Method for integrating a new service into an avionics onboard system with open architecture of client-server type, in particular for an FIM manoeuvre service

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10154096-B2
Application number	US-201615202509-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 5, 2016
Priority date	Jul 7, 2015
Publication date	Dec 11, 2018
Grant date	Dec 11, 2018

Abstract

A method for integrating a new navigation service is implemented in an avionics onboard system comprising a DAL+ core computer and a DAL− peripheral computer for managing the application. The method of integration determines an optimal functional and physical distribution of the elementary functions FU(i) of the new service within the onboard avionics system over the set of possible distributions which minimizes a global cost criterion CG, dependent on several parameters, including at least the additional development cost of the elementary functions integrated within the digital DAL+ core computer, and carries out the integration of the new service.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for functionally and physically integrating a new navigation service to be integrated into an avionics onboard system,
the avionics onboard system comprising:
a digital core computer DAL+, having a first criticality level DAL+, integrated into an initial architecture of peripheral computers and of databases having second safety criticality levels DAL−, lower than or equal to the first criticality level DAL+, and serving as a server by hosting a first plurality of generic open services Serv_DAL+(j), and
a peripheral computer DAL− for managing the new navigation service to be integrated, having a second criticality level DAL−, lower than or equal to the first criticality level DAL+, by dispatching service requests to the digital core computer DAL+ and/or to the peripheral computers and the databases of the initial architecture through a communications network;
wherein the method for functionally and physically integrating the new navigation service comprises the steps consisting in:
functionally decomposing the new navigation service into a second plurality of elementary functions FU(i),
determining, on a basis of the second plurality of the elementary functions FU(i), a first list of the elementary functions that can be executed in part or entirely by at least one generic open service, and for each elementary function a first sub-list of generic open service(s);
determining an optimal functional and physical distribution of the elementary functions FU(i) within the avionics onboard system over a set of possible distributions which minimizes a global cost criterion CG, dependent on several parameters, including at least an additional development cost of the elementary functions integrated within the digital DAL+ core computer and which guarantees a DAL level of an aircraft as a whole; and
carrying out the integration of the new navigation service by implementing the elementary functions and their scheduling according to the optimal functional and physical distribution determined within the onboard avionics system.

2. The method for functionally and physically integrating a new navigation service according to claim 1 , wherein:
the optimal functional and physical distribution of the elementary functions FU(i) within the onboard avionics system over the set of possible distributions is determined so as to minimize a first global cost criterion CG 1 which takes into account only the additional development cost of the elementary functions integrated within the digital DAL+ core computer; and
the integration of the new navigation service is carried out by implementing the elementary functions and their scheduling according to the optimal functional and physical distribution determined within the onboard avionics system by using the first global cost criterion CG 1 .

3. The method for functionally and physically integrating a new navigation service according to claim 1 , wherein:
the optimal functional and physical distribution of the elementary functions FU(i) within the onboard avionics system over the set of possible distributions is determined so as to minimize a second global cost criterion CG 2 which also takes into account a development cost of communication interfaces between the DAL+ core computer and the peripheral computers, a cost in response time and a cost of maintainability so as to minimize communication exchanges; and
the integration of the new client navigation service is carried out by implementing the elementary functions and their scheduling according to the optimal functional and physical distribution determined within the onboard avionics system by using the second global cost criterion CG 2 .

4. The method for functionally and physically integrating a new navigation service according to claim 2 , wherein:
the optimal functional and physical distribution of the elementary functions FU(i) within the onboard avionics system over the set of possible distributions is determined so as to minimize a third global cost criterion CG 3 which also takes into account a development of certain segments of code of low DAL level in the DAL+ core computer so as to minimize a complexity of the whole with a view to maintenance and evolution; and
the integration of the new navigation service is carried out by implementing the elementary functions and their scheduling according to the optimal functional and physical distribution determined within the onboard avionics system by using the third global cost criterion CG 3 .

5. The method for functionally and physically integrating a new navigation service according to claim 1 , wherein:
the optimal functional and physical distribution of the elementary functions FU(i) within the onboard avionics system over the set of possible distributions is determined so as to minimize a fourth global cost criterion CG 4 which also takes into account use of DAL+ level code libraries in the peripheral computer of DAL− level so as to minimize the use of resources of the DAL+ core computer; and
the integration of the new navigation service is carried out by implementing the elementary functions and their scheduling according to the optimal functional and physical distribution determined within the onboard avionics system by using the fourth global cost criterion CG 4 .

6. The method for functionally and physically integrating a new navigation service according to claim 1 , further comprising an additional step, executed after having determined an optimal functional and physical distribution of the elementary functions FU(i) within the onboard avionics system, and consisting in:
performance of the new navigation service being verified and evaluated by emulation or simulation, and/or
performance of the initial services implemented on the core computer and the peripheral computers being verified.

7. The method for functionally and physically integrating a new navigation service according to claim 1 , wherein:
the new navigation service is a FIM navigation service for manoeuvres for a relative spacing between aircraft integrated functionally and physically into the onboard navigation system; and
the FIM spacing manoeuvre is characterized by a succession of elementary functions FIM_FU(i); and
the digital DAL+ core computer hosts services Serv_DAL+(j) for computing temporal predictions according to a specified guidance mode and which are used for the implementation of part of the elementary functions making up the spacing manoeuvre OPEN_FIM, and
the digital DAL+ core computer is coupled to computers for piloting the aircraft.

8. The method for functionally and physically integrating a new navigation service according to claim 7 , wherein the generic services Serv_DAL+(j) for computing temporal predictions according to a guidance mode comprises:
a first service Serv_DAL+( 1 ) for temporal integration with a view to obtaining predictions according to a vertical guidance mode from among:
climb with fixed thrust and longitudinal speed setpoint (CAS, TAS, MACH or GS); mode termed ‘Open Climb’ in the conventional terminology;
climb with longitudinal speed setpoint and vertical speed setpoint (V/S); mode termed “CLIMB VS/SPEED” in the conventional terminology;
climb with longitudinal speed setpoint and slope setpoint (FPA); mode termed “CLIMB FPA/SPEED” in the conventional terminology;
descent modes (OPEN DES, VS, FPA, mirroring the climb modes); according to a horizontal guidance mode from among:
acquisition and Holding of heading (Heading mode),
acquisition and Holding of Course (Track or Course mode),
FMS trajectory tracking (LNAV Lateral Navigation mode),
radioelectric beam tracking (VOR, DME, LOC, etc.),
acquisition and Holding of lateral roll,
acquisition and H

Assignees

• Thales Sa

Inventors

• Coulmeau François
• Deweerdt Laurent

Classifications

• G08G5/0052

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01C21/00

  Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 (measuring distance traversed on the ground by a vehicle G01C22/00; control of position, course, altitude or attitude of vehicles G05D1/00; traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968) · CPC title

• G08G5/0021

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F9/5061

  Partitioning or combining of resources · CPC title

• G08G5/0078

  Physics · mapped topic