The realism of FAA reliability-safety requirements and alternatives

As avionic systems become more complex, realistic qualification requirements for the flight-critical systems becomes more important, but more difficult to define. Requirements developed to establish acceptable levels of performance must be verifiable if they are to have any meaning. This article shows that both the current FAA requirements of flight-critical systems and the FAA recommended methods for probabilistic assessment are flawed, and result in “required” safety assessments which are misleading. Alternatives are then explored     

Using built-in-test to reduce TPS run times and improve TPSreliability

This paper addresses using information derived from Built-in-Test (BIT) to fault diagnose Units Under Test (UUTs), wherever possible. This philosophic approach to diagnostic testing is not new. It has been studied over the past 20 years under the visor of “Integrated Diagnostics”, but it has yet to be truly implemented in a “real life” military diagnostic test environment. The mindset of Test Program Set design engineering, along with customer and contractor management alike, remains “complete diagnostic testing based upon single catastrophic component failure modes”. If we are to generate cost efficient Test Program Sets (TPSs) under reduced military budget constraints, this will have to change! The test engineer must be encouraged to use methodologies to speed up development time and decrease TPS run times. Using present technology, this is possible now, and as the technology matures, will become a truly viable approach in the future. For the purpose of this paper, the author relies heavily on his extensive US Navy Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) and Test Program Set (TPS) experience, as well as on previous studies performed on using BIT to fault diagnose Unit Under Test failures on US Naval Air weapon systems     

In-flight entertainment-getting from wishlist to reality

Much of what we see in the consumer electronics stores will eventually find its way into airplanes in the form of In-Flight Entertainment (IFE). This consumer electronic equipment is often referred to as “the leading edge of technology”. Unfortunately, that same equipment that is the “leading edge” of consumer electronics, often stalls to feel like the “bleeding edge” when you try to integrate it into IFE systems for today's modern aircraft. Unlike Avionics Systems, the technologies behind IFE equipment are not usually mature before they are integrated into the aircraft. What may work well in a home environment, may not work well at all in the aircraft environment. Often this problem results in last minute redesign in an effort to make the equipment function as intended on the aircraft. Both the FAA and the aircraft manufacturer impose many requirements on the suppliers and products of IFE. Systems need to be designed for the aircraft environment. Many variations on IFE Systems have forced the creation of new standards for integration into commercial aircraft. Power, cooling, and EMC issues are becoming more of a concern as we move to fill aircraft implementations. Beyond the technical evaluations and lab/aircraft testing, one key component is customer satisfaction. This paper will cover some of the methods and tools we use to get IFE from wishlist to reality     

Ultra-reliable real-time control systems-future trends

Today's aircraft use ultra-reliable real-time controls for demanding functions such as Fly-By-Wire (FBW) flight control. Future aircraft, spacecraft and other vehicles will require greater use of these types of controls for functions that currently are allowed to fail, fail to degraded operation, or require human intervention in response to failure. Fully automated and autonomous functions will require ultra-reliable control. But ultra-reliable systems are very expensive to design and require large amounts of on-board equipment. This paper will discuss how the use of low-cost sensors with digital outputs, digitally commanded fault-tolerant actuation devices and interconnecting networks of low-cost data buses offer the promise of more affordable ultra-reliable systems. Specific technologies and concepts to be discussed include low-cost automotive and industrial data buses, “smart” actuation devices with integral fault masking capabilities, management of redundant sensors, and the fault detection and diagnosis of the data network. The advantages of integrating the control and distribution of electrical power with the control system will be illustrated. The design, installation, and upgrade flexibility benefits provided by an all-digital and shared network approach will be presented. The economic benefits of systems that can operate following failure and without immediate repair will be reviewed. The inherent ability of these redundant systems to provide effective built-in test and self-diagnostics capabilities will be described. The challenges associated with developing ultra-reliable software for these systems and the difficulties associated with exhaustive verification testing will be presented as will additional development hurdles that must be overcome     

New approaches to weapon system testing or “back to thefuture”

This paper proposes abandoning the use of multipurpose ATE for “horizontal” support of weapon systems in favor of returning to “vertical” support. An R&D effort is proposed to develop a software “hot mock-up” system for field testing weapon system assemblies     

飞行器RCS近场测试技术研究进展与工程应用

雷达散射截面(RCS)测试是隐身技术和目标特性研究的基础。无论是研究物体的电磁散射特性还是研制具有突防能力的隐身武器系统,RCS测试都具有非常重要的意义。通过RCS测试可以验证电磁散射计算的理论和方法,更重要的是,对部分飞行器目标进行电磁散射理论计算非常困难,而通过测试可以直观地获得目标的电磁散射特性数据,从而避开复杂的电磁仿真计算。与外场、紧缩场RCS测试方法相比,近年来得到广泛应用与发展的RCS近场测试方法在飞行器目标的散射特性测试方面具有效率高、成本低的优势。介绍了飞行器RCS测试评估方法,综述了国内外RCS近场测试技术研究的最新进展与工程应用实例,分析展望了飞行器RCS近场测试技术面临的机遇与挑战。     

