Innovative Information System Technologies: Real-Time Monitoring and Correlation of Multiple Streams of Information from Heterogeneous Sources

ABSTRACT: Legacy military aircraft have a long-standing requirement for monitoring bus activity between control elements and weapons/sensor systems. The Bus Characterization and Integrity Toolset (BCIT) was a successful series of Phase I, II, and III SBIRS from 2004 onwards. BCIT was the first of its kind to offer dynamic testing of bus operations and physical cabling by combining a 1553 Monitor/Probe with a Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR) in a single chassis. Leveraging on the original BCIT, the plan is to expand the functionality using a follow-on Phase II SBIR to realize a new test tool; BCIT2GEN. The BCIT2GEN, a reduced footprint design with a rugged enclosure, will be fabricated that will serve as the new baseline BCIT Test Tool capability which incorporates the capability enhancements (DVI and RF Phase Matched Cable Tests) with reduced Size Weight and Power. A complete existing BCIT functionality is preserved with the advantage of a smaller, lighter test tool that can be carried up gangways and into tight cockpits. The plan is to combine as many test capabilities, into the smallest, ruggedized chassis and evolve a one-box tester that will reside on the AF Table of Allocation and the Armys Mission Equipment List. BENEFIT: Additional test capabilities will enable the new test-tool to be a cross-platform, cross-service all-in-one avionics bus tester and will also open up the commercial market, heretofore closed to us.