Checking of a communication system for an aircraft under development

• US 8,583,316 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2011
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Weiler, Yves, Coloma, Laurent
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): CASS, JEAN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US13/075,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20110270806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 701/31.4, 707/698
• US Class Current: 701/31.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for checking a communication system (3) comprising a plurality of modules (7) adapted to be installed in an aircraft under development (5), said checking device including:

• • means (11) for building an identification and synchronization database (17) for said communication system (3), said database contractually defining interfaces between said plurality of modules from change notes relative to an initial technical definition,
  • means (11) for defining, in said database (17), signals configured to be exchanged between said plurality of modules (7) via a plurality of connections (3) interconnecting said interfaces, said signals being defined to be synchronized with each other as well as with the physical materialization of said connections, and
  • means (11) for checking, before an evaluation of a maturation test of the communication system (3), an interface consistency for all of said signals of said database (17).

Claims

1. A method for checking an aircraft communication system comprised of a plurality of modules and adapted to be installed in an aircraft under development, the method comprising:

building an identification and synchronization database for said aircraft communication system in memory, said database defining functions and characteristics of interfaces between said plurality of modules based on change notes relative to an initial technical definition;

defining, in said database, signals configured to be exchanged between said plurality of modules via a plurality of connections interconnecting said interfaces, said signals being defined to be synchronized with each other and to be compatible with a physical materialization of said connections; and

checking, before an evaluation of a maturation test of said aircraft communication system, interface consistency for all of said signals of said database using corresponding aircraft identifiers, each of which serves as a specification for avionics installation and includes a logic portion associated with said signals and a physical portion associated with the physical materialization of said connections.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the database includes a synchronization identification of the signals between said modules.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said synchronization identification defines a functional consistency between said signals, and coordination between said signals and physical connections corresponding to the physical materialization of said connections that are configured to convey said signals.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the physical connections include cables each including a plurality of connectors corresponding to said plurality of connections interconnecting said interfaces, and the database includes a broaching identification and a correspondence between each said signal and the connector configured to convey said signal.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said signals are defined by ensuring that each said signal has a same characteristics between a transmitting module and a receiving module of the plurality of modules.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising continuously updating of the database to include at least one of any functional and any physical evolution of said interfaces and said signals.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said building said database includes successive construction of said database corresponding to successive maturation tests, each maturation test including, in an evolving manner, a set of functions to test where each function is configured to trigger a set of signals representative of said function.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said maturation tests include:

functional tests, simulation tests, and tests on the aircraft.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein each maturation test consists of checking signals exchanged between the different modules, and evaluating a proper operation of the corresponding modules of the plurality of modules of the aircraft.

10. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the aircraft identifiers are used to analyze any interface inconsistencies identified by said checking, and

wherein the method further comprises synthesizing the analysis results to produce an incompatibility analysis table.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a list of functions to be tested for each maturation test of a plurality of maturation tests, including the maturation test of said checking; and

defining, for each said maturation test, technical content for each step, said defining including defining a list of change notes that define evolution of technical characteristics of different modules or connections of the aircraft under development to perform the functions to be tested and for implementation,

wherein the implementation includes integrating the change notes into one or more system interface documents and into one or more functional diagrams, the one or more system interface documents and the one or more functional diagrams corresponding to function definitions of the aircraft under development, and the one or more system interface documents and the one or more functional diagrams being used for said building said database.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said database includes at least one functional diagram and at least one system interface document, said at least one functional diagram and said at least one system interface document corresponding to a function definition of the aircraft under development.

13. The method according to claim 12,

wherein said at least one system interface document describes a type of logic and a type of medium, and

wherein said at least one functional diagram defines correspondences between said signals and a wiring harnesses to be manufactured.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein said database is built based on interdependences between inter system data, a wiring requirement document, and an integrated module avionic, which in turn are based on the change notes and an identified list of functions to be tested.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

creating one or more of equipment or system installment requirements based on a list of functions to be tested and change notes and wiring plans created based on a functional diagram associated with said database.

16. A device for checking an aircraft communication system comprised of a plurality of modules and adapted to be installed in an aircraft under development, said checking device comprising circuitry configured to:

build an identification and synchronization database for said aircraft communication system in memory, said database defining functions and characteristics of interfaces between said plurality of modules based on change notes relative to an initial technical definition;

define, in said database, signals configured to be exchanged between said plurality of modules via a plurality of connections interconnecting said interfaces, said signals being defined to be synchronized with each other and to be compatible with a physical materialization of said connections; and

check, before an evaluation of a maturation test of said aircraft communication system, interface consistency for all of said signals of said database using corresponding aircraft identifiers, each of which serves as a specification for avionics installation and includes a logic portion associated with said signals and a physical portion associated with the physical materialization of said connections.

17. The device according to claim 16,

wherein the aircraft identifiers are used to analyze any interface inconsistencies identified by the checking using the circuitry, and

wherein the circuitry is further configured to synthesize the analysis results to produce an incompatibility analysis table.

18. The device according to claim 16, wherein the maturation test consists of checking the signals exchanged between the different modules and evaluating proper operation of the different modules.

19. A system for checking an aircraft communication system comprised of a plurality of modules and adapted to be installed in an aircraft under development, said checking system comprising circuitry configured to:

build an identification and synchronization database for said aircraft communication system in memory, said database defining functions and characteristics of interfaces between said plurality of modules based on change notes relative to an initial technical definition;

define, in said database, signals configured to be exchanged between said plurality of modules via a plurality of connections interconnecting said interfaces, said signals being defined to be synchronized with each other and to be compatible with a physical materialization of said connections; and

check interface consistency for all of said signals of said database using corresponding aircraft identifiers, each of which serves as a specification for avionics installation and includes a logic portion associated with said signals and a physical portion associated with the physical materialization of said connections.

20. The system according to claim 19,

wherein said database includes at least one functional diagram and at least one system interface document, said at least one functional diagram and said at least one system interface document corresponding to a function definition of the aircraft under development,

wherein said database is built based on interdependences between inter system data, a wiring requirement document, and an integrated module avionic, which in turn are based on the change notes and an identified list of functions to be tested, and

wherein each of said aircraft identifiers is created based on said database that includes the at least one functional diagram and the at least one system interface document and is built based on the interdependences between inter system data, the wiring requirement document, and the integrated module avionic, which in turn are based on the change notes and the identified list of functions to be tested.