Detection and diagnosis of sensor and actuator failures using IMMestimator

An approach to detection and diagnosis of multiple failures in a dynamic system is proposed. It is based on the interacting multiple-model (IMM) estimation algorithm, which is one of the most cost-effective adaptive estimation techniques for systems involving structural as well as parametric changes. The proposed approach provides an integrated framework for fault detection, diagnosis, and state estimation. It is able to detect and isolate multiple faults substantially more quickly and more reliably than many existing approaches. Its superiority is illustrated in two aircraft examples for single and double faults of both sensors and actuators, in the forms of “total”, “partial”, and simultaneous failures. Both deterministic and random fault scenarios are designed and used for testing and comparing the performance fairly. Some new performance indices are presented. The robustness of the proposed approach to the design of model transition probabilities, fault modeling errors, and the uncertainties of noise statistics are also evaluated     

大型结构物称重系统测试方法实例应用

大型结构物称重系统是应用在油田码头领域的重要设备,国内还没有成熟的量值溯源方法和测试方法,本文主要介绍了对大型结构物称重系统进行测试的方法,以解决此类设备测试难的问题。结果证明,此称重系统和测试方法有效保证量值准确并具有较高准确度,值得推广。     

Computerizing the circuit board industry while reducing costs

The author examines a systems approach to automation that the printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer can use in order to adapt today's technology for his or her individual needs. He begins with an overview of production functions. He then describes the subsystems approach, the steps leading to computerization, implementation, the bare board test system, and preprocessing     

微纳米压痕测试技术:发展与应用

近年来,具有高精度、高通量的微纳米压痕测试技术,已被广泛应用于研究微/纳米尺度下材料力学性能演化规律和变形行为中。然而,在航空航天材料试验测试领域,令研究人员更感兴趣的往往是如何更好地揭示材料工程性能,更好地理解材料在服役环境下变形损伤机制。因此,接近材料真实服役环境（如高/低温、电/磁场）下的微纳米压痕测试系统更具应用潜力。首先对传统的微纳米压痕测试技术进行回顾总结,涉及测试系统的组成、经典分析理论方法及其面临的尺度/尺寸效应。然后,简要描述典型磁电弹性材料在力-电-热-磁多场耦合环境下接触力学行为的解析模型,并着重阐述面向材料实际服役环境下的压痕测试技术的典型应用,包括高/低温纳米压痕测试和电/磁场耦合条件下的纳米压痕测试应用。最后,讨论了目前发展所面临的主要问题和挑战,这对微纳米压痕测试技术的进一步发展和先进应用具有重要意义。     

What is systems engineering?

There are probably more definitions of “Systems Engineering” than there are AESS members. In its simplest form systems engineering is the design of the whole as opposed to the design of the parts. The vast number, complexity and diversity of elements can overwhelm and degrade system performance and reliability. Embedded processing and software can be both a boon and a bane. A systems engineer analyzes and optimizes an ensemble of elements that relate to the flow of energy, mass and communications into a design that performs the desired function. “Systems engineering” is used herein to cover a very broad spectrum of processes and controls to engineer a product at the many levels required to satisfy all aspects of the original requirement. Our definition is not intended to either include or exclude systems engineering and integration as used in the computer field. In any case, systems engineering is the application of solid engineering principles to design and develop a large enterprise within cost and schedule to satisfy the needs of the ultimate user. It involves conceptualization, design, development, test, implementation, approval/certification and operation (including human factors) of a system. In essence, systems engineering is a problem-solving discipline for the modern world     

A type of 2D magnetic equivalent circuit framework of permanent magnet for magnetic system in AEMR

Modeling of permanent magnet(PM) is very important in the process of electromagnetic system calculation of aerospace electromagnetic relay(AEMR). In traditional analytical calculation, PM is often equivalent to a lumped parameter model of one magnetic resistance and one magnetic potential, but great error is often caused for the inner differences of PM; based on the conception of flux tube, a type of 2D magnetic equivalent circuit framework of permanent magnet model(2D MECF) is established; the element is defined, the relationship between elements is deduced, and solution procedure as well as verification condition of this model is given; by a case study of the electromagnetic system of a certain type of AEMR, the electromagnetic system calculation model is established based on 2D MECF and the attractive force at different rotation angles is calculated; the proposed method is compared with the traditional lumped parameter model and finite element method(FEM); for some types of electromagnetic systems with symmetrical structure, 2D MECF proves to be of acceptable accuracy and high calculation speed which fit the requirement of robust design for AEMR.     

