This chapter discusses avionics architectures and their evolution from distributed analogue control systems to today's highly capable integrated modular avionics architectures. It explores the grouping of avionics functions into domains broadly in line with Air Transport Association (ATA) chapters and how data bus technologies have complemented growth in complexity of avionics systems architectures. The chapter then reviews the key features and architecture principles employed in the distributed federated digital avionics architectures of civil transport Airbus aircraft in the mid‐1980s as realised in the Boeing 737, 757 and 767 series and in the Airbus A300, A320, and A330 series of aircraft.
The evolution of Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) architectures is discussed, commencing with the proprietary, partial implementation of IMA principles in the Boeing 777 Airplane Information Management System (AIMS) through to full open‐system IMA implementations on the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787 aircraft. Key features and architecture principles of both of these implementations are explored and their similarities and differences are reviewed.
Finally the chapter discusses the design processes to be undertaken to successfully implement and certificate an avionics system implemented as an IMA architecture. It explores the concept of virtual or logical system architectures and the physical realisation of this architecture onto the IMA platform. The implementation of the architectural principles of redundancy, fault tolerance, segregation and partitioning are reviewed in order to support the system safety objectives. It explores how avionics functions are allocated the platform resources they require to perform their task. These 'contracted' resources allocations fully characterise the logical architecture of each function and are robustly mechanised by configuration tables. The provision of guaranteed platform resources is the cornerstone for independent and incremental certification of the hardware platform and the hosted function application software.
Avionics Architectures
Civil Avionics Systems ; 159-203
2013-08-27
45 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English
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