An environment for the integration and test of the Space Stationdistributed avionics systems

An approach is described to supplying an environment for the integration and test of the Space Station distributed avionics systems. Background is included on the development of this concept including the lessons learned from Space Shuttle experience. The environment's relationship to the process flow of the Space-Station verification, from systems development to on-orbit verification, is presented. The uses of the environment's hardware implementation, called Data Management System (DMS) kits, are covered. It is explained how these DMS kits provide a development version of the Space-Station operational environment and how this environment allows system developers to verify their systems performance, fault detection, and recovery capability. Conclusions on how the use of the DMS kits, in support of this concept, will ensure adequate on-orbit test capability are included     

Role of BIT in support system maintenance and availability

The role of built in test (BIT) in electronic systems has grown in prominence with the advances in system complexity and concern over maintenance lifecycle costs of large systems. In an environment where standards drive system designs (and provide an avenue for focused advancement in technology), standards for BIT are very much in an evolutionary state. The reasons for advancing the effectiveness of BIT include reduced support overhead, greater, confidence in operation, and increased system availability. The cost of supporting military electronic systems (avionics, communications, and weapons systems) has driven much of the development in BIT technology. But what about the systems that support these end items that contain test and measurement instrumentation - such as automatic test equipment (ATE), simulators and avionics development suites? There has also been a beneficial effect on the maintenance and availability of these systems due to the infusion of BIT into their component assemblies. But the effect has been much more sporadic and fragmented. This paper looks at the state of BIT in test and measurement instruments, explain its affect on system readiness, and present ideas on how to improve BIT technologies and standards. This will not provide definitive answers to BIT development questions, since the factors that affect it are specific to the instrument itself. The topics covered in this paper are: definitions of built-in test, instrument BIT history, importance of BIT fault coverage and isolation in support systems, overview of BIT development process issues that limit the effectiveness of BIT Standards related to instrument BIT, making BIT more effective in support system maintenance and availability and conclusions.     

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     

基于模型的航空电子系统体系化需求分析与仿真

借鉴体系工程思想及体系结构设计方法,结合航空武器装备需求论证实践,提出基于模型的航空电子系统体系化需求分析与仿真方法,以及体系架构模型协同仿真环境设计方案,能够有效支撑航空电子体系化需求论证和顶层设计,具有重要的理论价值和实践意义。     

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。     

IMA aircraft improvements

Integrated modular avionics (IMA) is being suggested as the means by which new capabilities can be deployed on aircraft at an affordable cost. RTCA SC-200 is presently considering the guidance document for IMA. All of the functionality that IMA offers can be achieved through a conventional federated architecture; however, the cost, size, and weight penalties of the federated solution make it economically infeasible. IMA is seen as the way forward. It is assuming greater importance as the aircraft industry transitions to commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology with its attendant obsolescence and reliability concerns. IMA may be one of the most cost-effective ways by which rapid obsolescence can be managed. Ironically, this move to COTS is also the greatest threat to IMA systems. IMA achieves reductions in size, cost, and weight by providing a set of flexible hardware and software resources that can be statically or dynamically mapped to a set of required avionics functional capabilities. This introduces a number of new complexities such as mixed criticalities and reconfiguration. We do not address these issues herein. Rather we discuss the mechanisms by which electronics degrades and how a classical safety assessment of a reconfigurable IMA system can be ified by this degradation. We argue that, with the advent of COTS, it is no longer justifiable to consider that electronics has an effectively constant failure rate. Physical considerations suggest that electronics failure occurs when environmental and operating stress causes the accumulation of damage to the underlying structures to exceed the threshold strength of the constituent materials and interfaces. Finally, we suggest how finite-life electronics effects may be mitigated.     

The Digital Information Facility

The acceptance and implementation of advanced digital avionics and flight control systems is dependent on the successful integration of these systems into the current and future National Airspace System (NAS). This paper describes a digital avionics systems research facility known as the Digital Information Facility (DIF) developed to provide researchers with the ground systems and air-to-ground interfaces needed to conduct and document experiments involving a mix of new technologies within the existing NAS infrastructure. The DIF supports four NAS functions: Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC), Flight Information Services (FIS), Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) navigation, and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B). The DIF also includes the capability to record pilot and air traffic management interactions and document research participant observations. The DIF capability includes connectivity to flight test and simulated aircraft in a fully immersive Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance (CNS) environment.     