VSI plug 'n pray

VXI has grown substantially in applications from testing in the lab to field support of weapon systems. While the hardware interfaces have been well defined for some time, the software is still struggling. Industry hype infers that integrating VXI resources is just a “plug and play” affair that anyone should be able to do. This paper explores some of the pitfalls of integrating VXI resources from different (and sometimes the same) suppliers that make this more challenging than you might think     

Voyager 2 Observations of Corotating Interaction Regions (CIRs) in the Outer Heliosphere

We review observations from Voyager 2 of CIRs and merged CIRs in the outer heliosphere. The rather simple characteristics of the CIR-associated changes in plasma, magnetic field, and particles become more complex as observations are made at greater and greater distances. Pickup ions from charge exchange undoubtedly play an important role in the structure, but the full details are not yet understood. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

铁磁构件残余寿命评估方法

 为研究磁记忆检测技术评估铁磁材料早期损伤的可行性,以磁记忆检测技术为手段,对40Cr钢三点弯曲SE(B)试样进行了常温疲劳裂纹扩展试验,分别测量了试样在相同载荷条件下不同循环周次N时的磁场数据。定义了一种新的磁记忆特征参量,分析并探讨了疲劳裂纹扩展过程中该特征参量的阶段性特征,结果表明该特征参量较传统的磁记忆特征参量变化明显。通过分析磁记忆信号与裂纹扩展寿命、累积疲劳损伤之间的关系,建立了基于磁记忆信号的损伤参量模型,利用该模型可以很好地评估材料的残余寿命,可为磁记忆检测技术在铁磁性材料早期损伤以及残余寿命评估方面的应用提供借鉴作用。     

Year 2000 impact on automated testing

Both US military and industry rely on automatic testing to verify the quality of manufacture and repair. Many testers still rely on computers designed and manufactured in the early 1980's. This includes systems using embedded controllers. Year 2000 problems can surface in computer operating systems, compilers, test programs, and in embedded systems. Until the impact of the Y2K “bug” is addressed, the risk of test program failure is unknown in most legacy automatic test systems. Problems may include embedded controllers in proprietary designs, old operating systems, and unique test program code. This paper will address the potential problem areas in automatic testing, and suggest an approach for determining the best course of action. In order to evaluate the impact, a complete systems inventory must be done to identify all potential sources of problems. Little attention has been paid to the legacy automated test systems and the potential impact of the Y2K problem on such systems. Although newer systems are less likely to be affected, no one can be sure until a complete inventory and test has been accomplished     

两种实验室方法模拟舰载平台环境下航空电路板的腐蚀行为

为评价干湿交替酸性盐雾和盐雾/SO2复合 2种实验室环境对航空电路板在舰载平台下的腐蚀行为研究的适用性,通过对 2种航空电路板产品开展随舰暴露试验和 2种实验室环境加速试验,分析了舰载平台环境下电路板典型结构的腐蚀机制以及与 2种实验室试验结果的相似性。结果表明,由于舰载平台环境中存在盐雾和 SO2等燃油尾气,导致了电路板有机涂层防护薄弱部位的失效,引发了镀通孔和表面导线的腐蚀,也导致了塑封存储器的失效。对比 2种实验室加速试验方法,盐雾/SO2复合试验在环境效应、环境因素方面对舰载腐蚀环境效应的复现效果更好。     

三轴矢量原子磁力仪综述

原子磁力仪可分为标量磁力仪和矢量磁力仪两大类。标量磁力仪的测量结果与传感器的姿态无关,对平台的机动不敏感。矢量磁力仪能够获得更多的磁场信息,可以实现更精确的磁源定位。目前,共有7种三轴矢量原子磁力仪,测量方法分别为磁场扫描法、磁场旋转调制法、磁场轮流抵消法、磁场投影法、磁场交叉调制法、磁场分立调制法和自旋进动调制法。重点对上述7种三轴矢量原子磁力仪的测量方法进行了整理和分析。     

印刷电路板振动模态的精确测试方法

印刷电路板的动力学特性直接影响机载电子设备在振动和冲击环境下的工作可靠性,有必要在设计阶段对其进行动力学分析.印刷电路板为薄壁结构,质量一般较小,在使用传统的加速度传感器测量时,传感器的附加质量会对模态测试结果造成影响.通过加速度传感器与激光测振仪测试数据的对比,分析了加速度传感器附加质量对模态测试结果的影响,验证了传感器附加质量消除方法的效果,结论认为传感器附加质量对印刷电路板模态测试的结果影响明显且这种影响不能被完全消除;使用扫描式激光测振仪可以得到精确详细的模态参数.     

A new deterministic VXI highway interconnect

Programs based upon the VXIbus modular instrumentation standard are playing a significant role in test systems for both defense and commercial applications. Typical single-chassis VXI systems include an embedded computer-based controller as the system host. Multi-chassis systems generally use a parallel bus or a local area network, such as Ethernet, to interconnect the chassis. An important class of multi-chassis test systems requires high I/O throughput, low latency and a highly deterministic I/O response. This paper describes a new highway interconnect system that includes host computer interface options for VMEbus, EISA and PCI bus. A typical system is configured with a host interface, a fiber-optic highway “loop” and slot-0 controllers in the VXI chassis. The system supports up to 126 VXI chassis, an aggregate I/O throughput of 10 megabytes per second, extremely low latency and a highly deterministic I/O response. Typical applications, including jet aircraft engine testing, missile test systems and high-performance wind tunnel data systems are discussed