Wireless Air Data Probe Communication Architecture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current air data systems in aircraft rely on wired connections for communication, leading to sub-optimal configurations, increased deployment time and costs, weight, and limited flexibility and modularity, making maintenance and upgrades cumbersome and costly.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of wireless air data probes with a housing containing sensors and a wireless interface, enabling communication between probes and a health management system through a transmitter and receiver, allowing for configurable communication channels and reducing the need for physical wiring, thereby facilitating modular and scalable systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wired connections are used for air data probe communication, then communication reliability is improved, but device weight and deployment complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical wired connection system with a wireless communication system using transmitters and receivers. This substitution eliminates physical cables and connectors, reducing deployment complexity while maintaining communication reliability through protocol-level error handling and confirmation mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a wireless communication intermediary layer (transmitter-receiver protocol stack) that mediates between the air data probes and the health management system. This intermediary enables reliable communication without direct physical connections, resolving the contradiction between reliability and deployment complexity.
2Stability of the object's composition
If wired interfaces are deployed for air data probes, then communication stability is improved, but deployment time and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical wiring deployment with wireless communication setup, eliminating time-consuming cable routing, connection, and certification activities. Communication stability is maintained through protocol-level error handling, retransmission mechanisms, and confirmation protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary configuration of wireless communication parameters and protocols during system design, allowing rapid deployment without time-consuming field wiring activities. The communication stability is pre-established through designed error handling and confirmation mechanisms.
3Reliability
If physical wiring is used for air data probes, then connection reliability is improved, but system flexibility and modularity are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces fixed mechanical wiring with flexible wireless communication, allowing probes to be moved, added, or reconfigured without physical re-wiring. Connection reliability is maintained through protocol-level error handling, authentication, and confirmation mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the communication system dynamic and reconfigurable through wireless protocols, allowing the system to adapt to different probe configurations and positions. This dynamic approach maintains reliability through real-time error detection and correction while providing flexibility for system reconfiguration.
4Adaptability or versatility
If wireless communication is implemented for air data probes, then deployment flexibility and modularity are improved, but communication testing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-testing capabilities where air data probes automatically test their own transmitters and receivers using confirmation protocols. Other probes act as test recipients and provide automatic feedback, eliminating the need for external testing equipment and reducing overall system testing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where probes transmit test messages and receive confirmations to verify communication functionality. This automated feedback loop simplifies testing by providing immediate pass/fail results without complex external test setups, maintaining deployment flexibility while managing testing complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods for operating sensors in an aircraft are provided. Aspects include receiving, by a processor associated with a sensor, a first request to test a transmitter function of the sensor, transmitting a test message to one or more other sensors associated with the aircraft, and listening to a transmitter associated with each of the one or more other sensors to determine a transmitter status of the sensor, wherein the transmitter status of the sensor is a pass status based on receiving a confirmation from at least one of the one or more other sensors. Aspects also include transmitting air data parameters and health status parameters associated with the air data probe (42) to the one or more other air data probes.