民用飞机客舱系统测试准备就绪评审分析

在民用飞机航电系统设计过程中，通常系统的集成是从一个个单元（item）的集成开始的，为保证测试系统构型可控，满足系统集成测试的准确性、可追溯性，需开展测试准备就绪评审工作。基于对测试准备就绪评审的介绍，结合ARP4754A和实际的工程案例，从待测系统、测试文档、测试环境、测试记录、质量审计、构型控制、与开发计划的符合性等七个方面阐述了测试准备评审开展的要点，其研究结果在型号实践中已经得到应用并表明是有效的、合理的。     

Software architecture requirements for DoD automatic test systems

The DoD has achieved success with recent automatic test equipment (ATE) families, as evidenced by the navy's consolidated automated support system (CASS) and the army's integrated family of test equipment (IFTE) programs. However, as these systems age, the increased requirements for technology insertion due to instrument obsolescence and the demands of advanced electronics are becoming evident. Recent advances in test technology promise to yield reduced total ownership costs (TOC) for ATE which can incorporate the new technology. The DoD automatic test system (ATS) executive agent office (EAO) objective is to significantly reduce total ownership cost. Several objectives have been identified including use of synthetic instruments, support for legacy test product sets (TPSs), and more efficient ways of developing TPSs. The NxTest software architecture will meet the objectives by providing an open systems approach to the system software. This will allow for the incorporation of commercial applications in the TPS development and execution environments and support current advances in test technology     

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。     

Containing military autotest cost growth through the use ofcommercial standard equipment architectures

The 1990s have been stressful for commercial airline industry: fierce competition has caused the demise of several carriers. The resulting drive to slash operating expenses has bolstered development of avionics industry standards for automated test equipment. Rockwell's Collins Air Transport Division (CATD) has begun to market compliant test gear that airline maintenance departments wishing to acquire modern high performance test systems without the development cost penalty have eagerly received. A similar situation now confronts the military. The various branches can no longer justify the maintenance of independent autotest architectures. This paper describes the CATD implementation of the commercial-standard architecture; shows how we have designed the system to avoid obsolescence; and indicates the considerations that are necessary for adapting it to military scenarios     

Next generation space avionics: layered system implementation

Advances in electronics over the past decade have produced major improvements in the power and flexibility of computer systems. Unfortunately current avionics systems for space applications typically have not leveraged these COTS advantages. A decade ago, the state-of-the-art for avionics systems made a step change to the Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) used in the Boeing 777. This next generation avionics architecture is not based upon traditional Byzantine redundancy structures, but on a truth-based scheme where each element knows when an internal failure occurs and removes itself from the system. IMA utilizes a lock-step microprocessor design that communicates to a COTS Backplane for input/output, and to a Virtual Backplane/spl trade/ (a reliable high-speed serial bus) for intra-system communication. The system functions are implemented using a time and space partitioned operating system. The entire system provides the simplicity of a simplex system, implements the highest level of reliability providing complete flexibility to reconfigure both software applications and hardware interfaces, allows for rapid prototyping using low-cost COTS hardware, and is easily expandable beyond the initial point implementation. As the only 5/sup th/ generation avionics architecture, the concepts incorporated into Honeywell's IMA are ideally suited to be the backbone of the next generation Space Exploration Program avionics architectures.     

40G以太网在航电系统中的应用初探

随着飞机整体性能的提升，航电系统的发展日新月异，对总线网络提出了越来越高的要求。基于远端内存直接访问技术传输机制的以太网以其高带宽、低延时以及生态开放性的特点，在航电系统总线中逐渐得到推广。本文介绍了航电总线网络的发展，对典型的航电总线进行了对比分析，开展了10G/40GE交换工程样机的研制和测试工作，为下一代航电系统总线网络的选型提供了参考。     

NH90航空电子系统演进

NH90是一种法、德、意、荷、葡联合研制的先进中型多用途直升机,未来将成为法、德、意等国的主力作战运输、突击、反潜、搜救机型。介绍了 NH90的航空电子系统,其中包括核心航空电子,任务航空电子及飞控系统。跟踪了 NH90航空电子软件开发团队使用软件产品线（SPL）技术对航空电子架构进一步升级的方向。     

