A method for collecting and storing time series data for airborne equipment

Abstract

The disclosure provides a timing data acquisition and storage method for an airborne device, comprising the following steps: acquiring the communication protocol and configuration parameters of the airborne edge device and the airborne field device as a driver, and acquiring the digital image of the airborne field device as an asset, and creating a communication model based on the driver and the asset; developing a driver program of the field protocol according to the communication model, acquiring a plurality of data points of the asset through the driver program, and separately mapping each data point as a channel; acquiring timing data of the asset through the channel; analyzing the metadata of the timing data and the hierarchical relationship thereof based on the tag information of the airborne field device, and mapping into a tree-shaped timing data model; integrating the timing data according to the timing data model and storing in a timing database.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of integrated circuit technology, and in particular to a method for timing data acquisition and storage for airborne equipment. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing complexity, integration, and intelligence of airborne products, airborne data is increasing dramatically, posing a huge challenge to its collection and storage.

[0003] Airborne data is generally a collection of parameters related to the working status of various systems and components of the aircraft, the flight status of the aircraft, and the external flight environment, recorded by various airborne field equipment during operation. It often has time tags (which change in chronological order), and is time-series data.

[0004] Time series data, also known as time-series data, refers to a collection of data on the same indicator recorded in chronological order. The main source of airborne time series data is various airborne and field devices. Due to the numerous airborne interconnection interfaces, the diversity of field protocols, and the heterogeneity of acquisition devices, the acquisition of airborne time series data often faces many bottlenecks. Traditional solutions involve interconnecting with airborne devices through different bus interfaces to complete data acquisition and recording functions, but this approach cannot adequately address issues such as field protocol scalability and acquisition performance.

[0005] Meanwhile, airborne time-series data typically exhibits characteristics of massive volume and complex, diverse formats, making traditional file storage methods insufficient to meet the current demands for storing and managing such massive amounts of time-series data. Therefore, it is necessary to design multiple unified acquisition standards for time-series data and construct a unified storage model to improve management efficiency, enabling the more hierarchical and organized association of isolated time-series data generated by various airborne and field devices.

[0006] In summary, there is a need to develop a time-series data acquisition and storage method for airborne equipment, which can achieve centralized acquisition and efficient storage of airborne time-series data to meet the growing management and application needs of current aviation airborne time-series data. Summary of the Invention

[0007] A first aspect of this disclosure provides a method for acquiring and storing time-series data for airborne equipment, comprising the following steps:

[0008] The communication protocol and configuration parameters between the airborne edge device and the airborne field device are obtained as the driver, and the digital image of the airborne field device is obtained as the asset. A communication model is created based on the driver and the asset.

[0009] Develop a driver program for the field protocol based on the communication model, obtain multiple data points of the asset through the driver program, and map each data point to a channel separately;

[0010] The time-series data of the asset is collected through the channel;

[0011] Based on the tag information of the airborne field equipment, the metadata and hierarchical relationship of the time-series data are parsed and mapped into a tree-structured time-series data model;

[0012] The time series data is integrated according to the time series data model and stored in the time series database.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, the communication model created based on the driver and assets includes:

[0014] The communication protocols and configuration parameters of the airborne edge devices and airborne field devices are obtained, wherein the communication protocols include network protocols, data transmission protocols, and application protocols;

[0015] Based on the communication protocol and configuration parameters, the data exchange method, data frame format, communication interface and transmission rate are determined, and a communication model is created.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, the acquisition of multiple data points of the asset through the driver includes:

[0017] Create a driver instance of the driver, configure the global parameters of the driver instance, and establish a physical connection with the airborne field device;

[0018] The driver instance obtains multiple data points of the corresponding asset and maps each data point to a separate channel.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect, the collection of time-series data of the asset through the channel includes:

[0020] The channel is configured by writing configuration parameters through the driver, including channel identifier, read / write mode, register address, byte order, and data type.

[0021] The time-series data of the asset is collected by referencing the corresponding channel of the asset.

[0022] In conjunction with the first aspect, the step of parsing the metadata and its hierarchical relationship of the time-series data based on the tag information of the airborne field device includes dividing the metadata into a structure arranged in the order of tenant layer - edge gateway layer - sensor layer - physical quantity layer according to the tag of the airborne field device.

[0023] In conjunction with the first aspect, the time-series data model adopts a tree-structured time-series data model, with the root node being the tenant layer and the leaf nodes being the specific physical quantity layer. Each level of data from the root node to the leaf node forms a unique time-series data identifier.

[0024] In conjunction with the first aspect, the time-series database includes the Apache IoTDB time-series database, which supports tree-structured data storage.

[0025] In conjunction with the first aspect, the time-series data is encoded in JSON format.

