Four-Channel Wireless Data Concentrator for Aircraft Sensor Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern aircraft systems with hundreds or thousands of sensors face impracticality in routing and maintaining physical wired connections, leading to the need for efficient wireless sensor management due to weight, complexity, and potential interference concerns, with limited RF resources available for wireless sensors.
Innovation Solution
A four-channel wireless data concentrator is designed to communicate with wireless sensors, concentrating and coordinating sensor data within the aircraft's data network, utilizing RF channel re-assignments and modulation techniques to manage multiple sensors efficiently and provide redundant connections for improved reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If wireless sensors are used to replace wired connections, then the complexity and weight of wiring is reduced, but RF resource limitations and channel interference occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the aircraft into multiple zones, each served by a dedicated wireless data concentrator with specific RF channels. This segmentation allows parallel data collection from multiple sensors without channel conflicts, resolving the contradiction between wireless deployment flexibility and RF resource limitations.
Solution Approach 2:
Wireless data concentrators serve as intermediary devices between wireless sensors and the aircraft's data network. Each concentrator aggregates data from multiple sensors using dedicated RF channels, reducing the need for every sensor to directly access limited RF resources while maintaining wireless connectivity benefits.
2Productivity
If multiple RF gateways are deployed to support hundreds of sensors, then sensor coverage is improved, but system complexity and interference increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the sensor network into multiple zones, each handled by a dedicated wireless data concentrator. This segmentation enables scalable deployment where each concentrator manages a specific subset of sensors with dedicated RF channels, avoiding the complexity of a single gateway managing all sensors while maintaining high data collection capacity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If wireless sensors operate at short range with low power, then interference with aircraft systems is minimized, but data transmission coverage and reliability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
Wireless data concentrators act as intermediary relay stations that receive low-power transmissions from short-range sensors and forward aggregated data to the aircraft's data network. This two-hop architecture maintains the low-power, low-interference operation of sensors while extending effective coverage and improving reliability through centralized data collection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple low-power sensor transmissions into a single concentrated data stream at each wireless data concentrator. By merging data from multiple sensors serving the same function or location, the system achieves reliable data collection without requiring individual sensors to transmit at high power over long distances.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments described herein provide for a four-channel Wireless Data Concentrator (WDC) for a data network of an aircraft. One embodiment of a WDC includes a Printed Circuit Board (PCB), and a controller. The controller is electrically coupled to a top surface of the PCB and is proximate to a centerline of the PCB. The WDC further includes four Radio Frequency (RF) transceivers electrically coupled to the top surface of the PCB that are disposed orthogonally to each other around the controller. Each RF transceiver communicates with at least one wireless sensor that measures an environment of the aircraft. The WDC further includes four inverted-F PCB trace antennas fabricated along the top surface of the PCB. Each inverted-F PCB trace antenna is electrically coupled to one of the RF transceivers and is disposed orthogonally to each other around the controller.