selected navigation parameter using a second computer operation mode different from the first computer operation mode such that a common mode failure affecting the first computer will not affect the second computer;

a plurality of networks that link the sensors to the plurality of computers and link the plurality of computers to a plurality of user systems using said at least one navigation parameter of the vehicle, wherein the plurality of networks includes a first network that links the first and second sensors to the first and second computers using a first network operation mode and a second network that links the first and second sensors to the first and second computers using a second network operation mode different from the first network operation mode such that a common mode failure affecting the first network will not affect the second network;

wherein;

the plurality of networks transmit all the collected measurement data to the plurality of computers, and

the plurality of computers calculate and make available, for use by the plurality of user systems, the value for each of the at least one navigation parameter of the vehicle as well as an estimated value of a fault associated with said at least one navigation parameter of the vehicle, using the transmitted measurement data and a single fusion algorithm contained in each of said plurality of computers.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the single fusion algorithm comprises a combination function configured to provide a single value of the navigation parameter values from several pieces of measurement data.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the single fusion algorithm comprises a monitoring function configured to detect any measurement fault in the measurement data and to deactivate or exclude an associated piece of measurement data.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein an estimated value of the fault associated with each value of the navigation parameter values is made available in at least one of an absence of a simple failure or the common mode failure and in a presence of a simple failure or the common mode failure.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the estimated value of the fault in the presence of the failure takes into account both the simple failure and the common mode failure.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of computers are of dissimilar technology types.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of computers include at least one integrated modular avionics computer and at least one line replaceable unit computer.

8. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of estimators that estimate navigation parameter values from other parameters of the vehicle.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of estimators comprise side-slip estimators, speed estimators and coherence estimators.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of networks are of dissimilar technology types.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of networks comprise at least one Avionics Full DupleX switched ethernet network and at least one Erebus network.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of user systems decide to use or not to use the value for each of the navigation parameter values as a function of the estimated value of the fault associated with each of the navigation parameter values.

14. An aircraft, comprising:

a device for making available navigation parameter values comprising a plurality of components distributed in the following categories;

a plurality of sensors that collect measurement data relating to at least one navigation parameter of the vehicle, wherein the plurality of sensors includes a first sensor that collects measurement data relating to a selected navigation parameter of the vehicle using a first sensor operation mode and a second sensor that collects measurement data relating to the selected navigation parameter of the vehicle using a second sensor operation mode different from the first sensor operation mode such that a common mode failure affecting the first sensor will not affect the second sensor;

a plurality of computers that process the measurement data collected by the plurality of sensors and calculate said navigation parameter values of the vehicle, wherein the plurality of computers includes a first computer that processes the measurement data collected by the plurality of sensors and calculate said navigation parameter values of the vehicle using a first computer operation mode and a second computer that processes the measurement data collected by the plurality of sensors and calculate said navigation parameter values of the vehicle using a second computer operation mode different from the first computer operation mode such that a common mode failure affecting the first computer will not affect the second computer;

a plurality of networks that link the sensors to the plurality of computers and link the plurality of computers to a plurality of user systems using said navigation parameter values, wherein the plurality of networks includes a first network that links the first and second sensors to the first and second computers using a first network operation mode and a second network that links the first and second sensors to the first and second computers using a second network operation mode different from the first network operation mode such that a common mode failure affecting the first network will not affect the second network;

wherein;

the plurality of networks transmit all the collected measurement data to the plurality of computers and at least two of the plurality of networks are of dissimilar technology types, and

the plurality of computers calculate and make available, for use by the plurality of user systems, the value for each of the navigation parameter values as well as an estimated value of a fault associated with said navigation parameter values, using the transmitted measurement data and a single fusion algorithm contained in each of said plurality of computers.

15. The aircraft according to claim 14, wherein the single fusion algorithm comprises a combination function configured to provide a single value of the navigation parameter values from several pieces of measurement data.

16. The aircraft according to claim 14, wherein the single fusion algorithm comprises a monitoring function configured to detect any measurement fault in the measurement data and to deactivate or exclude an associated piece of measurement data.

17. The aircraft according to claim 14, wherein the estimated value of the fault associated with each value of the navigation parameter values is made available in at least one of a simple failure or the common mode failure and in a presence of a simple failure or the common mode failure.

18. The aircraft according to claim 17, wherein the estimated value of the fault in the presence of the failure takes into account both the simple failure and the common mode failure.