Mobile monitoring device and method of collecting sensor measured data

A system comprising:

• an aircraft comprising:
• at least one data line;
• and
• at least one sensor;
• wherein each of the at least one sensor is coupled to one of the at least one data line, and
• wherein each of the at least one sensor is configured to measure a respective physical characteristic related to the aircraft, generate a sensor signal representative of the physical characteristic and output the sensor signal to the data line to which it is coupled so that the data line carries the respective sensor signal;
• at least one mobile monitoring device comprising:
• a data signal interface configured to:
• be coupled to a data line arranged in an aircraft and carrying one or more sensor signals, such that, in operation, the data signal interface branches off and receives as input signal part of the energy of the one or more sensor signals carried on the data line such that the input signal is characteristic of the one or more sensor signals;
• and
• provide an output signal characteristic of the input signal;
• and
• a wireless communication interface connected to the data signal interface for receiving the output signal and configured to wirelessly transmit the output signal to a remote location, wherein the at least one mobile monitoring device is configured to wirelessly transmit the output signal to the remote location only if one or more parameters of the input signal or the output signal or derived from or included in the input signal or the output signal exceed one or more predefined limit values, and
• wherein the data signal interface is further configured to be capacitively or inductively coupled to a data line, and
• wherein the data signal interface is configured to filter bus messages transmitted on the data line in accordance with defined filter criteria and generate the output signal such that it is only characteristic of bus messages passing the filtering, and
• wherein the data signal interface is configured to adjust the bus message filter criteria based on one or more of:
• a history of the bus messages, the power consumed, and a target power consumption;
• and
• a sensor data collection device located separate from and external to the aircraft or located within the aircraft and configured to wirelessly receive the output signal of each of the at least one mobile monitoring device,
• wherein each of the at least one mobile monitoring device is coupled to one of the at least one data line such that the data signal interface branches off and receives as input signal part of the energy of the one or more sensor signals carried on the respective data line.

A method of collecting sensor measurement data from a plurality of sensors of an aircraft, comprising at least one data line and at least one sensor, wherein each of the at least one sensor is coupled to one of the at least one data line, and wherein each of the at least one sensor is configured to measure a respective physical characteristic related to the aircraft, generate a sensor signal representative of the physical characteristic and output the sensor signal to the data line to which it is coupled so that the data line carries the respective sensor signal, the method comprising:

• coupling each of at least one mobile monitoring device to one of the data lines such that the data signal interface branches off and receives as input signal part of the energy of the one or more sensor signals carried on the respective data line, the at least one mobile monitoring device comprising:
• a data signal interface configured to:
• be coupled to a data line arranged in an aircraft and carrying one or more sensor signals, such that, in operation, the data signal interface branches off and receives as input signal part of the energy of the one or more sensor signals carried on the data line such that the input signal is characteristic of the one or more sensor signals;
• and
• provide an output signal characteristic of the input signal;
• and
• a wireless communication interface connected to the data signal interface for receiving the output signal and configured to wirelessly transmit the output signal to a remote location, wherein at least one mobile monitoring device is configured to wirelessly transmit the output signal to the remote location only if one or more parameters of the input signal or the output signal or derived from or included in the input signal or the output signal exceed one or more predefined limit values, and
• wherein the data signal interface is further configured to be capacitively or inductively coupled to a data line, and
• wherein the data signal interface is configured to filter bus messages transmitted on the data line in accordance with defined filter criteria and generate the output signal such that it is only characteristic of bus messages passing the filtering, and
• wherein the data signal interface is configured to adjust the bus message filter criteria based on one or more of:
• a history of the bus messages, the power consumed, and a target power consumption;
• and
• receiving the output signal of each of the at least one mobile monitoring device at a sensor data collection device arranged separate from and external to the aircraft or arranged within the aircraft.