Aircraft Failure Analysis System for Function Degradation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current aircraft alert systems merely notify pilots of sub-system failures without providing guidance on their impact on overall aircraft functionality, making it difficult for flight crews to assess the propagation of failures and their effects on system-level operations.
Innovation Solution
A failure analysis system that monitors sub-systems, uses sensors and self-diagnosis functions to detect failures, and employs a dependency model to predict and alert pilots on the degradation or unavailability of aircraft functions, allowing for informed mission plan revisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If system integration levels are increased to improve aircraft functionality, then aircraft performance and capability are improved, but the burden on the operator to reason through failure effects increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system (failure analysis system with processor and memory) that mediates between the complex integrated sub-systems and the operator. This system stores dependency information about how sub-systems relate to aircraft functions and automatically analyzes failure propagation, translating complex system interactions into understandable alert information without increasing operator burden
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback to the operator by monitoring sub-system status and automatically determining which aircraft functions are affected by failures. Instead of requiring the operator to manually trace failure effects through complex integrated systems, the system continuously monitors and provides feedback about functional impacts, enabling informed decisions without increasing operational complexity
2Loss of information
If alert systems provide detailed information about failure propagation to improve operator understanding, then operator understanding of faults is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-storing dependency information in the memory that defines the relationships between sub-systems and aircraft functions before any failure occurs. This pre-configured knowledge base allows the system to quickly determine failure effects without complex real-time analysis, providing detailed information about failure propagation without requiring complex processing during critical moments
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the complex aircraft system into discrete sub-systems with defined dependencies, storing separate dependency information for each sub-system's relationship to aircraft functions. This segmentation allows the processor to analyze failures systematically by checking specific dependency relationships rather than analyzing the entire complex system at once, reducing computational complexity while providing comprehensive failure propagation information
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to an airplane function oriental failure analysis system for identifying the consequences of physical failures of physical aircraft systems or of parts or components of the aircraft. Such parts or components are referred to herein as sub-systems. Failures can, for example, cause the aircraft to lose functionality needed during flight. A failure analysis system for monitoring sub-system failures in an aircraft (100) that comprises a plurality of sub-systems (101, 102, 103), the aircraft (100) having a plurality of functions, wherein each function is available when one or more associated sub-systems is operating correctly, the failure analysis system comprising: a plurality of monitors (111, 112, 113) for monitoring the status of one or more sub-systems of the aircraft (100) and determining if a failure has occurred; a memory (300) arranged to store a list of a plurality of flight phases or operating modes to be completed by the monitored system (100) and data associating one or more of the functions with each flight phase or operating mode; and a processor (200) in communication with the plurality of monitors and the memory (300) and arranged to model the response of the sub-systems to a failure determined by the monitors to identify which functions required by the flight phases or operating modes are degraded or are not available.