[0026] A second aspect of this disclosure provides an electronic device, comprising:

[0027] One or more processors;

[0028] A storage unit is used to store one or more programs, which, when executed by one or more processors, enable the one or more processors to implement the timing data acquisition and storage method for airborne devices.

[0029] A third aspect of this disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that the computer program, when executed by a processor, can implement the timing data acquisition and storage method for airborne equipment.

[0030] Beneficial Effects: Traditional solutions, which interconnect with airborne equipment via different bus interfaces to complete data acquisition and recording functions, cannot adequately address issues such as field protocol scalability and acquisition performance. This invention simplifies communication between airborne edge devices and sensors using a single model based on driver and asset concepts, enabling unified access to field protocols and providing a more flexible and efficient edge device acquisition mode. Furthermore, addressing the limitations of traditional file storage methods in meeting the demands of massive time-series data storage and management, this invention introduces a time-series database service into the airborne edge device for time-series data management, replacing the original method of directly acquiring, recording, and storing data on disk, thereby achieving higher storage efficiency for airborne time-series data management. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for acquiring and storing time-series data for airborne equipment according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0032] Figure 2 An electronic device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0033] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with those disclosed herein.

[0034] The terminology used in this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” as used in this disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0035] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used to describe various information in embodiments of this disclosure, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, first information may also be referred to as second information without departing from the scope of embodiments of this disclosure, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "when," "when," or "in response to a determination."

[0036] With the application of new-generation data acquisition and transmission equipment in civil aircraft, time-series data has become the main body of big data in the field of civil aircraft PHM (Prognostics and Health Management).

[0037] Time series data, also known as time sequence data, refers to a collection of data on the same indicator recorded in chronological order.

[0038] like Figure 1 The diagram shown is a flowchart illustrating a method for timing data acquisition and storage for airborne equipment according to an embodiment of this disclosure, including:

[0039] S101: Obtain the communication protocol and configuration parameters between the airborne edge device and the airborne field device as a driver, and obtain the digital image of the airborne field device as an asset, and create a communication model based on the driver and the asset.

[0040] Specifically, the role of a driver is to encapsulate the protocols and configuration parameters required for communication with onboard field devices. In essence, a driver is a software module that handles the communication details between different field devices. For example, different devices may use different communication protocols (such as Modbus, CAN, RS-485, etc.), and the driver hides this complexity by adapting to these protocols, allowing upper-layer logic to focus on the underlying communication implementation without needing to concern itself with it.

[0041] Assets are logical abstractions and representations of airborne field devices. They create a high-level model for field devices, making data management and operation more scalable and readable. Assets can be viewed as "digital twins" of devices, describing device behavior by defining device attributes, operating methods, and events.

[0042] The communication model created based on the driver and assets includes:

[0043] The communication protocols and configuration parameters of the airborne edge devices and airborne field devices are obtained. The communication protocols include network protocols, data transmission protocols, and application protocols. Specifically, the communication methods of the airborne edge devices and airborne field devices are analyzed, such as serial ports, TCP / IP, or other methods, and the parameters required for connection (such as IP address, port number, baud rate, etc.) are extracted.

[0044] Based on the communication protocol and configuration parameters, the data exchange method, data frame format, communication interface and transmission rate are determined, and a communication model is created. Then, the "digital mirror" of the airborne field equipment (that is, what data it can provide and how the data is organized) is analyzed. Finally, the communication method and the data structure of the equipment are combined to determine which data points can be read in which ways, forming a complete communication framework.

[0045] Beneficial effects: By using driver-encapsulated communication protocols, the system can easily adapt to airborne field devices from different manufacturers and models without requiring modifications to upper-layer applications; by abstracting the logical representation of devices through assets, the physical implementation and functional representation of devices are separated, improving the scalability of the communication model. Edge devices and field devices interact through the communication model, shielding them from underlying details, allowing application developers to focus only on the logical operations of assets.

[0046] Furthermore, during flight, the assets can be used to collect real-time status data from multiple airborne devices (such as flight controllers and sensors), and the drive module ensures data compatibility between devices using different protocols. Utilizing the logical representation of the assets and multiple data channels, the system can perform status monitoring and anomaly analysis for different devices. For example, monitoring engine temperature and vibration frequency can trigger an alarm event if a parameter exceeds a preset threshold.

[0047] S102: Develop a driver program for the field protocol based on the communication model, and obtain multiple data points of the asset through the driver program, and map each data point to a channel separately.

[0048] The communication model is a high-level abstraction that provides a general driver architecture, enabling different protocol drivers to be created and managed in a unified manner.

[0049] A field protocol is a specification for communication between airborne field devices and external systems; it's like a "language." Different devices may use different protocols, for example:

[0050] Modbus, CAN, EtherCAT, ARINC 429 (avionics protocol), etc.

