Operational scenario specific adaptive sensor voter
A voter configured for in-flight tuning based on flight phase and operational scenario receives sensor signals and applies adaptive tolerances. The voter allows integration of high-integrity sensors with less accurate, low-integrity sensors, or even sensors that are susceptible to noise, dropouts, interference or sabotage without compromising the voted signal integrity or availability. The voter composites low-integrity sensor signals to produce a quasi-high-integrity sensor signal suitable for inclusion in a golden signal and provides sensor fusion.
1. A computer apparatus comprising:
at least one processor in data communication with a memory storing processor executable code for configuring the at least one processor to:
receive a plurality of sensor signals;
perform failure scenario analysis in real-time to determine a combination of failures that would affect signal integrity and availability for specific operational scenario;
apply a set of operational scenario specific tolerances to the plurality of sensor signals, each of the sensor tolerances corresponding to at least one of a monitor threshold, a fault detection time, signal correction amount, signal correction rate, a signal equalization amount, a signal equalization rate, a signal centering amount, and a signal centering rate;
apply a voting algorithm to the plurality of sensor signals; and
identify one or more of the plurality of sensor signals outside the set of operational scenario tolerances.
2. The computer apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the set of operational scenario specific tolerances comprises a first set of tolerances associated with a first operational phase; and
the processor executable code further configures the at least one processor to:
apply a second set of operational scenario specific tolerances associated with a second operational phase to the plurality of sensor signals;
apply a voting algorithm to the plurality of sensor signals; and
identify one or more of the plurality of sensor signals outside the second set of operational scenario tolerances.
3. The computer apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the processor executable code further configures the at least one processor to:
assign a first set of sensor signals to a first voting block associated with a first integrity value; and
assign a second set of sensor signals to a second voting block associated with a second integrity value; and
applying the voting algorithm to the plurality of sensor signals comprises applying the voting algorithm independently to each of the first voting block and the second voting block.
4. The computer apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the processor executable code further configures the at least one processor to:
blend two or more sensor signals from the first voting block into a golden signal; and
blend two or more sensor signals from the second voting block into a composite signal.
5. The computer apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the processor executable code further configures the at least one processor to blend the composite signal with the golden signal.
6. The computer apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor executable code further configures the at least one processor to assign a one or more sensor signals identified as faulty by the voting algorithm to an isolation voting block.
7. The computer apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the processor executable code further configures the at least one processor to:
identify at least one sensor signal from the isolation voting block that consistently produces data within a current set of tolerances; and
apply the voting algorithm to the at least one sensor signal.
8. A method comprising:
receiving a plurality of sensor signals;
performing failure scenario analysis in real-time to determine a combination of failures that would affect signal integrity and availability for specific flight phases;
applying a first set of flight-phase specific tolerances, derived during the failure scenario analysis, to the plurality of sensor signals;
applying a voting algorithm to the plurality of sensor signals after applying the first set of flight-phase specific tolerances;
applying a second set of flight-phase specific tolerances to the plurality of sensor signals; and
applying the voting algorithm to the plurality of sensor signals after applying the second set of flight-phase specific tolerances,
wherein:
the first set of flight-phase specific tolerances is associated with a first flight phase; and
the second set of flight-phase specific tolerances is associated with a second flight phase.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
assigning a first set of sensor signals to a first voting block associated with a first integrity value; and
assigning a second set of sensor signals to a second voting block associated with a second integrity value,
wherein:
applying the voting algorithm to the plurality of sensor signals comprises applying the voting algorithm independently to each of the first voting block and the second voting block.
10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
blending two or more sensor signals from the first voting block into a golden signal; and
blending two or more sensor signals from the second voting block into a composite signal.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising blending the composite signal with the golden signal.
12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising assigning a one or more sensor signals identified as faulty by the voting algorithm to an isolation voting block.
13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
identifying at least one sensor signal from the isolation voting block that consistently produces data within a current set of tolerances; and
applying the voting algorithm to the at least one sensor signal.
14. An aircraft comprising:
a plurality of sensors;
at least one processor in data communication with the plurality of sensors and a memory storing processor executable code for configuring the at least one processor to:
receive a plurality of sensor signals from the plurality of sensors;
perform real-time failure scenario analysis to determine a combination of failures that would affect signal integrity and availability for specific flight phases;
apply a set of flight-phase specific tolerances to the plurality of sensor signals, each of the sensor tolerances corresponding to at least one of a monitor threshold, a fault detection time, signal correction amount, signal correction rate, a signal equalization amount, a signal equalization amount, a signal equalization rate, a signal centering amount, and a signal centering rate;
apply a voting algorithm to the plurality of sensor signals; and
identify one or more of the plurality of sensor signals outside the set of flight-phase tolerances.
15. The aircraft of claim 14 , wherein:
the set of flight-phase specific tolerances comprises a first set of flight specific tolerances associated with a first flight phase; and
the processor executable code further configures the at least one processor to:
apply a second set of flight-phase specific tolerances associated with a second flight phase to the plurality of sensor signals;
apply a voting algorithm to the plurality of sensor signals; and
identify one or more of the plurality of sensor signals outside the second set of flight-phase tolerances.
16. The aircraft of claim 14 , wherein:
the processor executable code further configures the at least one processor to:
assign a first set of sensor signals to a first voting block associated with a first integrity value; and
assign a second set of sensor signals to a second voting block associated with a second integrity value; and
applying the voting algorithm to the plurality of sensor signals comprises applying the voting algorithm independently to each of the first voting block and the second voting block.
17. The aircraft of claim 16 , wherein
the processor executable code further configures the at least one processor to:
blend two or more sensor signals from the first voting block into a golden signal; and
blend two or more sensor signals from the second voting block into a composite signal.
18. The aircraft of claim 17 , wherein the processor executable code further configures the at least one processor to blend the composite signal with the golden signal.
19. The aircraft of claim 14 , wherein the processor executable code further configures the at least one processor to assign one or more of the plurality of sensor signals identified as faulty by the voting algorithm to an isolation voting block.
20. The aircraft of claim 19 , wherein the processor executable code further configures the at least one processor to:
identify at least one sensor signal from the isolation voting block that
consistently produces data within a current set of tolerances; and
apply the voting algorithm to the at least one sensor.