Electronically Scanned Array Self-Diagnostics for In-Flight Fault Tolerance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flight vision systems in low visibility conditions lack fault tolerance, leading to potential catastrophic failures during critical flight phases due to unmonitored degradation, limiting their use to safe conditions and necessitating pre-flight checks that do not address in-flight failures.
Innovation Solution
A self-diagnostic method for electronically scanned array radar systems using individually addressable components, which includes transmitting test signals, generating control profiles, and comparing them to predicted results to identify and compensate for faulty components, enhancing system reliability and fault tolerance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If flight vision systems operate in low visibility conditions without continuous monitoring, then system range and quality are improved, but fault tolerance deteriorates leading to catastrophic failure risk
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary diagnostic actions by continuously monitoring individual antenna elements and generating control profiles before faults develop into catastrophic failures. Test signals are transmitted and compared against predicted results in advance, allowing the system to detect and compensate for degraded performance early in the fault progression.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring processor continuously receives signal quality inputs from individually addressable components, compares control profiles against predicted results, and provides feedback to enhance or replace faulty components. This closed-loop feedback mechanism maintains fault tolerance by dynamically adjusting system operation based on real-time component health assessment.
2Reliability
If pre-flight checks are performed but no in-flight monitoring is implemented, then initial system reliability is ensured, but undetected degradation leads to failure during critical phases
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous diagnostic action during flight by constantly transmitting test signals through individually addressable components and monitoring signal quality inputs. This continuous monitoring ensures uninterrupted detection of degradation, eliminating the gap between pre-flight checks and potential in-flight failures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of faulty components before they cause catastrophic failure during critical flight phases. By continuously comparing control profiles against predicted results, the system identifies degraded performance early and initiates compensation actions in advance.
3Adaptability or versatility
If regulations limit use to safe visual recovery conditions, then safety is maintained, but operational versatility in low visibility is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The radar system performs self-diagnosis and self-compensation by continuously monitoring its own individually addressable components, generating control profiles, and identifying faults without external intervention. This self-service capability enables the system to maintain safety while operating in previously restricted low visibility conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring processor provides continuous feedback on component health by comparing control profiles against predicted results, enabling the system to adapt its operation in real-time. This feedback mechanism allows safe operation in low visibility conditions by detecting and compensating for faults before they compromise safety.
4Productivity
If zero tolerance for degraded performance is enforced, then fault tolerance is maintained, but system productivity and operational flexibility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the radar into individually addressable components, each with its own control profile. This segmentation allows the monitoring processor to identify and isolate specific faulty elements without shutting down the entire system, maintaining productivity while preserving fault tolerance through targeted compensation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters dynamically by adjusting or replacing individual faulty components based on control profile comparisons. This parameter adjustment allows the system to maintain overall reliability and fault tolerance while keeping the majority of the system operational, thus preserving productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for performing a self-diagnostic test on an electronically scanned array is disclosed. The system includes an array of emitter antenna and receiver antenna elements, a controller configured to control the modulation of transmitting and received signals, and a monitoring processor configured to receive a signal quality input based on the transmitting and received signal, generate a control profile based on the signal quality input, compare at least one control profile to at least one of a predicted result signal or to control profiles from at least two other sets of control profiles, and determine a faulty set of individually addressable components that includes at least one faulty individually addressable component. The controller is configured to enhance one or more individually addressable components to compensate for the faulty addressable component.