Integrated Instrumentation and Sensor Systems Functional Model and Taxonomy

Abstract

This article presents a systems engineering functional architecture tailored to guide the development of integrated instrumentation/sensor systems (IISSs; incorporating communications media and interconnections and signal acquisition) for application to aerospace equipment in the following activities: test and evaluation, system diagnostics and health management (DHM), and advanced system control. The functional architecture suggested a taxonomy for IISSs based on defined variants of the functional architecture and morphological variations on the functional elements. The functional architecture and derived taxonomy focus attention on the sensor system interfaces and the transformations of the sensed parameters as the key to the definition and categorization of new configurations and implementation of integrated IISSs that promise to support the following: improved aerospace system verification and validation, more effective and responsive equipment health management, and a greater scope for precise control of system behavior and performance.