航空电子系统综合技术分析

系统综合是指将机载电子设备综合成以作战、飞行功能为核心的统一控制、管理和显示的系统,这样可以提高系统自动化和智能化的程度,最大限度的发挥载机的战斗效能。本文对系统综合模式、设计方法、作战效能、故障诊断等诸方面进行了论述,并介绍了航电系统的综合试验和试飞评定系统的软件功能。     

电子对抗仿真器的设计

用电子对抗系统仿真器代替真实的设备参与飞机航电系统综合试验, 是为了获得更好的动态效果, 减少测试的复杂性, 降低实际费用。本文在分析电子对抗系统功能的基础上, 提出了仿真器的基本设计方案及软件设计技术, 最后, 介绍了软件测试方法。     

Shared technologies: a new roadmap

The long-term goal of the USAF Shared Technologies Program is to facilitate the development of a roadmap for technology insertion on the wide variety of legacy Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) accumulated by the USAF over the past 30 years. A successful roadmap will provide for Operation & Support (O&S) cost reduction, preserve Test Program Set (TPS) development investments, and evolve in concert with the DoD Executive Agent for Automatic Test Systems (ATS) initiatives and commercial industry, and (e.g., NxTest) changes. The near-term objective of this phase of the USAF Shared Technologies Program is to demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating available commercial technology into the Radio Frequency (RF) Mobile Electronic Test Set (RFMETS). The RFMETS was originally delivered to the USAF during the early 1990s and is used to support a variety of C-130 avionics including the APQ-170 and APQ-180 Radar Systems.     

某民用飞机显示系统仿真器的设计与实现

航电系统仿真平台以其灵活方便和低成本特点,支持综合航电系统的预先研究、方案设计、详细设计、系统综合,成为综合航电系统研制过程中不可或缺的设计手段。给出了IMA系统仿真平台显示系统仿真器的详细的设计和实现方案,首先介绍了IMA系统仿真平台的组成,接着介绍了显示系统仿真器的组成架构,并对显示系统仿真器的硬件配置、航电网络配置、人机交互界面和逻辑处理进行了详细的介绍。最后经过IMA系统仿真试验样件验收测试程序的测试,验证了显示系统仿真器满足验收测试程序的各项功能和性能要求,满足了该型号显示系统仿真器的试验要求。     

New low cost avionics with INS/GPS for a variety of vehicles

Development of a new vehicle avionics suite is described, including integration of a low-cost, tightly-coupled integrated Inertial Navigation System/Global Positioning System (INS/GPS) to support vehicle guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C). A wide variety of next-generation low-cost launch vehicles could potentially benefit from integrated INS/GPS technology for GN&C and/or range safety applications. Coleman Aerospace Company (CAC) has developed a new low-cost avionics suite, the generic Integrated Mission Guidance & Tracking System (IMGTS), an open architecture, modular system that supports the requirements for various guidance applications and range safety tracking. As part of this development, Boeing North American, Inc. is supplying its Modular Miniature Integrated GPS/INS Tactical System (M-MIGITS^TM) Military-Off-The-Shelf (MOTS) INS/GPS product to support CAC's IMGTS GN&C     

Replacement strategy for aging avionics computers

With decreasing defense dollars available to purchase new military aircraft, the inventory of existing aircraft will have to last many more years than originally anticipated. As the avionics computers on these aging aircraft get older, they become more expensive to maintain due to parts obsolescence. In addition, expanding missions and changing requirements lead to growth in the embedded software which, in turn, requires additional processing and memory capacity. Both factors, parts obsolescence and new processing capacity, result in the need to replace the old computer hardware with newer, more capable microprocessor technology. New microprocessors, however, are not compatible with the older computer instruction set architectures. This generally requires the embedded software in these computers to be rewritten. A significant savings-estimated in the billions of dollars-could be achieved in these upgrades if the new computers could execute the old embedded code along with any new code to be added. This paper describes a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS)-based form, fit, function, and interface (F³I) replacement strategy for legacy avionics computers that can reuse existing avionics code “as is” while providing a flexible framework for incremental upgrades and managed change. It is based on a real-time embedded software technology that executes legacy binary code on the latest generation COTS microprocessors. This technology promises performance improvements of 5-10 times that of the legacy avionics computer that it replaces. It also promises a 4× decrease in cost and schedule over rewriting the code and provides a “known good” starting point for incremental upgrades of the embedded flight software. Code revalidation cost and risk are minimized since the structure of the embedded code is not changed, allowing the replacement computer to be retested at the “blackbox” level using existing qualification tests