The Boeing Company
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CONTINUOUSLY DETERMINING REMAINING USEFUL LIVES OF VEHICLE COMPONENTS

Abstract:

Disclosed are methods and systems for continuously determining remaining useful lives (RULs) of vehicle components during operation of these vehicles. A method involves obtaining reference sensor data as well as operational sensor data (both of which are multidimensional) and constructing distributions of these respective data sets. The operational sensor data is obtained from a plurality of sensors, operationally coupled to a vehicle component and continuously obtaining real-time characteristics of this component. The reference sensor data is obtained, in some examples, from a database for equivalent components, long before the end of life or required replacements. Sliced-Wasserstein distances are computed between these distributions and early notification signals (ENS) are determined on these distances. Finally, a RUL of the vehicle component is determined based on the ENS using a RUL model. In some examples, the RUL model is selected from multiple RUL models, which are dynamically developed during operation of the vehicle.