Electronically Scanned Array Self-Diagnostics for Radar Fault Compensation
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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 restricting operational visibility.
Innovation Solution
A self-diagnostic method for electronically scanned array radar systems that compares control profiles of individually addressable components, compensates for faulty components, and adjusts operating parameters to maintain system functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If flight vision systems operate in low visibility conditions without continuous monitoring, then operational capability is improved, but system reliability deteriorates due to undetected faults
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary diagnostic actions by continuously monitoring radar component health parameters before faults can develop into failures. The monitoring processor compares actual performance data against expected performance thresholds in advance, enabling proactive fault detection and preventing catastrophic failures during critical flight phases.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback monitoring where the monitoring processor constantly compares actual radar component performance against expected performance data. This closed-loop feedback mechanism provides real-time information about component health status, enabling the system to maintain reliability while operating in low visibility conditions by detecting and reporting faults immediately.
2Device complexity
If flight vision systems are checked only pre-flight, then system complexity is reduced, but fault detection capability deteriorates leaving risk of in-flight failure
Solution Approach 1:
The radar system performs self-diagnostic monitoring through the integrated monitoring processor that continuously assesses component health without requiring external intervention. The system monitors its own performance parameters, compares them against expected values, and generates fault indications autonomously, enabling continuous fault detection without adding significant operational complexity.
3Reliability
If zero tolerance for degraded performance is enforced, then safety is improved, but operational versatility deteriorates by limiting use to safe conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary fault detection and isolation before degraded performance can affect safety. By continuously monitoring component health and comparing performance against thresholds, the system identifies faults early and can isolate affected components, maintaining safe operation while allowing the radar to continue operating in degraded but controlled conditions, thus expanding operational versatility.
Data Source
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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 (108) and receiver antenna (110) elements, a controller (104) configured to control the modulation of transmitting and received signals, and a monitoring processor (220) 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.