[0051] These protocols define how data is transmitted, including how to establish a connection, how to read / write data, and how to listen for events.

[0052] Therefore, the initial driver architecture is first obtained based on the communication model, and then the specific driver is developed based on the field protocol.

[0053] Driver implementation steps:

[0054] 1. Factory Pattern: First, define a general initial driver architecture based on the communication model.

[0055] 2. Then, implement separate drivers for different protocols (Modbus, CAN, etc.).

[0056] Implementation of the driver API:

[0057] The connect() / disconnect() methods are used to establish or disconnect a connection.

[0058] The read() / write() methods are used for data interaction.

[0059] Listen for events (such as fault alarms).

[0060] This step ensures that the application can communicate with different field devices via API without needing to know the details of the underlying protocol.

[0061] For example, the industrial field protocol MODBUS, according to its protocol specification, requires the following functions to be implemented in the driver program:

[0062] [1] Communication modes based on TCP, UDP and serial ports;

[0063] [2] Read and write data from the Coils, Discrete Inputs, Holding Registers and Input Registers areas;

[0064] [3] Read / write digital data across multiple consecutive registers with different sizes and byte orders;

[0065] [4] Automatically aggregate read / write operations of consecutive data in large batch requests to reduce IO time.

[0066] In addition, drivers can be installed as plugins into the runtime environment.

[0067] The OSGi framework (such as Equinox OSGi) is a modular plug-in system that allows different drivers (Modbus, ARINC 429, etc.) to be loaded into airborne edge devices as plug-ins.

[0068] The advantage of this approach is that different protocol drivers can be dynamically loaded and managed without affecting other drivers.

[0069] For example, the aforementioned MODBUS driver can be installed as a component plugin into the Equinox framework deployed on the airborne edge device. Because the OSGi component system can dynamically load and unload component plugins without affecting the normal operation of other components, unified access to field protocols can be achieved by adding, deleting, and updating driver components while keeping the application programs (acquisition application, storage application) unchanged.

[0070] Next, acquiring multiple data points of the asset through the driver includes:

[0071] Create a driver instance of the driver, configure the global parameters of the driver instance, and establish a physical connection with the airborne field device;

[0072] The driver instance obtains multiple data points of the corresponding asset and maps each data point to a separate channel.

[0073] For example, by creating the above MODBUS driver instance, a set of global parameters for the instance can be configured. If it is in IP mode, the IP address and port can be configured; if it is in serial mode, the path and port configuration of the serial port (baud rate, data bits, parity, stop bits) can be configured, thereby establishing a physical connection with the airborne field device.

[0074] The driver instance then communicates with the asset (airborne field device), which has multiple data points, such as temperature and humidity.

[0075] Each data point is mapped to a separate channel; for example, temperature is one channel and humidity is another.

[0076] A single asset can manage multiple data channels simultaneously, enabling parallel acquisition and processing of data from different dimensions of the equipment. Data is standardized into a unified format at the asset layer, facilitating storage in a time-series database or further transmission to the cloud. Data channels support real-time acquisition (such as real-time sensor data during flight) and batch uploading (such as post-flight summary reports).

[0077] S103: Collecting time-series data of the asset through the channel includes:

[0078] The channel is configured by writing configuration parameters through the driver, including channel identifier, read / write mode, register address, byte order, and data type.

[0079] The time-series data of the asset is collected by referencing the corresponding channel of the asset.

[0080] Specifically, the configuration parameters for each channel mainly include channel identifier, read / write mode, register address, byte order, and data type.

[0081] Channel identifier: This is simply giving a channel a name;

[0082] Read / write mode: This refers to whether the data point register is read, written, or read_write.

[0083] Register address: The memory address of the data point in the airborne field device, which is the addressing method of mapping registers to a unified address space;

[0084] Byte order: The order of the bytes of register data read is MSW, LSW, MSB, LSB;

[0085] Data type: Indicates the type of data stored in the register and the type of data used by the upper-layer application, and determines the conversion method based on the configuration.

[0086] Then, the time-series data of the asset is collected using the corresponding channel of the asset.

[0087] S104: Parsing the metadata and hierarchical relationships of the time-series data based on the tag information of the airborne field equipment includes:

[0088] Metadata for each time-series data point is parsed from the tags of the airborne field devices, including device identifier, data type, sampling period, and unit information, and is divided into a structure arranged in the order of tenant layer - edge gateway layer - sensor layer - physical quantity layer.

[0089] This is then mapped into a tree-structured time-series data model. The root node represents the tenant layer, and the leaf nodes represent the specific physical quantity layers. Each level of data from the root node to a leaf node forms a unique time-series data identifier. A time series is named using the path from the root node to the leaf node, with levels connected by ".". For example, a time series name can be represented as root.t01.e01.d01.temp.

