Automated, Integrated UAV Health Monitoring System: Flight Test Case Study

Abstract

The Autonomous Health Monitoring System (“HealthMon”) developed for a Boeing developed UAV is an integrated software suite that automates evaluation and analysis of aircraft health in real-time, improving the safety and efficiency of flight operations. It provides an integrated solution combining in-flight data from the aircraft, inputs from the Ground Control Station (GCS), and interaction from the Engineering Analysis team. The cornerstone of the HealthMon system is the health monitoring software engine which runs on-board the aircraft to analyze telemetry and report noteworthy events. These health events are broadcasted in real-time for use by other applications of the HealthMon system, including a real-time event viewer that augments Flight Test Engineering and the UAV HUD warning system in the cockpit. After a flight, other sophisticated HealthMon software tools are used to analyze health events and summarize them for Engineering, greatly expediting the assessment of aircraft health for subsequent flights. This paper summarizes the results of test cases used to validate HealthMon during multiple aircraft ground and flight tests. Initial flight testing with the HealthMon system has proven that this integrated health monitoring solution significantly reduces the engineering resources required to operate and sustain flights.

Publication
American Helicopter Society 5th International Specialists’ Meeting on Unmanned Rotorcraft and Network Centric Operations, Scottsdale, AZ
Date