Sensor Calibration Dongle for Passive Sensor Replacement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sensor systems require sensor-by-sensor calibration, necessitating device-specific calibration coefficients and equations, which complicates flight software management and installation processes, especially for passive sensors without active electronics.
Innovation Solution
A dongle system with a pass-through signal carrier and non-volatile memory is used to store calibration data, allowing optical signals to pass through while providing digital calibration information to a data concentrator, decoupling sensor-specific data from flight software updates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If calibration data is stored in flight software for multiple sensors, then different calibration coefficients can be applied to different sensors, but the system complexity increases and calibration data management becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The calibration data management is segmented by associating each sensor with its own dedicated dongle containing the calibration data. This divides the centralized calibration management into distributed, sensor-specific units, making it easier to manage and replace calibration data without affecting other sensors or requiring flight software modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The dongle acts as an intermediary between the sensor and the flight software, carrying calibration data externally. This mediator approach allows calibration data to be stored separately from both the sensor and the flight software, simplifying the management structure and enabling easy replacement of calibration data by simply swapping the dongle.
2Quantity of substance
If calibration data is stored in flight software, then multiple sensors can be calibrated, but the calibration data size consumes valuable flight software memory space
Solution Approach 1:
Calibration data is extracted from the flight software and stored externally on the dongle. This removes the memory burden from the flight software while still enabling calibration of multiple sensors, as each sensor's calibration data resides on its associated dongle rather than consuming flight software memory.
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration data is copied to the dongle, which then serves as the primary storage medium. The flight software only needs to access calibration data from the dongle during operation, eliminating the need to store large calibration datasets in flight software memory while maintaining full calibration capability for multiple sensors.
3Productivity
If a sensor is replaced in the field, then the system can maintain operation, but the associated calibration data must be updated which requires software reloading
Solution Approach 1:
The calibration data is pre-loaded onto the dongle during sensor assembly or calibration, before field installation. When a sensor is replaced, the corresponding dongle with pre-loaded calibration data is simply swapped in, eliminating the need for time-consuming software reloading or calibration data updates in the field.
Solution Approach 2:
Calibration data is extracted from the flight software system and placed on the removable dongle. This allows the dongle to be independently replaced with the new sensor, and the new dongle automatically provides its calibration data without requiring any flight software updates or reloading operations.
4Reliability
If calibration coefficients are stored in the sensor itself, then each sensor has its own calibration data, but passive sensors cannot store digital information
Solution Approach 1:
The dongle serves as a universal calibration data carrier that can be associated with any sensor type, including passive sensors. This multi-functional approach allows the same dongle mechanism to provide calibration data for active sensors, passive sensors, and future sensor types, maintaining sensor-specific calibration while being compatible across different sensor categories.
Solution Approach 2:
The dongle acts as an intermediary that bridges the gap between passive sensors (which cannot store data) and the required calibration data. By placing calibration data on the dongle rather than in the sensor, the system enables passive sensors to have access to their specific calibration data through the dongle mediator without requiring any modification to the passive sensor itself.
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
Enables accurate sensor calibration without software reloads, simplifying installation and maintenance by ensuring correct calibration data is applied, even for passive sensors, reducing complexity and safety risks.
Implementation Method 1
the optical pathway can be an optical fiber
Data Source
AI summary
In accordance with at least one aspect of this disclosure, a dongle for a sensor system can include a pass-through signal carrier configured to allow signals from a sensor discretely associated with the dongle to pass through the dongle to a data concentrator via a first connection, and a non-volatile memory configured to connect to the data concentrator via a second connection. The nonvolatile memory can include calibration data for the sensor that is associated with the dongle.