[0090] S105: Integrate the time series data according to the time series data model and store it in the time series database.

[0091] Specifically, the airborne edge device uses the Apache IoTDB time-series database, which supports efficient and stable writing of high-frequency, massive amounts of time-series data. It supports tree-structured data, and a single node can manage tens of millions of time series. The underlying TsFile database has a low-schema structure, enabling plug-and-play functionality at the edge.

[0092] Schema: refers to the structural definition of a database, including tables, fields, data types, indexes, relationships, etc., which determines how the data is organized.

[0093] Data storage is organized hierarchically, with data nodes stored in a tree structure, supporting quick location, retrieval, and management through parent-child relationships.

[0094] For example, in a time-series database, any prefix path can be set as a database. If there are four time series: root.t01.e01.d01.temp, root.t01.e01.d01.humidity, root.t01.e02.d02.temp, and root.t01.e02.d02.humidity, and two edge device entities e01 and e02 under the path root.t01 might belong to the same aircraft, then the prefix path root.t0 can be designated as a database. Any new entities added to root.t01 in the future will also belong to this database.

[0095] The time-series data is encoded in JSON format.

[0096] Electronic device 200 can be a desktop computer, laptop, handheld computer, cloud server, or other electronic device. Electronic device 200 may include, but is not limited to, processor 201 and memory 202. Those skilled in the art will understand that... Figure 2This is merely an example of electronic device 200 and does not constitute a limitation on electronic device 200. It may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or different components. For example, electronic device may also include input / output devices, network access devices, buses, etc.

[0097] The processor 201 can be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0098] The memory 202 can be an internal storage unit of the electronic device 200, such as a hard disk or RAM of the electronic device 300. The memory 202 can also be an external storage device of the electronic device 200, such as a plug-in hard disk, Smart Media Card (SMC), Secure Digital (SD) card, or Flash Card equipped on the electronic device 200. Furthermore, the memory 202 can include both internal and external storage units of the electronic device 200. The memory 202 is used to store the computer program 203 and other programs and data required by the electronic device. The memory 202 can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0099] In the embodiments provided in this disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed devices / electronic devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device / electronic device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of modules or units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. Multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0100] If an integrated module / unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can also be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed by a processor, it can implement the steps of the various method embodiments described above. The computer program may include computer program code, which can be in the form of source code, object code, executable files, or certain intermediate forms. A computer-readable medium may include: any entity or device capable of carrying computer program code, recording media, USB flash drives, portable hard drives, magnetic disks, optical disks, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), electrical carrier signals, telecommunication signals, and software distribution media, etc. It should be noted that the content included in a computer-readable medium may be appropriately added to or subtracted according to the requirements of legislation and patent practice in a jurisdiction. For example, in some jurisdictions, according to legislation and patent practice, computer-readable media may not include electrical carrier signals and telecommunication signals.

[0101] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this disclosure, and are not intended to limit it. Although this disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure, and should all be included within the protection scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for time-series data acquisition and storage for airborne equipment, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: The communication protocol and configuration parameters between the airborne edge device and the airborne field device are obtained as the driver, and the digital image of the airborne field device is obtained as the asset. A communication model is created based on the driver and the asset. Develop a driver for the field protocol based on the communication model, create a driver instance of the driver, configure the global parameters of the driver instance, and establish a physical connection with the airborne field device. The driver program acquires multiple data points of the asset and maps each data point to a separate channel. The channel is configured by writing configuration parameters through the driver, including channel identifier, read / write mode, register address, byte order of reading, and data type. The time-series data of the asset is collected using the channel corresponding to the data point of the asset; Based on the tag information of the airborne field equipment, the metadata and hierarchical relationship of the time series data are parsed. The metadata is divided into a structure arranged in the order of tenant layer - edge gateway layer - sensor layer - physical quantity layer, and mapped into a tree-structured time series data model. The root node of the time series data model is the tenant layer, the leaf node is the physical quantity layer, and each level of data from the root node to the leaf node forms a unique time series data identifier. The time series data is integrated according to the time series data model and stored in the time series database.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The communication model created based on the driver and assets includes: The communication protocols and configuration parameters of the airborne edge devices and airborne field devices are obtained, wherein the communication protocols include network protocols, data transmission protocols, and application protocols; Based on the communication protocol and configuration parameters, the data exchange method, data frame format, communication interface and transmission rate are determined, and a communication model is created.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The time-series database includes the Apache IoTDB time-series database, which supports tree-structured data storage.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The time-series data is encoded in JSON format.

5. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; A storage unit is used to store one or more programs, which, when executed by one or more processors, enable the one or more processors to implement the timing data acquisition and storage method for airborne equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by the processor, it can implement the timing data acquisition and storage method for airborne equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

Images