Expert System Applications to the Cockpit of the '90s

There is a strong requirement for a new generation of avionics systems with a more integrated hardware and software structure. This integrated avionics system will use significant increases in computer automation with more innovative signal processing, sensor fusion and expert system software to reduce pilot workload, while improving total system performance and reliability. Expert system software packages will be implemented within the core architecture of these next generation integrated avionics systems to assist the pilot. The expert systems will consider the pertinent information available from the ``sensor' subsystems to assess the current situation. The expert systems then consult their knowledge base and rule base software structures to determine alternative reactions to the perceived situation. Then pending upon the critical of the function, situation and reaction, the expert system could either execute the most favorable reaction or display the suggested alternative courses of action to the pilot. This paper addresses the requirement, the enabling technologies and the potential structure of this next generation of avionics. It concludes with two examples of the potential of future avionics expert systems. The two examples are 1) A Navigation and Route Planning Expert and 2) A Threat Assessment and Threat Reaction Expert. Significant things are happening in technology at an accelerating pace that enable the development of this new generation of avionics.     

综合化航空电子系统可信软件技术

航空电子系统要求航空任务的执行具有确定性、可预测和可控性。深入分析综合化航空电子系统软件安全性、可靠性、完整性和实时性需求,提出了综合化航空电子系统软件可信性的定义。首次将可信计算引入到综合化航空电子系统中,建立综合化航空电子系统可信软件体系结构,在此基础上,提出软件可信运行环境构建方法和可靠性增强技术。这些技术能够保障综合化航空电子系统的可预测性,对保证飞机任务的执行及其安全具有重要的作用,为研制适合于中国大飞机的综合化航空电子系统可信软件奠定基础。     

Integrating Avionics in the Conceptual Design Phase

The avionics components of modern military aircraft significantly impact the cost and effectiveness of the total aeronautical system. In the early conceptual phase, aeronautical system designers give scant attention to designing the avionics components. The design team generally provides weight, volume and power considerations for the desired avionics functions and assumes that an avionics suite can be assembled. Less than comprehensive attention is given to the interacting effect avionics have with the other system components. In contrast, the designers expend a very large effort on finding the best balanced combination of airframe and propulsion components which satisfy the design objectives. This paper shows why avionics must be a co-equal member of the aeronautical system along with airframe, propulsion, and armament. To become a co-equal partner, avionics must be an element of the system design iterations and analysis commencing with the early conceptual design phase of a new aeronautical system.     

航电系统并行检测过程与检测设备解耦方法

航电系统在使用或升级改造过程中进行可靠性检测是必不可少的。特别是在当前批量航电系统大量投入使用的背景下，迫切需要能高效、快速、准确地对系统进行可靠性检测。由于航电系统安全性要求高，内置检测软件受限，需要外置检测设备通过航电系统指定接口进行检测，检测过程也不允许出现任何泄露等行为。检测设备与具体航电系统耦合，检测过程与具体检测设备耦合，难以实现批量航电系统并行检测。为此，通过引入逻辑检测设备，给出了一种航电系统并行检测分层框架，解决检测设备与被测系统耦合的问题，同时也保证了检测的安全性。通过逻辑检测设备、检测跳转机和被测主机上检测行为的描述，给出了一种面向通用航电系统并行检测的检测设备协同机制，解决检测过程与检测设备耦合的问题，从而支持多个航电系统并行检测。最后，实现了一个通用航电系统并行检测系统，并通过实际应用和实验对比验证所提方法的有效性。     

航空电子系统地面试验中测试系统的综合化、通用化设计

测试系统作为航空电子系统地面试验中的重要设备,为系统试验提供了自动化、数字化的科学手段和结果分析依据。以往的测试系统都是根据具体型号研制的设备,存在着利用率相对低、资源重复、资金浪费严重的情况。根据航空电子系统的构型和现有的技术条件,飞机航空电子系统综合验证试验研制通用的综合测试系统已成为必然。本文介绍了航空电子系统地面试验中测试系统的综合化、通用化设计方法。     

Open systems architecture solutions for military avionics testing

Raytheon makes extensive use of open systems architecture methods in developing special test equipment (STE) for testing military avionics equipment. Such use has resulted in significant cost and schedule savings in the development of production test equipment for radar and infrared systems. With open systems architectures, a test system can be assembled using COTS products. This brings economies of scale to test equipment, which is normally built in very low quantities. Therefore, the potential cost savings due to COTS usage is proportionately greater in STE than in the higher volume avionics systems that are tested. A second major benefit of using COTS products is that test system development schedule cycle time is greatly reduced. This paper describes the application of Open Systems Architectures (OSA) to avionics testing. The following major architectures are surveyed: VME bus, VXI bus, IEEE GPIB, IEEE 1149.1 JTAG test bus, 1553 Military Bus, Fibre Channel, and COTS Test Applications Software. We describe how the benefits of OSA have been extended at Raytheon into achieving vertical test commonalities. The flexibility of OSA can be exploited to provide an overall optimum test solution, taking all levels of test into account. For example, test systems can be tailored with COTS products to provide integrated methods for avionics tests at the module, unit, and system levels. Test systems can be configured to maximize the reuse of COTS hardware over all test levels. Test software can also be programmed to optimize such reuse over levels of test. Additional test verticality synergies derived from such OSA usage are described, including: test false alarm avoidance; test cones of tolerance optimization; and efficient test of field returns     

