Advances in Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring Systems

One of the fastest growing fields of study in defense market currently is Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring (IVHM). These systems perform collection and analysis of data concerning operating parameters and damage information of vehicles in real-time and periodically send them to the base station for appropriate action. Recent advances in materials and sensor networks and technologies promise development of such systems for land, water, and aerial vehicles. These IVHM systems are of immense use in defense services which require their vehicles and systems to operate normally even under hostile and harsh environments. This work will discuss various issues related to IVHMs and prominent sensor technologies available to build such systems. It will also include the structure of a general purpose IVHM of a vehicle which can be used to monitor its inner operating parameters and damage information of its components.