Abstract: Wiring in new and older aircraft use bundled insulated conductors that are subject to deterioration overtime that can result in on-board fires, loss of in-flight control and eventual crashes of the aircraft. The present invention provides a diagnostic method which permits the on-line and non-destructive diagnosis of the insulation degradation in a portion of the wiring comprising: a) measuring the current flow at locations of the aircraft wiring utilizing an optical current sensor with a bandwidth of dc to 50 kHz; b) determining the current flow within a high frequency bandwidth; and c) analyzing the results of the current flow differential determination and initiate the following: i) detect and locate the point of cable failure; ii) initiate an alarm annunciation; and iii) initiate an on-board sectionalized fire suppression system.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of on-line diagnosis of insulation degradation in a portion of underground cable including measuring the current flow at first and second locations of the cable utilizing an optical current sensor at one of a number of current frequencies, determining the current flow differential at that frequency, and analyzing the results of the current flow differential determination according to a corrosion test, a partial discharge analysis, a harmonic current analysis or a tangent delta diagnostic.

Abstract: Wiring in new and older aircraft use bundled insulated conductors that are subject to deterioration over time that can result in on-board fires, loss of in-flight control and eventual crashes of the aircraft. The present invention provides a diagnostic method which permits the on-line and non-destructive diagnosis of the insulation degradation in a portion of the wiring comprising: a) measuring the current flow at locations of the aircraft wiring utilizing an optical current sensor with a bandwidth of dc to 50 kHz; b) determining the current flow within a high frequency bandwidth; and c) analysing the results of the current flow differential determination and initiate the following: i) detect and locate the point of cable failure; ii) initiate an alarm annunciation; and iii) initiate an on-board sectionalized fire suppression system.