Verification and Validation Framework for AFDX Avionics Networks

Abstract

Aircrafts fully rely in a wide variety of electronic systems: sensors, navigation equipment, representation screens and communication elements. The interconnection of these avionics implies a huge challenge for the aircraft communication networks. Extremely stringent requirements in terms of reliability and predictability have to be provided for a safe operation. There are also important limitations to recreate those networks in a prototype form, due to the costs of the related equipment and the interest of testing different architectures and possible configurations dynamically. Moreover, performance estimation approaches based solely on network calculus provide limits for worst-case scenarios, without generating a detailed feedback under different circumstances and configurations of the network and different data sources. In this context, the present work proposes and develops an evaluation framework for avionics networks in order to support the verification and validation (V&V) procedures of the communication system before applying for certification. The proposed framework implements an event-based simulator in Simulink for Avionics Full-Duplex Switched Ethernet (AFDX), one of the most extended data protocols for avionics. This is evaluated in comparison with network calculus and bibliography performance estimation approaches, demonstrating its accuracy and capabilities.

Keywords

• Avionics
• ARINC664
• AFDX
• communications
• verification and validation
• protocols