Reconfigurable Sensor Nodes for Scalable Distributed Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional monitoring systems in aircraft are limited by scalability, flexibility, mass reduction, and cost reduction challenges, as they rely on a single federated unit connected to various sensors and communication buses.
Innovation Solution
A distributed sensing system comprising sensor nodes with configurable logic modules, including FPGAs and PLDs, that can interface with physical sensors, store configuration settings, and operate in low or normal power modes, allowing for modular configuration and data processing, and include integral and external sensor channels with multiplexers, ADCs, DACs, and transceivers for flexible data acquisition and transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single federated unit is used to collect and process sensor data, then the system is highly functional, but scalability and flexibility are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the centralized federated unit into multiple distributed sensor nodes, each capable of independent operation. Each node contains its own configurable logic module, sensor channels, and processing capabilities, allowing the system to scale by adding or removing individual nodes without redesigning the entire architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic reconfigurability through FPGAs and PLDs that can be programmed at runtime. Configuration settings data stored in physical memory allow the logic state of configurable logic modules to be changed dynamically, enabling the system to adapt its functionality and topology based on operational requirements.
2Weight of stationary object
If a centralized federated unit processes all sensor data, then processing capability is concentrated, but mass reduction and cost reduction are challenging
Solution Approach 1:
Processing capability is segmented and distributed across multiple sensor nodes rather than concentrated in a single unit. Each node performs local data acquisition and processing, reducing the mass required for centralized processing hardware while maintaining overall system productivity through parallel operation of multiple nodes.
Solution Approach 2:
Each sensor node is optimized with specific sensor channels and processing capabilities tailored to its function. This local optimization allows each node to be lightweight yet capable, with the aggregate system achieving high processing throughput through distributed parallel processing.
3Productivity
If full-power FPGAs/PLDs are always active, then processing capability is maximized, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between low-power and normal-power modes based on operational requirements. Configuration settings data control the logic state of configurable logic modules to activate or deactivate processing functions, enabling the system to maximize processing capability when needed while minimizing power consumption during idle or low-demand periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of FPGAs/PLDs by reconfiguring their logic state through configuration settings data. This allows the same hardware to operate at different performance levels and power consumption rates, optimizing the trade-off between processing capability and energy usage based on real-time requirements.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple sensor channels are always active, then data acquisition coverage is maximized, but system cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Sensor channels are dynamically configured through configuration settings data that control the logic state of configurable logic modules. Channels can be activated or deactivated based on operational requirements, allowing the system to maximize sensor coverage when needed while reducing complexity and cost by enabling only necessary channels during normal operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor node for a distributed sensing system, can include a physical memory configured to store configuration settings data, one or more sensor channels configured to interface with one or more physical sensors to receive signals from the one or more physical sensors, and one or more configurable logic modules connected to the physical memory and operative to receive the configuration settings data and to be configured by the configuration settings data into a logic state to control whether and/or how the one or more one or more configurable logic modules receive and/or processes data from the one or more sensor channels. The one or more configurable logic modules can include one or more FPGAs and/or PLDs, for example.