确定性实时以太网在航空电子系统中的应用

以太网技术的应用是当前航空电子技术的发展趋势之一,但是首先要克服实时通信这个最大的障碍。本文结合以太网通信机制,给出了一种确定性实时以太网实现方法,从而得到一种适合航空电子系统实时性需求的以太网通信网络。     

航电系统开发过程中的权衡研究

航电系统的开发既要满足系统需求、保证系统完整性、达到系统安全性目标,同时还要满足相关条例、公务要求和商业要求。而这些要求往往相互制约、相互冲突,这就使得权衡研究在航电系统的开发过程中成为一项必不可少的工作。阐明了权衡研究在航电系统开发过程中的必要性和重要性;然后说明了权衡研究在航电系统开发过程各阶段中的作用;接着分析了权衡研究应遵循的过程;最后,将权衡研究分析方法中的效用曲线法应用到了航电系统的网络权衡中,并提出航电系统开发过程中如何进行权衡研究的一些建议。     

新一代航空电子总线系统结构研究

航空电子总线系统结构是航空电子系统的神经中枢,直接决定着航空电子综合化程度的高低和性能的优劣。本文通过对航空电子数据总线结构现状和发展要求的分析,提出了新一代航空电子总线系统的设计原则和体系结构,并论述了其核心技术综合模块化航空电子系统的通用模块和综合核心处理机的组成。     

Avionics cost of ownership

The cost of ownership of avionics includes not only the development and acquisition cost, but also the yearly operating and support (O and S) (maintenance) cost of hardware, software, and support equipment. This paper presents an avionics cost of ownership methodology developed for USAF, its data sources, and business metrics computed for USAF decision makers as we move toward operating avionics as a business. The business model is used to determine which existing avionics are candidates for replacement with new technology and to prioritize the replacements. These avionics are often used on multiple aircraft types which necessitates analysis of the causes of the high cost of ownership on each type. Databases are used to document the processing functions, data flow, and constraints of the item being analyzed. These constraints include physical, environmental, electrical, and data interfaces. Databases containing alternatives are evaluated against standard mission scenarios for aircraft utilizing these high cost avionics to determine their impact on performance, O and S costs, and mission effectiveness. The results of the foregoing analyses steps are then used in life cycle cost analyses which consider different retrofit scenarios for each alternative for each aircraft type against the avionics being analyzed for replacement. The alternatives are prioritized and a risk analysis performed considering technical, schedule, and cost growth risks. The avionics cost of ownership methodology described in this paper processes data from USAF maintenance organizations. This has revealed the very large expenditures being made to support highly unreliable avionics. These methods can be applied to all military and commercial aircraft systems to determine not only the cost of ownership of existing systems, but also the cost of ownership of new systems when they are retrofit     

Optical communication systems for avionics

Avionic information processing and transmission requirements are increasing geometrically, with no end in sight, The only feasible way to meet them is to incorporate fiber-optic communication systems into avionic platforms, Such systems can be employed to replace standard electronic components, to augment existing systems, or to enable new technologies. In this paper, we survey the field of low-power communication systems from the avionics engineering perspective. We review the fundamental merits of optical fiber for information transmission and discuss various information modulation schemes. These modulation techniques determine the performance requirements for laser transmitters, We describe the horizontal- and vertical-cavity semiconductor lasers currently available for these systems, and measure their performance against the additional environmental constraints of avionics platforms. Finally, we outline expected near- and far-term trends in system and device development     

分区间通信在航空电子系统中的设计与实现

新一代航空电子系统是一种高度综合化、模块化的系统,为了确保系统工作的安全、可靠,必须有高安全性的实时操作系统支持。在高安全性的实时操作系统中提出了分区(Partition)的概念,原有的“子系统”概念已由硬件实体演变为软的“子系统”。分区是运行于一个处理机模块上的多个应用程序(或子系统),这些应用程序在时间和空间上彼此隔离,互不影响,当一个分区内的应用发生错误时,在时间和空间上都不会影响到别的分区的执行。为了适应分区间隔离的需要,应用程序之间的通信由传统的进程间通信方式变为分区间的通信方式,本文着重介绍了自主版权操作系统(ACoreOS653)中满足ARINC653要求的分区间通信的设计与实现方法。     

