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The use of control architectures with the Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) concept (“IMA architectures”) in aerospace and the Integrated Modular Electronics (IME) concept (“IME architectures”) in automotive applications is growing due to its reduced number of hardware such as processors, Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) and Electronic Control Units (ECUs), thereby reducing weight and costs. Furthermore, IMA architectures can perform complex reconfigurations in the case of failures and adapt themselves to changes in network functioning or operating modes, which make a control system very robust. The objective of this work is to discuss the use of an IMA architecture to simulate an aerospace control system responsible for maintaining a vehicle in a predetermined trajectory. To do that, we review the current literature related to IMA architectures and give an overview of their characteristics. Then, we choose an aerospace control system and discuss its simulation using an IMA platform.

AUTOSAR (AUTomotive Open System ARchitecture) is a worldwide standard for automotive basic software in line with an architecture that eases exchange and transfer of application software components between platforms or companies. AUTOSAR provides the standardized architecture together with the specifications of the basics software along with the methodology for developing embedded control units for automotive applications. AUTOSAR matured over the last several years through intensive development, implementation and maintenance. Two main releases (R3.2 and R4.0) represent its current degree of maturity. AUTOSAR is driven by so called core partners: leading car manufacturers (BMW, Daimler, Ford, GM, PSA, Toyota, Volkswagen) together with the tier 1 suppliers Continental and Bosch. AUTOSAR in total has more than 150 companies (OEM, Tier X suppliers, SW and tool suppliers, and silicon suppliers) as members from all over the world.

ESL (Electric System Level) Design Methodologies enable us to design and verify various electrical behaviors of automotive electronics including automotive semiconductors on a simulator before hardware prototyping. It could facilitate the optimization of hardware structures, and shorten the total development period by reducing rework process. We propose the “ESL Design Methodologies for Automotive” to renovate conventional development scheme. ESL technology began to be used from the domain of digital consumer electronics. Regarding automotive electronics domain, however, we would not be able to adapt the same methodologies to automotive systems, which consist of many mixed-signal components. Also, another approach is required for the rising demand of safety design sort of functional safety.

This paper discusses the merits, benefits and usage of autonomous key management (with implicit authentication) (AKM) solutions for securing Electronic Module to Electronic Module (i.e. ECUs, FCC, REUs, etc.) communication within air (and defense) vehicles and IoT applications; particularly for transmissions between externally exposed, edge Electronic Module sensors connected to Electronic Modules within the air (and defense) vehicle infrastructure. Specific benefits addressed include reductions of communication latency, implementation complexity, processing power and energy consumption. Implementation issues discussed include provisioning, key rotation, synchronization, re-synchronization, digital signatures and enabling high entropy.

A Technology Demonstration Model (TDM) of a heat rejection system dedicated to advanced spacecraft and payload thermal control has been manufactured by AERITALIA under an European Space Agency (ESA) Contract. After survey and studies, AERITALIA has defined the characteristics and performances of a heat rejection system able to fulfil the requirements of some future spacecraft. The TDM is a model representative of this system in term of applicable software and hardware and has the main objective of demonstrating the performance and of validating the utilized hardware. The TDM consists of radiator panels (1.85×1.2 m),Spacelab type plumbing, fluid loop servicer with pump package, thermal control valves (by-pass and flow metering) and of an electronic control unit based on a microprocessor. The radiator panels, flow control valves and the control unit have been designed and developed for this application which serves as a prequalification programme.

A Landing Gear Control and Actuation System (LGCAS) is one of the most complex aircraft systems. Due to the large landing gear masses and high performance requirements, aircraft hydraulic power with multiple hydraulic actuators and valves is used to provide system dynamic. LGCAS also requires a electrical source of energy for the electro-mechanical components, sensors and electronic control unit. For many years, correct fault isolation in a complex kinematic system, such as an aircraft landing gear actuation system, has been a great challenge with limited success. The fault isolation design challenge rests on the fact that landing gear control and actuation system has many so called “passive” components, whose basic function cannot be continuously monitored without additional sensors, transducers, and designated health monitoring equipment.

