Measurement device with dual data acquisition circuits

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12043407-B2
Application number	US-202217705526-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2022
Priority date	Mar 30, 2021
Publication date	Jul 23, 2024
Grant date	Jul 23, 2024

Abstract

A measurement device includes a substrate having accommodations with an emerging opening in which sensors are provided, the substrate including a cavity with a flexible printed circuit. The device is installed on a surface to characterize a fluid flow at this surface. The circuit uses hierarchized buses comprising two data communication buses emerging at the two longitudinal ends of the substrate and an internal data acquisition bus, the bus linking control circuits, each control circuit being connected to one of the communication buses, the sensors being connected to the bus in a distributed fashion on either side of each control circuit. The data from the sensors can be transmitted to the two surrounding circuits and may be acquired if one of them is faulty.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A measurement device for being fixed onto a surface of a mobile object or of a fixed object situated in a flow stream comprising a substrate having accommodations with an opening in which sensors are located, the substrate comprising a cavity comprising a flexible printed circuit, wherein the circuit comprises hierarchized buses comprising two data communication buses at two longitudinal ends of the substrate and an internal data acquisition bus, the data acquisition bus linking control circuits, each control circuit being linked to one of the communication buses, the sensors being connected to the data acquisition bus in a distributed fashion on either side of each control circuit, all of the sensors between two control circuits configured to transmit their data to the two control circuits surrounding them.

2. The measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein each control circuit comprises a housing of longilineal shape whose longitudinal direction is orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the printed circuit.

3. The measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensors are disposed on a line parallel to the longitudinal direction of the circuit and parallel to the buses.

4. A measurement system comprising at least one measurement device according to claim 1 , a central unit connected to the measurement device, and at least one end device comprising a line termination impedance.

5. The measurement system according to claim 4 , comprising a loopback device comprising a loopback bus comprising ends, one of the ends connected to the data communication bus and another end connected to the data communication bus.

6. The measurement system according to claim 5 , comprising an extension device comprising a flexible printed circuit comprising a single control circuit at one connection end of the circuit connected to the loopback bus and sensors connected to at least one acquisition bus of the extension device itself or themselves connected to the control circuit.

7. The measurement system according to claim 6 , wherein the extension device comprises two acquisition buses, the sensors being connected to one or another of the buses.

8. The measurement system according to claim 6 , wherein the loopback bus of the end device and extension device is connected to the data communication buses of the measurement device by an anisotropic conducting film.

9. A fixed or mobile object having a surface located in a flow stream equipped with the measurement system according to claim 4 .

10. The object according to claim 9 , wherein the object is an aircraft.

11. The object according to claim 10 , wherein the loopback ends of the measurement devices are installed upstream of a flow of the air around the aircraft.

12. A measurement method comprising:
providing a measurement system comprising:
a measurement device for being fixed onto a surface of a mobile object or of a fixed object situated in a flow stream comprising a substrate having accommodations with an opening in which sensors are located, the substrate comprising a cavity comprising a flexible printed circuit, wherein the circuit comprises hierarchized buses comprising two data communication buses at two longitudinal ends of the substrate and an internal data acquisition bus, the data acquisition bus linking control circuits, each control circuit being linked to one of the communication buses, the sensors being connected to the data acquisition bus in a distributed fashion on either side of each control circuit, all of the sensors between two control circuits configured to transmit their data to the two control circuits surrounding them;
a central unit connected to the measurement device; and
at least one end device comprising a line termination impedance;

wherein all of the sensors connected to the acquisition bus between two control circuits, respectively referred to as primary and secondary circuits, transmit their data to the two circuits via the acquisition bus, one of the circuits, the primary circuit, transmitting the data from the sensors to the unit via the communication buses.

13. The measurement method according to claim 12 , wherein when the unit no longer receives any data from a primary circuit, it hands over to a corresponding circuit referred to as secondary circuit for the sensors in question.

14. The measurement method according to claim 12 , wherein the circuit referred to as secondary circuit monitors activity of the bus connecting it to the associated primary circuit and in an absence of activity informs the unit which then requests the secondary circuit to transmit the data to it from the sensors in question.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Sas

Inventors

• Dupe Nicolas
• Jean Nicolas
• Dajean Cyrille

Classifications

• H04L2012/4028

  the transportation system being an aircraft · CPC title

• H04L12/40

  Bus networks · CPC title

• G01P5/16

  using Pitot tubes {, e.g. Machmeter} · CPC title

• G01M9/065

  dealing with flow · CPC title

• G01M9/062

  Wind tunnel balances; Holding devices combined with measuring arrangements · CPC title