Sensor integritY Management and Prognostics Technology with On-Line Fault Mitigation (SYMPTOM) for Improved Flight Safety of Commercial Aircraft

SSCI proposes to develop and test the Sensor integritY Management and Prognostics Technology with On-line fault Mitigation (SYMPTOM) system. The SYMPTOM assures system integrity by fusing available information from a variety of similar and dissimilar sensors and other sources with advanced signal processing and dynamic equations of motion to arrive at high-confidence estimates of the current sensor health, rapidly and accurately detect and isolate the fault, and mitigate its effect before the information from the sensor has been sent to the flight controller and the cockpit display. The SYMPTOM system uses all available information relevant for flight-critical sensor Fault Detection, Identification and Accommodation (FDIA), fuses it to build virtual and software sensors, and applies advanced statistical tests, nonlinear estimation and prediction, and parameter estimation schemes to accurately detect, isolate and accommodate the faults in both individual sensors and sensor suites. The SYMPTOM leverages our previous work on single-thread sensor FDIA. In Phase II of the project, Boeing Phantom Works (Dr. Kevin Wise) will provide technical and commercialization support.

The proposed SYMPTOM system is consistent with the main objectives of the IVHM component of the NASA Aviation Safety Program. In particular, the SYMPTOM system addresses the problem of detection, identification and mitigation of faults and failures in sensors and sensor suites in aerospace vehicles by fusing system-wide information from diverse and dissimilar sources. Hence the proposed SYMPTOM system can be used in NASA Programs such as the Aviation Safety and Space Exploration Programs where there is a need for a comprehensive FDIA system to improve system safety and integrity in the face of a variety of faults and failures of flight-critical sensors.

The SYMPTOM technology will find applications in minimization of adverse effects of critical sensor failures in manned military aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The SYMPTOM technology is also applicable to ground vehicles, process and power industry, and other fields where there is information available from diverse sources and sensors, and there is a need for minimization of unfavorable effects of sensor faults and failures.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 3) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.