Wiring System In-Situ Health Monitoring Diagnostics

The objective of this proposal is to create and deploy a complete in situ wire fault location system for aging aircraft utilizing low power spread spectrum sensing methods. These methods have been demonstrated for accurate fault location on wires carrying power or digital data signals. This method is highly accurate despite noise caused by the external environment, switching of motors, lights, etc. and related noise associated with realistic loads. The ability to test during flight can help eliminate "can not duplicate" (CND) and "re-test OK" (RTOK) failures, providing on-board systems and maintenance personnel with the necessary information to quickly pinpoint and repair intermittent electrical faults.