Aircraft Sensor Trend Routing With Priority-Based Offboard Analytics

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current systems for monitoring and analyzing aircraft electronics and mechanical systems onboard are limited in their ability to efficiently communicate trends to offboard destinations for further analysis.

Innovation Solution

A system comprising onboard sensors and processors that collect data, infer trends using models, prioritize and packetize data, and route it to an offboard destination via electromagnetic communication for further analytics.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If all sensor data is transmitted to offboard destinations, then complete data availability for analytics is improved, but communication bandwidth consumption and transmission time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata availabilityVSAvoidtransmission time
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the essential trend information from sensor data rather than transmitting all raw sensor data. The processor identifies and transmits only relevant trends to offboard destinations, filtering out redundant information while maintaining data availability for analytics.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system transforms raw sensor data into processed trend parameters before transmission. By changing the data representation from raw sensor readings to inferred trends, the system reduces data volume while preserving the essential information needed for offboard analytics.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Speed

If high-priority trends are transmitted first, then critical information delivery speed is improved, but data routing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation delivery speedVSAvoiddata routing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary prioritization of trends before transmission by tagging each trend with priority information. This advance classification enables efficient routing decisions during transmission without requiring complex real-time routing logic, as the prioritization is already established before data leaves the aircraft.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces priority tags as an intermediary mechanism between trend identification and data transmission. These tags serve as a simple mediator that guides routing decisions without requiring complex routing algorithms, enabling fast delivery of critical information while maintaining manageable system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This solution enables efficient communication of aircraft subsystem trends to offboard datacenters for advanced analytics, improving aircraft health monitoring, predictive maintenance, and operational efficiency.

Implementation Method 1

output said tagged packet to an electromagnetic (EM) emitter for communication along said determined at least part of the route

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic radiation: Electromagnetic Induction

Data Source

PatentEP4498189A1System and method for routing aircrat sensor trend data to offboard datacenter for analytics
Publication Date: 2025.01.29 ARINC INC
  • EP4498189A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4498189A1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP4498189A1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

A system may include an aircraft sensor (202) and a processor (206) onboard the aircraft. The processor (206) may be configured to: obtain sensor data (802); obtain a model (804); based at least on the sensor data and the model, infer trend associated with the sensor data (806); determine that the trend is to be communicated to an offboard destination (808); packetize the trend as a packet (810); tag the packet with information associated with one of at least two priority levels (812); determine at least part of a route that said tagged packet is to be communicated along based at least on a priority level associated with said tagged packet (814); and output said tagged packet to an electromagnetic (EM) emitter for communication along said determined at least part of the route (816).