Onboard Data Recorder for Fleet Operations Quality Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for collecting and analyzing operational data from fleets of vehicles are costly, complex, and often require real-time wireless transmission to ground stations, making them impractical for smaller operations or vehicles without existing communication systems, and they fail to provide reliable caching and updating of data for mobile devices used by pilots.
Innovation Solution
A self-contained data recording unit with integrated sensors that can operate independently of vehicle subsystems, storing data locally and transmitting it later to a central system for processing, using low-end processors for data acquisition and high-end processors for processing, and providing caching and updating capabilities for mobile devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If real-time wireless transmission to ground stations is used, then data analysis capability is improved, but system cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the data storage and preliminary processing functions from the ground station system and places them in onboard flight recorders. This allows the aircraft to autonomously capture and pre-process flight data locally, reducing the need for complex real-time ground infrastructure while preserving data analysis capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is divided into independent modular components: onboard flight recorders that capture data, wireless transmission interfaces that enable optional data transfer, and ground-based analysis systems that process the information. This segmentation allows flexible deployment where real-time transmission is only used when needed, reducing overall system complexity.
2Reliability
If real-time wireless transmission is implemented, then operational monitoring is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flight recorder system is designed to autonomously capture, store, and manage flight data without requiring continuous external intervention or expensive real-time transmission infrastructure. The system serves itself by maintaining local data storage and only initiating wireless transmission when specifically triggered, reducing operational costs while maintaining monitoring reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of continuous real-time transmission, the system uses periodic or event-triggered data transfer. Flight data is captured continuously onboard and transmitted to ground stations only at predetermined intervals or when specific events occur, reducing communication costs while maintaining operational monitoring capability.
3Measurement precision
If sophisticated sensors are integrated into vehicles, then data collection quality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flight recorder is designed as a universal platform that can interface with multiple different sensor types and vehicle subsystems through standardized protocols. This multi-functionality allows the same recorder unit to work with various sophisticated sensors without requiring custom integration for each sensor type, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high data collection quality.
4Productivity
If dedicated computing power is integrated into vehicles, then real-time data processing is improved, but vehicle cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary approach where the flight recorder captures raw data and performs minimal onboard processing, then transfers the data to ground-based computing systems for comprehensive analysis. This mediator role allows real-time data capture without requiring expensive dedicated computing power in each vehicle, as the heavy processing is performed centrally on the ground.
Data Source
AI summary
A ground fleet operations quality management system for use with one or more vehicles which includes a gateway module mounted on each vehicle, a centralized data server to collect, store and pre-process data from multiple vehicles, and a web application designed to provide access to and analysis of the conditions of the entire fleet of vehicles.