计算机图形系统发展简述

飞机座舱显示控制系统是航空电子系统的核心子系统,其技术基础之一是计算机图形学。本文简要介绍了计算机图形学的发展历史及其标准,重点分析了计算机图形系统从专业图形工作站到PC机到嵌入式设备的发展历程,可作为研究机载嵌入式图形系统的理论背景。     

ADSP-TS201S引导方式分析和动态重载设计

综合航空电子系统对其内部的各个功能模块提出了应用数据集中存储,实时重构等要求,具有动态重载功能的信号处理模块能极大提高系统的应用灵活性、可靠性和可维护性。为了适应这种需求,通过分析ADSP-TS201S处理器几种引导方式的原理和方法,提出了通过修改加载内核,并进行二次引导以实现动态加载的方案。该方案已结合ADSP-TS201S信号处理模块应用平台,在某处理机系统中获得了成功应用。     

飞机MIL-STD-1553B总线的测试系统

从MIL -STD - 1 5 5 3B总线在综合航电系统的作用入手 ,分析了国内外总线测试系统的功能和特点 ,并针对将来飞机航电系统设计及发展的方向 ,提出了一种新型的MIL -STD - 1 5 5 3B总线测试系统的设计思想     

综合化航电智能电源控制软件设计与实现

综合化航空电子系统已经成为高度复杂的实时系统,新一代航电系统的发展对电源模块的设计提出了新的要求：大电流供电、余度供电、故障隔离等。传统的电源模块已经不能适应这些需求,因此,需要设计具有电源控制及管理功能的智能电源及其控制软件。通过对一种智能控制电源软件设计及其控制策略的分析,详细描述了智能电源在新航电系统中的功能及应用,为智能电源在不同场合下的应用提供了探索。     

Digital Electronics Where We are and Where We are Going

The paper synopsizes the current situation with regard to the nature of the red as well as the blue-grey forces as their capabilities impact future avionics systems. The paper describes today's climate as it relates to the avionics posture of the current and future fighter air forces, congressional desires and budgetary direction. The paper describes the current US Air Force response in the terms of modular systems. The benefits of modular avionics systems are delineated and the impact of software on this new hardware approach are explained. The way to the future is postulated in terms of the threat versus force posturing and the impact on both today's and future weapons systems. The paper concludes with several recommendations which, while they will somewhat alter traditional industrial relationships, will also address the future avionics needs of the US Armed Force.     

Switched Ethernet testing for avionics applications

Switched Ethernet is being implemented as an avionics communication architecture. A commercial standard (ARINC-664) and an aircraft vendor-specific implementation known as avionics full duplex switched Ethernet (AFDX) have been developed that defines the topology and use of switched Ethernet in an avionics application. In avionics applications, the movement of data between devices must take place in a deterministic fashion and must be delivered reliably. All aircraft flight hardware must be tested to be sure that it will communicate information properly in the switched Ethernet network. The airframe manufacture must test the integrated network to verify that all flight hardware is communicating properly. Testing and maintenance testing is required to perform data communication level testing of switched Ethernet architectures for avionics applications to insure that all communication is deterministic and reliable. This paper provides an overview of a switched Ethernet avionics network and identifies the testing challenges associated with a switched Ethernet avionics application. A practical implementation performing the required tests is discussed.     

满足航电通信系统要求的ACE-MBI设计

多路传输总线通信接口(MBI)是航空电子系统的通信基石,航空电子系统的任一分系统都要通过MBI才能进入1553B通信系统中.在MBI中最关键的器件是1553B协议芯片.本文详述了采用BU-61586芯片设计的与型号任务使用的UT-MBI兼容的新MBI的设计方案.     

Open systems avionics network to replace MIL-STD-1553

This paper is a proposal for a future method of avionics data communication. The need for this proposal results from the shortcomings in the current avionics architecture, video distribution network, and in the MIL-STD-1553 data communication system. The separately wired video and data communication systems can be combined to save weight, which is especially critical for rotorcraft. Aircraft, once fielded, have limited capacity for modification and improvement due to fixed computer throughput and processing performance, network bandwidth, and space available in the avionics equipment bays. The changes proposed by this paper are to be made in conjunction with the replacement of the redundant computer boxes with open system avionics functions on industry standard circuit cards. This open architecture approach was developed over the last ten years and is now being implemented in many aircraft applications including the F-22 and the RAH-66 programs. The V-22 rotorcraft, which although just entering production, is being modified for joint service customers where modern computer performance and expanded data network bandwidth is needed. The changes of this proposal will fill this need, reduce the weight of upcoming production models, and provide growth or spare capability so that additional video and data components can be added with minimal effect on existing components. This paper examines the current V-22 avionics video and data communication hardware and wiring and propose a new implementation of open system architecture standards with integrated digital video and data communication based on ANSI standard copper fibre channel