VEHICLE HEALTH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20100171630A1
• Filed: 01/07/2009
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Keller, Kirby J., Morris, Charles E., Carralero, Michael Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 7,999,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/691.800
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0232 for measuring vehicle parameters and indicating critical, abnormal or dangerous conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/242 by comparing a transmitted test signal with a locally generated replica
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0094 Bus

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer program product for processing health management data for a vehicle. A plurality of modulated signals is received on a bus system in the vehicle. The plurality of modulated signals contains health management data from a plurality of data acquisition units. Each modulated signal has a different frequency from another modulated signal in the plurality of modulated signals to form a plurality of frequencies. The plurality of frequencies is selected to avoid interference with other data transmitted over the bus system by a plurality of data processing systems in the vehicle. The plurality of modulated signals is processed based on the plurality of frequencies used to transmit the plurality of modulated signals.

Claims

1. A method for processing health management data for a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of modulated signals on a bus system in the vehicle, wherein the plurality of modulated signals contain health management data from a plurality of data acquisition units, wherein each modulated signal has a different frequency from another modulated signal in the plurality of modulated signals to form a plurality of frequencies, and wherein the plurality of frequencies are selected to avoid interference with other data transmitted over the bus system by a plurality of data processing systems in the vehicle; and

processing the plurality of modulated signals based on the plurality of frequencies used to transmit the plurality of modulated signals.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating the health management data using a number of sensors.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending a carrier signal from a transmitter data acquisition unit within the plurality of data acquisition units to a receiver data acquisition unit within the plurality of data acquisition units on the bus system using the frequency that avoids interference between the data transmitted between the plurality of data processing systems;

determining whether the carrier signal is distorted at the receiver data acquisition unit;

responsive to a determination that the carrier signal is not distorted at the receiver data acquisition unit, generating a modulated signal containing data;

sending the modulated signal to the receiver data acquisition unit to form a received modulated signal; and

comparing the received modulated signal with a prior modulated signal at the receiver data acquisition unit to determine whether a fault is present in its path.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

generating the health management data at the transmitter data acquisition unit from using the number of sensors associated with the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of modulated signals are transmitted by the plurality of data acquisition units at different time periods.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of data processing systems includes a flight management computer and a controller.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is selected from a group comprising an aircraft, a surface ship, a tank, a personnel carrier, a train, a spacecraft, a submarine, a bus, and an automobile.

8. A vehicle comprising:

a bus system;

a first data processing system connected to the bus system;

a second data processing system connected to the bus system, wherein the first data processing system and the second data processing system exchange data with each other over the bus system; and

a number of data acquisition units connected to the bus system, wherein the number of data acquisition units is capable of testing the bus system for errors and capable of transmitting health management data over the bus system using a frequency that avoids interfering with data transferred between the first data processing system and the second data processing system.

9. The vehicle of claim 8 further comprising:

a number of sensors, wherein the number of data acquisition units generate health management data using the number of sensors.

10. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the number of data acquisition units include a receiver and a transmitter and wherein the transmitter is capable of sending a carrier signal from the transmitter to the receiver through a path using the frequency that avoids interference between the data transmitted between the first data processing system and the second data processing system on the path;

the receiver capable of determining whether the carrier signal received by the receiver is distorted;

the transmitter capable of generating a modulated signal containing data and sending the modulated signal to the receiver to form a received modulated signal, and the receiver capable of comparing the received modulated signal with a prior modulated signal to determine whether a fault is present in the path.

11. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the first data processing system is a flight management computer and the second data processing system is a controller.

12. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the vehicle further comprises:

an airframe; and

a propulsion system.

13. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the vehicle is selected from one of an aircraft, a surface ship, a tank, a personnel carrier, a train, a spacecraft, a submarine, a bus, and an automobile.

14. A computer program product for processing health management data for a vehicle, the computer program product comprising:

a computer recordable storage medium;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for receiving a plurality of modulated signals on a bus system in the vehicle, wherein the plurality of modulated signals contain health management data from a plurality of data acquisition units, wherein each modulated signal has a different frequency from another modulated signal in the plurality of modulated signals to form a plurality of frequencies, and wherein the plurality of frequencies are selected to avoid interference with other data transmitted over the bus system by a plurality of data processing systems in the vehicle; and

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for processing the plurality of modulated signals based on the plurality of frequencies used to transmit the plurality of modulated signals.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for generating the health management data using a number of sensors.

16. The computer program product of claim 14 further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for sending a carrier signal from a transmitter data acquisition unit within the plurality of data acquisition units to a receiver data acquisition unit within the plurality of data acquisition units on the bus system using the frequency that avoids interference between the data transmitted between the plurality of data processing systems;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for determining whether the carrier signal is distorted at the receiver data acquisition unit;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for, generating a modulated signal containing data in response to a determination that the carrier signal is not distorted at the receiver data acquisition unit;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for sending the modulated signal to the receiver data acquisition unit to form a received modulated signal; and

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for comparing the received modulated signal with a prior modulated signal at the receiver data acquisition unit to determine whether a fault is present in a path.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for generating the health management data at the transmitter data acquisition unit from using the number of sensors associated with the vehicle.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the plurality of modulated signals are transmitted by the plurality of data acquisition units at different time periods.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the plurality of data processing systems includes a flight management computer and a controller.

20. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the vehicle is selected from a group comprising an aircraft, a surface ship, a tank, a personnel carrier, a train, a spacecraft, a submarine, a bus, and an automobile.