Abstract: A method is provided for maintaining an onboard reasoner for diagnosing failures on an aircraft that includes aircraft systems configured to report faults to the onboard reasoner. The method includes accessing diagnostic data received from an onboard computer of the aircraft that includes the onboard reasoner. An off-board reasoner builds an off-board diagnostic causal model that describes causal relationships between the failed tests and the diagnosed failure modes. The off-board diagnostic causal model is compared to the diagnostic data. Based thereon, a discrepancy is identified between the graph of the off-board diagnostic causal model, and the other graph of the onboard diagnostic causal model, to determine a new causal relationship relative to the known causal relationships. The onboard diagnostic causal model is updated to further describe the new causal relationship, including producing an updated model, and uploading the updated model to the onboard computer.

Abstract: A method is provided for diagnosing a failure on an aircraft that includes aircraft systems configured to report faults to an onboard reasoner. The method includes receiving a fault report at an onboard computer of the aircraft from an aircraft system of the aircraft systems, the fault report indicating failed tests reported by the aircraft system. The onboard reasoner accesses an onboard diagnostic causal model represented by a graph describing known causal relationships between possible failed tests reported by the respective ones of the aircraft systems, and possible failure modes of the respective ones of the aircraft systems. The onboard reasoner diagnoses a failure mode of the aircraft system or another of the aircraft systems, from the failed tests, and using a graph-theoretic algorithm and the onboard diagnostic causal model. A maintenance action is determined for the failure mode, and a maintenance message is generated including the maintenance action.

Abstract: A method is provided for maintaining an onboard reasoner for diagnosing failures on an aircraft that includes aircraft systems configured to report faults to the onboard reasoner. The method includes accessing diagnostic data received from an onboard computer of the aircraft that includes the onboard reasoner. An off-board reasoner builds an off-board diagnostic causal model that describes causal relationships between the failed tests and the diagnosed failure modes. The off-board diagnostic causal model is compared to the diagnostic data. Based thereon, a discrepancy is identified between the graph of the off-board diagnostic causal model, and the other graph of the onboard diagnostic causal model, to determine a new causal relationship relative to the known causal relationships. The onboard diagnostic causal model is updated to further describe the new causal relationship, including producing an updated model, and uploading the updated model to the onboard computer.

Abstract: A method is provided for diagnosing a failure on an aircraft that includes aircraft systems configured to report faults to an onboard reasoner. The method includes receiving a fault report at an onboard computer of the aircraft from an aircraft system of the aircraft systems, the fault report indicating failed tests reported by the aircraft system. The onboard reasoner accesses an onboard diagnostic causal model represented by a graph describing known causal relationships between possible failed tests reported by the respective ones of the aircraft systems, and possible failure modes of the respective ones of the aircraft systems. The onboard reasoner diagnoses a failure mode of the aircraft system or another of the aircraft systems, from the failed tests, and using a graph-theoretic algorithm and the onboard diagnostic causal model. A maintenance action is determined for the failure mode, and a maintenance message is generated including the maintenance action.

Abstract: Hybrid feature selection methods include methods of creating a predictive model for valve performance in a fleet of aircraft. Methods include qualifying a qualification dataset of valve-related parameters calculated from data collected during a first series of flights at least before and after a non-performance event of a valve. Methods include receiving a qualified selection of the valve-related parameters and verifying a verification dataset of the qualified selection of the valve-related parameters calculated from data collected during a second series of flights. Methods include receiving a set of verified and qualified valve-related parameters and building a predictive model for valve non-performance with a training dataset of the verified and qualified valve-related parameters calculated from data collected during additional flights of the fleet.

Abstract: Hybrid feature selection methods include methods of creating a predictive model for valve performance in a fleet of aircraft. Methods include qualifying a qualification dataset of valve-related parameters calculated from data collected during a first series of flights at least before and after a non-performance event of a valve. Methods include receiving a qualified selection of the valve-related parameters and verifying a verification dataset of the qualified selection of the valve-related parameters calculated from data collected during a second series of flights. Methods include receiving a set of verified and qualified valve-related parameters and building a predictive model for valve non-performance with a training dataset of the verified and qualified valve-related parameters calculated from data collected during additional flights of the fleet.

