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KALASALINGAM UNIVERSITY

(Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education)


Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering
AVIONICS- ECE444
UNIT-I
INTRODUCTION TO AVIONICS


Avionics are the electronic systems used on aircraft, artificial satellites, and spacecraft which is a
Combination of aviation and electronics.
Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple
systems, and the hundreds of systems that are fitted to aircraft to perform individual functions. These
can be as simple as a searchlight for a police helicopter or as complicated as the tactical system for an
airborne early warning platform.
Avionics system or Avionics sub-system dependent on electronics
Avionics industry- a major multi-billion dollar industry world wide
Avionics equipment on a modern military or civil aircraft\ account for around
30% of the total cost of the aircraft
40% in the case of a maritime patrol/anti-submarine aircraft (or helicopter)
Over 75% of the total cost in the case of an airborne early warning aircraft
such as an AWACS
AVIONIC SYSTEMS ARE ESSENTIAL
To enable the flight crew to carry out the aircraft mission safely and efficiently
Mission is carrying passengers to their destination (Civil Airliner)
Intercepting a hostile aircraft, attacking a ground target, reconnaissance or maritime patrol
(Military Aircraft)
NEED FOR AVI ONI CS I N CI VI L AND MI LI TARY AI RCRAFT AND SPACE SYSTEMS
Need for avionics in Civil Aircraft systems
1) For Mission and Management computation
2) For getting the magnetic field thru Magnetometer
3) For various Payloads and Data-link Control through extended I/O
4) Reduce the crew workload
5) By Avionics in Civil Aircrafts, aircraft mission carried safely and efficiently.
6) By All Weather operation thru avionics reduce the maintenance cost of aircraft
7) For better flight control, performing computations and increased control over flight control
surfaces. (PWM)
8) For navigation, provide information using sensors like Altitude and Head Reference System
(AHRS).
9) Provide air data like altitude, atmospheric pressure, temperature, etc.
10) Increased safety for crew and passengers.
11) Reduction in aircraft weight which can be translated into increased number of passengers or
long range.
Need for Avionics in Space Systems
Thru Avionics, excellent Sensors used around the spacecraft for data acquisition.
Redundancy system and autopilot are the needs using Avionics in Space systems
Fly-by-wire communication system used for space vehicle's attitude and translation control.
Autopilot redundancy system.
On-board computers used in satellites for processing the data.
Military aircraft
Avionics in fighter aircraft eliminates the need for a second crew member like navigator,
observer etc., which helps in reducing the training costs.
A single seat fighter is lighter and costs less than an equivalent two seat version.
Improved aircraft performance, control and handling.
Reduction in maintenance cost.
Secure communication.
IN THE MILITARY CASE
A single seat fighter or strike (attack) aircraft is lighter
Costs less than an equivalent two seat version
Elimination of the second crew member (navigator/observer/crew member)
Reduction in training costs
MAJOR DRIVER IN THE DEVELOPMENT
To meet the mission requirements with the minimum flight crew (namely the I
st
pilot & the 2
nd
pilot)
Economic benefits like
Saving of crew salaries
Expenses and training costs
Reduction in weigh-more passengers or longer range on less fuel
OTHER VERY IMPORTANT DRIVERS FOR AVIONICS SYSTEMS ARE
Increased safety
Air traffic control requirements
All weather operation
Reduction in fuel consumption
Improved aircraft performance and control and handling and reduction in maintenance costs
* In the military case, the avionics systems are also being driven by a continuing increase in the
threats posed by the defensive and offensive capabilities of potential aggressors

TYPICAL AVIONIC SUB SYSTEMS
1. Air Data System-indicating Pr,Altitude,Speed, Mach Number,Statc Air Temp etc
2. Flight Control System-indicating Signals for 3 axes Auto stabilization
3. Display System-like HUD,HOTAS
4. Cabin Inter-Communiication System
5. Engine Control system for engine temp, pr.
6. Flight Management System-FMS for flight path

1.Air Data System
1. Indicate Pr,
2. Altitude,
3. Speed,
4. Mach Number,
5. Statc Air Temp etc thru a computer called ADC

