Method of simulating a real-time aircraft system input to an avionics component

• US 9,482,552 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2014
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Inventors: Dabrowski, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Application Number:
  US14/311,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20150369626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 13/00 Arrangements or adaptations of air-treatment apparatus for aircraft crew or passengers, or freight space , or structural parts of the aircraft treatment rooms with artificial climate for medical purposes A61G10/02; respiratory apparatus in general A62B; for vehicles in general B60H
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/87 Combinations of sonar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8902 Side-looking sonar
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/16 Ambient or aircraft conditions simulated or indicated by instrument or alarm
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

A method of simulating a real-time aircraft system input to an avionics component for an aircraft includes receiving the simulation input and providing the simulated input to the avionics component.

Claims

1. A method of simulating a real-time, aircraft system input to an avionics component for an aircraft, the method comprising:

receiving, during a non-flight operation, a user demand for a sequence of aircraft system input, wherein the aircraft system input includes inputs generated during previously concluded flight operations;

retrieving data streams corresponding to the user demand from a data-base of data streams previously recorded from real-time data streams generated during the previously concluded flight operations;

time-synchronizing the retrieved data streams;

providing the time-synchronized data streams to a deterministic avionics data bus communicatively coupled with the avionics component; and

selective performing a simulation methodology on the avionics component in response to the time-synchronize data streams provided by the deterministic avionics data bus, wherein the simulation methodology is selectively performed as if the avionics component is operating under normal flight operations.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user demand comprises a playback rate and the providing of the time-synchronized data streams is provided at the playback rate.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the playback rate comprises at least one of real time, slower than real time, or faster than real time.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the playback rate comprises a time step.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the time step is a constant time increment.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the data streams previously recorded from real-time data streams comprise data streams representative of at least one of an inertial reference data, a global positioning system data, air data computer data, instrument landing system data, navigation data, distance measuring equipment data, or selectable control panel data.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein avionics component comprises at least one of a flight management system, control display unit, primary flight display, or navigation display.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing further comprises providing the time-synchronized data streams by way of an ARINC 429 interface.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising retrieving, from the data-base of previously recorded data streams, a recorded time index corresponding to the data streams.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising time-synchronizing the retrieved data stream in accordance with the recorded time index.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the time-synchronizing further comprises scheduling the providing of the time-synchronized data streams.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the providing occurs in accordance with the schedule.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing further comprises providing the time-synchronized data streams by way of an Ethernet interface.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing further comprises providing the time-synchronized data streams by way of a serial interface.

15. A method of testing an avionics component in a simulated aircraft environment, the method comprising:

receiving, during a non-flight testing operation, a user demand for a sequence of aircraft system input, wherein the aircraft system input includes inputs generated during previously concluded flight operations;

retrieving data streams corresponding to the user demand from a data-base of data streams previously recorded from real-time data streams generated during the previously concluded flight operations;

time-synchronizing the retrieved data streams;

providing the time-synchronized data streams to a flight management system by way of an ARINC 429 data bus; and

selective performing a testing methodology on the avionics component in communication with flight management system, wherein the testing methodology is selectively performed as if the flight management system is operating under normal flight operations.