DETERMINISTIC ETHERNET FOR AN AEROSPACE DISTRIBUTED CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20150005991A1
• Filed: 12/18/2013
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Zeller, Robert J., Willoughby, Adrian C.
• Application Number:
  US14/132,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20150005991A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 31/00 Power plant control systems; Arrangement of power plant control systems in aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/00 Controlling gas-turbine plants; Controlling fuel supply in air- breathing jet-propulsion plants controlling air intakes F02C7/057; controlling turbines F01D; controlling compressors F04D27/00; controlling in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/12 Synchronisation of different clock signals provided by a plurality of clock generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/417 with deterministic access, e.g. token passing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/422 Synchronisation for ring networks Time Division Multiplex ring networks, e.g. SDH/SONET H04J3/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/433 with asynchronous transmission, e.g. token ring, register insertion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/4028 the transportation system being an aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A control system for an aircraft may include a master node and a plurality of slave nodes in communication with each other. The master node and the plurality of slave nodes may each have a processor. The control system may also include at least one data bus connection that enables the communication between the master node and the plurality of slave nodes. The data bus may be governed by any data bus protocol, including, but not limited to, Ethernet. The control system generally may be deterministic in operation.

Claims

1. A control system for an aircraft comprising:

a master node and a plurality of slave nodes in communication with each other, the master node and the plurality of slave nodes each having a processor; and

at least one data bus connection that enables the communication between the master node and the plurality of slave nodes;

wherein the control system is deterministic.

2. The control system of claim 1 wherein the data bus is governed by an Ethernet data bus protocol.

3. The control system of claim 1 further comprising a graphic user interface (GUI) in communication with the master node.

4. The control system of claim 1 wherein the master processor and the at least one control processor are in direct

5. The control system of claim 1 wherein the master processor node is mounted on the aircraft.

6. The control system of claim 1 wherein the master node and the plurality of slave nodes each further comprises a clock and a software scheduler, the clocks being synchronized and the software schedulers being configured to enable signals to be transmitted and received within a predetermined time frame.

7. The control system of claim 6 wherein the master node and the plurality of slave nodes each further comprise a clock synchronization and software scheduling modules configured to enable the clock synchronization and the software scheduling.

8. The control system of claim 1 wherein the master node and the plurality of slave nodes are connected by the at least one data bus in a ring configuration.

9. An aircraft comprising:

an engine;

a control system in communication with the engine, the control system having;

a master node and a plurality of slave nodes in communication with each other, the master node and the plurality of slave nodes each having a processor, the slave nodes being configured to receive and transmit signals from at least the master node and the engine; and

at least one data bus connection that enables the communication between the master node and the plurality of slave nodes;

an airframe interface in communication with the control system, the airframe being configured to transmit commands to the control system;

wherein the master node and the plurality of slave nodes are coordinated such that the control system is deterministic in operation.

10. The aircraft of claim 9 wherein the data bus is governed by an Ethernet data bus protocol.

11. The aircraft of claim 9 further comprising a graphic user interface (GUI) in communication with the master node.

12. The aircraft of claim 9 wherein the master processor and the at least one control processor are in direct

13. The aircraft of claim 9 wherein the master processor node is mounted on the aircraft.

14. The aircraft of claim 9 wherein the master node and the plurality of slave nodes each further comprises a clock and a software scheduler, the clocks being synchronized and the software schedulers being configured to enable signals to be transmitted and received within a predetermined time frame.

15. The aircraft of claim 14 wherein the master node and the plurality of slave nodes each further comprises a clock synchronization and software scheduling module configured to enable the clock synchronization and the software scheduling.

16. The aircraft of claim 9 wherein the master node is mounted on the engine.

17. The aircraft of claim 9 wherein the master node and the plurality of slave nodes are connected by the at least one data bus in a ring configuration.