2. Flight Control System-Autopilot System
1. Means Fly by wire and Fly by Light two methods in Flight Control system
2. Include automatically controlling flight using auto-pilots Scheme to control heading and
altitude and for Auto stabilization-AFC
3. Limited authority on thrust and flight control surfaces

3. Navigation system
By Very High Frequency Omni directional Range or Distance Measuring Equipment DME
B. By Satellite Based Navigation by MEO Satellites at 1575 MHz Satcom via the Inmarsat
satellites using 4 Satellites centralized over the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean-
East, and Atlantic Ocean-West for high altitudes
C. Ground Based Navigation using LOS by VOR/DME having B-Nav and P-nav where the track
accuracy is within +/- 5 nm and +/-1nm
D. Use VOR for getting the navigation track from many ground stations between Aircraft and
ATC through VHF Freq. (108.1 through 117.95 MHz)
E. Satellite Based Navigation by GPS on 1575 MHz

VOR
A Radio Navigation system for Aircrafts sending VHF AM signal to the Aircraft
Aircraft derive a Magnetic bearing from the station to the aircraft (direction from the VOR
station in relation to Earths North at the time of installation)
Providing OMNI (VOR) or LOCALIZER (LOC) information with built-in VOR/LOC
Converter
Used with other nav/comms
GPS Navigation
Aircraft position by signals from MEO Satellites high above the Earth
3 satellites for fixing aircrafts position
3 segments; 1. space segment (SS), 2. a control segment (CS), and 3.user segment
Space Segment for No.of Satellites (12)Control Segment to track the position of Satellites,
(3).User segment (GPS receiver)
4.Display System
1. Produce Pre-Flight info
2. Giving Navigation Information
3. Airframe Data
4. Warning Information
5. Head up Display and
6. Multifunction Display
5.COMMUNICATION
Communications connecting the flight deck to the ground, and the flight deck to the
passengers
Flight Deck to Ground work on the Air-band of 118.000 MHz to 136.975 MHz (Air band
Receiver)
On board communication for Public Address system to the passengers and Aircraft intercom
to the crew .
Direct dialling to Aircraft thru INMARSAT or Iridium satellite
Voice Activated hands free intercom system with Transmit facility from Pilot to Passengers
with PTT for Pilot and Co pilot
Music thru Satellite Radio, MP3 or CD player on Stereo
6.ENGINE CONTROL SYSTEM
Engine control for Air density, throttle lever position, engine temperature and engine pressure
etc.
providing optimum engine efficiency for a given flight condition with redundant digital panels
for Safety.
7.FLIGHT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Flight Crew enter Flight Data such as Wind conditions, Runway Length, Cruice Altitude to
FMS
FMS computes power settings for various phases of the flight
MAJ OR ILITIES OF AVIONICS SYSTEM
Capability
Reliability
Maintainability
Certificability
Survivability(military)
Availability
Susceptibility
vulnerability
Life cycle cost(military) or cost of ownership(civil)
Technical risk
Weight & power
Capability:
How capable is avionics system?
can they do the job and even more?
Designer to maximize the capability of the system within the constraints that are imposed.
Reliability:
Designer strives to make systems as reliable as possible.
High reliability less maintenance costs.
If less reliable customer will not buy it and in terms of civil airlines the certificating agencies
will not certify it.
Maintainability:
Closely related to reliability
System must need preventive or corrective maintenance.
System can be maintained through built in testing, automated troubleshooting and easy access
to hardware.
Availability:
Combination of reliability and maintainability
Trade of between reliability and maintainability to optimize availability.
Availability translates into sorties for military aircraft and into revenue flights for civil
aircrafts.
Certificability:
Major area of concern for avionics in civil airlines.
Certification conducted by the regulatory agencies based on detailed, expert examination of all
facets of aircraft design and operation.
The avionics architecture should be straight forward and easily understandable.
There should be no sneak circuits and no noobvious modes of operation.
Avionics certification focus on three analyses: preliminary hazard, fault tree, and FMEA.
Survivability:
It is a function of susceptibility and vulnerability.
Susceptibility: measure of probability that an aircraft will be hit by a given threat.
Vulnerability: measure of the probability that damage will occur if there is a hit by the threat
Life cycle cost(LCC)or Cost of ownership:
It deals with economic measures need for evaluating avionics architecture.
It includes costs of varied items as spares acquisition, transportation, storage and training (crew
and Maintenance personnel's),hardware development and test, depreciation and interest.
Risk:
Amount of failures and drawbacks in the design and implementation.
Overcome by using the latest technology and fail proof technique to overcome both
developmental and long term technological risks.
Weight and power:
Minimize the weight and power requirements are two fundamental concepts of avionics design.
So the design must be light weight and power consuming which is possible through the data bus
and latest advancement of electronics devices.