A new electronics system is being developed to add all weather navigation and attack capabilities to the USAF F-16 aircraft. This system will be mounted under the aircraft in two removable pods, each of which will carry a self-contained environmental control unit (ECU). The extreme mission duty cycle and sophistication of this system results in some unique challenges in the specification and design of this next generation pod mounted ECU package. These include a small high density ECU package, sizing the ECU based on detailed transient performance requirements, and a nontraditional approach to enable the ECU vapor cycle refrigeration system to operate at low ambient temperatures. This paper outlines the ECU requirements, describes the resulting ECU design concepts and configuration, and makes some recommendations for future applications of similar systems.

Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing is an indispensable tool in the software development process for electronic control units (ECUs) and Logical Replaceable Units (LRUs) and is an integral part of the software validation process for many organizations. HIL simulation is regarded as the tried-and-tested method for function, component, integration and network tests for the entire system. Using the Model based design approach has further enabled improved and faster HIL implementations in recent years. This paper describes the changing requirements for HIL simulation, and how they need to be addressed by HIL technology. It also addresses the challenges faced while setting up a successful HIL system: namely the division of tasks, the total cost of ownership, budget constraints and tough competition and the adaptability of a HIL simulator to new demands. These requirements are discussed using a dSPACE HIL system architecture that was designed from the ground-up to address these needs.

To make the development of complex aircraft systems manageable and economical, tests must be performed as early as possible in the development process. The test goals are already set in advance before the first hardware for the ECUs exists, to be able to make statements about the system functions or possible malfunctions. This paper describes the requirements on and solutions for test systems for ECUs that arise from these goals. It especially focuses on how a seamless workflow and consistent use of test systems and necessary software tools can be achieved, from the virtual test of ECUs, which exist only as models, up to the test of real hardware. This will be shown in connection with a scalable, fully software-configurable hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) technology. The paper also covers the seamless use of software tools that are required for HIL testing throughout the different test phases, enabling the reuse of work products throughout the test phases.

Aircraft engines in the (ELA1) category, with a maximum power of up to 100kW, are characterized by a verified state of the art technology. New developments of engine technologies and control methods are very slowly being introduced into this engine segment. This trend is based on the fact that new technologies implemented in aircraft engines must be thoroughly certified and validated in a very complex and documented procedure. For this reason, most of the engines in this class are equipped with a carburetor as an air/fuel mixture preparation system. Moreover, naturally aspirated spark ignited engines are widely used in the aircraft category, with a take-off weight of up to 1000kg.

The developed assembly is a Water Controlled Pump Assembly (WCPA) consisting of a hydraulic pump with its mechanical (bearings, seals) and hydraulic fittings. This pump is driven with a brush-less DC motor and its Electronic Control Unit. The manufactured pump package has been made according to ESA specifications. The optimal combination of hydraulic and electro-mechanic is the key of the high overall efficiency: more than 30%.

This paper describes challenges and possible solution of hybrid electrical vehicles test systems with a special focus on hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test bench. The degree of novelty of this work can be seen in the fact that development and test of ECU for hybrid electrical powertrains can move more and more from mechanical test benches with real automotive components to HIL test systems. The challenging task in terms of electrical interface between an electric motor ECU and an HIL system and necessary real-time capable simulation models for electric machines have been investigated and partly solved. Even cell balancing strategies performed by battery management systems (BMU) can be developed and tested using HIL technology with battery simulation models and a precise cell voltage simulation on electrical level.

Over the last several years, Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) simulators have become the de-facto standard for aerospace control systems verification and validation. The primary purpose of these HIL systems is to allow rapid development of Electronic Control Unit (ECU) software and simultaneous controls engineering while the target plant platforms are concurrently being implemented. dSPACE HIL simulators are based on proven Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) hardware and software tools for real-time that allow for a very flexible and intuitive implementation process. Many of the development and testing issues with aerospace ECUs can now be handled readily with accessible tools. An overview of HIL simulator components, available tools and technologies, and some of the associated implementation benefits will be shown in this paper.

