Fault detection system and method for vehicle system prognosis

A method comprising:

• detecting, with one or more sensors onboard a vehicle, a predetermined characteristic of the vehicle and generating, with the one or more sensors, a plurality of sensor signals corresponding to the predetermined characteristic;
• receiving, with a processor onboard the vehicle, the plurality of sensor signals from the one or more sensors,
• generating, with the processor onboard the vehicle, one or more fast Fourier transform vectors based on the plurality of sensor signals so that the one or more fast Fourier transform vectors are representative of the predetermined characteristic,
• generating, with the processor onboard the vehicle, an analysis model for the predetermined characteristic from a time history of the fast Fourier transform vectors, where the analysis model is trained by the processor with a training data set of fast Fourier transform vectors that are generated from the plurality of raw unlabeled sensor signals obtained only under normal health data operating conditions of the predetermined characteristic, and
• determining, with the processor onboard the vehicle using the analysis model, a degree to which the one or more fast Fourier transform vectors could have been generated by the analysis model;
• and
• communicating an operational status of the vehicle to an operator or crew member of the vehicle, with an indictor in communication with the processor, based on the degree to which the one or more fast Fourier transform vectors could have been generated by the analysis model.