Abstract: Predictive aircraft maintenance systems and methods are disclosed. Predictive maintenance methods may include extracting feature data from flight data collected during a flight of the aircraft, applying an ensemble of related classifiers to produce a classifier indicator for each classifier of the ensemble of classifiers, aggregating the classifier indicators to produce an aggregate indicator indicating an aggregate category of a selected component for a threshold number of future flights, and determining the performance status of the selected component based on the aggregate indicator. The classifiers are each configured to indicate a category of the selected component within a given number of flights. The given number of flights for each classifier is different. The threshold number of future flights is greater than or equal to the maximum of the given numbers of the classifiers.

Abstract: Predictive aircraft maintenance systems and methods are disclosed. Predictive maintenance methods may include extracting feature data from flight data collected during a flight of the aircraft, applying an ensemble of related classifiers to produce a classifier indicator for each classifier of the ensemble of classifiers, aggregating the classifier indicators to produce an aggregate indicator indicating an aggregate category of a selected component for a threshold number of future flights, and determining the performance status of the selected component based on the aggregate indicator. The classifiers are each configured to indicate a category of the selected component within a given number of flights. The given number of flights for each classifier is different. The threshold number of future flights is greater than or equal to the maximum of the given numbers of the classifiers.

Abstract: A computer system having stored in memory a set of executable software tools that include both producer tools and consumer tools, wherein one or more of the tools may be both a producer tool and a consumer tool, a model repository, and a set of software engines that include hybrid models each bridging semantics of a corresponding producer tool or a corresponding consumer tool that is importing or exporting to or from a neutral model representation of the information, wherein instantiations of the neutral models reside in the model repository.

Abstract: A real time health management analytical system and method that enables a plurality of plug-in tools and extension tools to be interfaced with a central database, and for enabling information to be published to the database from each of the client tools, as well as data to be read from the database by each of the client tools. The system makes use of an engineering model views module that provides a syntactic and semantic interface between the client tools and the central database so that health management data communicated to the client tools is presented in accordance with a specific view required by each specific client tool. An integrated support information model (ISIM) module is interposed between the data base and the engineering model views module, and forms a specification (e.g., an ontology) for all health domain information available for use by the client tools.

Abstract: The method and system quantify the impact of various design and operational solutions for equipment modules of a structure and the overall structure based upon economic factors. In particular, the method and system provide cost evaluation of various maintenance approaches for at least one equipment module that is part of an overall structure. In addition, a baseline and alternate equipment module may be specified for each equipment module. The costs associated with each of the maintenance approaches for each baseline and alternate equipment module then may be compared and the costs associated with the overall structure having a chosen maintenance approach for each baseline and alternate equipment module may be evaluated. The sensitivity of the costs associated with the overall structure to changes in one or more of the parameter values also may be calculated.

Abstract: A computer system having stored in memory a set of executable software tools that include both producer tools and consumer tools, wherein one or more of the tools may be both a producer tool and a consumer tool, a model repository, and a set of software engines that include hybrid models each bridging semantics of a corresponding producer tool or a corresponding consumer tool that is importing or exporting to or from a neutral model representation of the information, wherein instantiations of the neutral models reside in the model repository.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, a method includes constructing a neutral ontology model of a query front end characterized by ontology schemata which subsume the plurality of different databases on the network in order to provide a common semantic interface for use in generating queries for data from any of the different databases, importing respective database metadata representing logical and physical structures of each database subscribed for receiving queries for data from the database using the query front end, constructing mappings of the database metadata representing the logical and physical structures of each subscribed database to the ontology schemata of the query front end, and storing the constructed mappings for use by the query front end for queries through the common semantic interface of the neutral ontology model for data from any of the different databases.

Abstract: A real time health management analytical system and method that enables a plurality of plug-in tools and extension tools to be interfaced with a central database, and for enabling information to be published to the database from each of the client tools, as well as data to be read from the database by each of the client tools. The system makes use of an engineering model views module that provides a syntactic and semantic interface between the client tools and the central database so that health management data communicated to the client tools is presented in accordance with a specific view required by each specific client tool. An integrated support information model (ISIM) module is interposed between the data base and the engineering model views module, and forms a specification (e.g., an ontology) for all health domain information available for use by the client tools.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, a method includes constructing a neutral ontology model of a query front end characterized by ontology schemata which subsume the plurality of different databases on the network in order to provide a common semantic interface for use in generating queries for data from any of the different databases, importing respective database metadata representing logical and physical structures of each database subscribed for receiving queries for data from the database using the query front end, constructing mappings of the database metadata representing the logical and physical structures of each subscribed database to the ontology schemata of the query front end, and storing the constructed mappings for use by the query front end for queries through the common semantic interface of the neutral ontology model for data from any of the different databases.