This paper describes two smart fault tolerant systems (EURECA TCU and Pump Package ECU) that have been studied by MICROTECNICA in the frame of European Space programs. EURECA TCU: The TCU is the electronic unit of the FURECA Thermal Control System and consists of two cold redundant sections each with the prime task of controlling the temperature of 129 points on the carrier. It does this by switching on and off the appropriate heater, according to the temperature measured by the dedicated thermistors. Each control loop (thermistor, TCU, heater) is dual redundant and con be in case of one failure. The system can tolerate one failure without the loss of the correspondent control function. PUMP PACKAGE ECU: This is a proposed system to act as the electronic unit for the control and regulation of the mass Flow of a water and/or freon pump package. It consists of two redundant electronic control channels.

All automotive ECUs are required to be designed for manufacturability. Sufficient support in the ECU product design needs to be incorporated early in the product life cycle for the product to be successfully and efficiently manufactured, necessitating serial communication capability in the design. However, in low-cost automotive Instrument Clusters the customer requirements for the product typically do not encapsulate serial communication, and the ECU is not required to support repair/rework out of field rejection. This paper delineates the said need, examines the challenges for manufacturability of low-cost Instrument Clusters and proposes a plausible design strategy to help the issue with a use-case instance.

Development and verification of systems for internal aircraft networks include multiple software layers. These layers are mainly the application-specific components, communication layers, redundancy management and other system services. Verification of these system layers in the early stages of the design process, before a physical network is available, and during the design process has become a critical need in order to reduce design costs and project risks. Time-Triggered Architectures (TTA) and SCADE are both well-established technologies and tools for building safety-critical embedded systems. Both are based on the synchronous paradigm; TTA for the communication infrastructure and distributed embedded computing, and SCADE for simulating and generating code for the application components.

The pressure losses across the different parts of a regenerative Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) have been modeled and compared with the measured pressure loss and with the measured changes in the instantaneous weight of the DPF of a commercial automotive diesel engine. The comparisons were made in three operating conditions selected among those included in the transient cycle established in the European Emission Directive. The first one is a low-load mode, with high soot emissions and therefore with high contribution to the DPF charge. The second one is a medium-load mode, in which the balance of soot charge versus spontaneous soot regeneration leads to a slow DPF charging, the temperature at the exhaust manifold being high enough to permit active regeneration. The third one is a high-load mode, in which the spontaneous regeneration leads to a net DPF discharge, the active regeneration becoming useless.

Experimental tests have been carried out on a single-cylinder crankcase-scavenged two-stroke engine, with both indirect and direct gasoline injection, in order to compare the results obtained with these two different fuel-feeding systems. Engine operating conditions were chosen like those of a typical aeronautical application. They were determined using a theoretical method, that is by computing the power of an aircraft, that is necessary for a steady-state flight at different aircraft velocities. This power curve turned out to be in good agreement with the “propeller load” that was experimentally found through preliminary bench tests, that is, the cubic characteristic, of power versus engine revolution speed, matching the maximum power of the engine. Brake specific fuel consumption (bsfc) and exhaust emission measurements were then carried out using bench tests along the “propeller load”.

This paper explores how to enhance your autonomous system (AS) testing capabilities and quality assurance using a completely automated hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test environment that interfaces to or simulates autonomous sensor technology, such as cameras, radar, LIDAR, and other key technologies, such as GNSS/maps and V2X communication. The key to performing such real-time testing is the ability to stimulate the various electronic control units (ECUs)/sensors through closed-loop simulation of the vehicle, its environment, traffic, surroundings, etc., along with playback of captured sensor data and its synchronization with key vehicle bus and application data. The latest technologies are introduced, which allow for direct sensor data injection to ECUs/line replaceable units (LRUs) for test interaction and stimulus, in addition to dynamic, on-the-fly modification of sensor data streams. It will be shown how these techniques are integrated with current HIL systems.

In last few years there has been great research to increase safety of on-road vehicles by providing information of various vehicle parameters to the user/driver while driving on road. Many algorithms have been developed to assess the vehicle run time situations and enable vehicle ECU to take decisions for autonomous driving. These algorithms are derived using data captured from sensors predominantly make use of vehicle dynamic information. The design proposed in this paper discusses capturing of two important and critical vehicle run time parameters i.) Vehicle tire pressure and the ii.) Road gradient. These parameters then help us in determining the effective fuel efficiency of the vehicle and approximate distance that user can drive with the amount of fuel remaining in the tank.