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Reusable Pilot Vehicle Interface (PVI) Components and Widgets using ARINC 661 and FACE Architectures

Description:

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Air Platform 

OBJECTIVE: Design and demonstrate rapid and agile component development technologies for graphical reuse in modular avionics architectures, incorporating emerging standards-based avionics approaches such as ARINC 661, Future Airborne Capabilities Environment (FACE), Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Control Segment (UCS), Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA), Hardware Open Systems Technologies (HOST), Open Mission Systems (OMS), Joint Common Architecture (JCA), System of Systems Architecture (SOSA), and/or other standards for reusable avionics. 

DESCRIPTION: Reusable and modular software drive improvements in commercial software development, but in the avionics domain, particularly in defense aviation, rapid and agile software development practices, innovations in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), Software Design Patterns, and improvements in software development and testing processes are limited. New research and the emergence of standards create new opportunities to innovate avionics architectures in ways to implement a highly aligned (to what?) and loosely coupled (in what way?) paradigm to achieve more modular software. Very often in avionics software, the reuse of graphical components is limited due to airworthiness restrictions; however, recent standards such as ARINC-661 and FACE have provided the possibility of safety critical graphical components (or widgets, etc.) to be provided in a reusable package then configured during integration to the specific needs of a platform. Relatively little actual demonstration of such cross vendor and cross platform reuse has occurred. This is of significant interest to the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) community of interest because it both invites participation from smaller software companies that specialize in component development and also maximizes potential reuse of PVI for training, simulation, and actual avionics across a wide variety of platforms, including unmanned ground stations. FACE Units of Portability (UoPs) and ARINC-661 must be incorporated for acceptance; use of other open standards is encouraged. 

PHASE I: Design and demonstrate innovations for the overall Mission Systems Architecture (MSA) to allow rapid integration of new capabilities through FACE UoPs and similar emerging standards. Capabilities might include primary flight display (PFD) components, radio interfaces, engine interfaces, sensor management screens, navigation, and various flight planning user interfaces. Phase I Deliverables will include software design artifacts. The sponsor can provide Real Time Operating System (RTOS) lab environment support for proof of concept on Phase I prototypes. 

PHASE II: Develop a prototype architecture suitable for a proof-of-concept demonstration on avionics hardware. The proof of concept will demonstrate; hardware portability across hosts (different flight display hardware), software modularity, and a representative avionics architecture supplied by the sponsor. Phase II Deliverables will include functional software and completed designs. Capture of requirements, design, and verification results will support qualification and certification. 

PHASE III: The small business is expected to obtain funding from non-SBIR government and private sector sources to transition the technology into viable commercial products. Component toolkits and graphical widgets have broad application in the civil avionics domain, including commercial and private aircraft. The innovation of technology and processes in support of rapid fielding of avionics and improvements to the security of the aviation architecture will benefit the defense and commercial avionics industrial base, perhaps also crossing into automotive or other embedded software domains. 

REFERENCES: 

1: FACE Technical Standard, ARINC-661, ARINC-653, POSIX, DO-178, DO-326, AR 70-62, MIL-STD-882E, SAE ARP 4754, SAE ARP 4761, Risk Management Framework

 

KEYWORDS: FACE, IMA, JCA, HOST, OMS, SOSA, MBSE, Joint Common Architecture, Integrated Modular Avionics, Software Airworthiness, Mission Systems Architecture, Reusable Avionics Software, Model Based Systems Engineering, Avionics Software Development 

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