Adaptive Sensor Voter for In-Flight Signal Integrity
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing voting and signal selection architectures in aircraft systems are unable to adapt to changes during flight, leading to potential signal integrity issues due to tight tolerances that may result in nuisance faults and lower signal availability, especially when incorporating lower-integrity backup sensors.
Innovation Solution
A voter system that dynamically adjusts sensor tolerances and selection criteria based on flight phase and operational scenarios, allowing integration of high- and low-integrity sensors while maintaining signal integrity and availability by compositing low-integrity signals to produce a quasi-high-integrity signal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tight tolerances are applied to all sensors during all flight phases to meet strict integrity requirements, then signal integrity is improved, but signal availability decreases due to nuisance faults from excluding sensors that are less accurate or susceptible to noise during certain phases
Solution Approach 1:
The voter dynamically adjusts tolerances and voting criteria based on flight phase and operational scenario. During critical phases (takeoff, landing), tight tolerances are applied to ensure integrity. During less critical phases, tolerances are relaxed to allow less accurate sensors to contribute, thereby maintaining signal availability while adapting to varying operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Different tolerance levels and voting strategies are applied to different sensors based on their characteristics and the current flight phase. High-integrity sensors are used during critical phases, while low-integrity sensors are composited during non-critical phases. This local adaptation allows each sensor to contribute optimally according to its capabilities and the operational context.
2Reliability
If redundant high-integrity sensors are integrated to meet severe failure scenario requirements, then signal integrity is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the integrity parameters of sensors dynamically based on flight phase. Low-integrity sensors are composited to produce a quasi-high-integrity signal during non-critical phases, eliminating the need for physical high-integrity redundant sensors in those phases. This parameter-based adaptation reduces the number of expensive high-integrity sensors required while maintaining integrity where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The voter composites signals from multiple low-integrity sensors to produce a quasi-high-integrity sensor signal. This composite signal is suitable for inclusion in a golden signal during non-critical phases, effectively creating a high-integrity output from lower-integrity inputs through signal processing rather than hardware redundancy.
3Productivity
If monitor inhibit conditions are set to prevent sensor exclusion during high probability good sensor scenarios, then signal availability is improved, but signal integrity is downgraded to the integrity of the lowest integrity sensor
Solution Approach 1:
The monitor inhibit conditions are dynamically adjusted based on flight phase and operational scenario. During critical phases, strict monitoring is applied to maintain integrity. During non-critical phases, monitoring is relaxed to allow low-integrity sensors to be included without downgrading overall signal integrity, as the composite signal from multiple sensors compensates for individual sensor limitations.
Data Source
AI summary
A voter configured for in-flight tuning based on flight phase and operational scenario receives sensor signals and applies adaptive tolerances. The voter allows integration of high-integrity sensors with less accurate, low-integrity sensors, or even sensors that are susceptible to noise, dropouts, interference or sabotage without compromising the voted signal integrity or availability. The voter composites low-integrity sensor signals to produce a quasi-high-integrity sensor signal suitable for inclusion in a golden signal and provides sensor fusion.