INTEGRATED AVIONICS SYSTEM
Integrated avionics means different things to different people.
To the pilot, it means all the information is coordinated and available from a single source.
To the software engineer, it means access to shared data about the situation, the mission, and
the aircraft systems.
To the hardware designer, it means common modules in a single backplane with the
connectivity and bandwidth to support the required processing.

Advantages of Integrated Avionic System:
1. Advanced flight deck functions
2. Improved situational awareness to Pilot
3. Increased system flexibility for business and regional aircrafts.
4. Large Liquid Crystal Flat Panel Displays
5. Integrated Navigation
6. Quick Modification of Flight Plans for sudden change in weather, Terrain and Air Traffic.
7. Control of Cock Pit Info and Display Info
8. Integration with subsystems in the aircraft
Other features of Integrated Avionics
Electronic Warfare
Stores Management System
Inertial Reference System with GPS
Software providing 1.7 million lines of code
Liquid flow through cooling lending to an mean time between failures (MTBF) of 25,000 hours
Power Supply modules cooled with polyalphaolefin (PAO) liquid coolant to carry away heat
generated by the supplies' power-conversion process
Integrated Avionics Weapon Systems:
SONAR
RADAR
Military communications
Electro optics (FLIR or PIDS)
ECM OR ECCM
ESM/DAS
Tactical missile guidance
Integrated Weapon System:
Consisting of AIM-9 air-to-air missile fired with F-22 maneuvering 60 degrees Rolling per
second
All 52 missile tests prior to IOT&E complete
First JDAM separation test complete
Successful Gun system tests
Certified Chaff and flare countermeasures

DESI GN APPROACHES AND RECENT ADVANCES
Type of Approaches include
1. Integrated Modular System approach
2. Glass Cockpits
3. Fault Tolerant System
4. Federated &
5. Integrated Architecture
1.I ntegrated Modular System approach
By using Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) system increase the efficiency by reducing
Space, Weight and Power (SWaP)
Example:Boeings 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A380
Objective of IMA to combine a number of traditional, stand-alone federated systems into
integrated common platforms.
IMA increase power efficiency and reduces processor boards, reducing bill of materials
(BOM) and number of Line Replaceable Units (LRUs)
2. Glass Cockpits
Glass Cockpit avionics design providing prices often lower than the aggregate sum of all the
analog gauges
This shift allowing smaller aircraft to fly behind modern glass cockpit avionics available in
airliners and business jets.
3.Fault Tolerant System
Required to ensure safe operation of digital avionics systems performing flight-critical
functions.
FTS requirements must be documented in a specification of the intended behavior of a system,
specifying the tolerances imposed on the various outputs from the system
5. I ntegrated Architecture
Proposing a system organization where several functions (even of different criticality level)
sharing now computing and communication resources. as integrated modular avionics
MA enables resource savings, thus reasonably limits the global development costs.
Airbus A380 and Boeing B777 are examples of aircrafts using IMA
AVIONICS SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Avionics System Design
Starting point for designing a digital Avionics system is a clear understanding of the mission
requirements and the requirement levied by the host aircraft
Top-level Requirement for Military
The customer prepares the statement of need and top-level description of possible
missions
Describes the gross characteristic of a hypothetical aircraft that could fly the mission
Customer may also describe the mission environment and define strategic and tactical
philosophies and principles and rules of engagement.
PRELIMINARY THOUGHTS ON DESIGN
Design is, in general,
a team effort
a large system integration activity
done in three stages
iterative
creative, knowledge based.
The three stages are:
Conceptual design
Preliminary design
Detailed design
Conceptual Design
What will it do?
How will it do it?
What is the general arrangement of parts?
The end result of conceptual design is an artists or engineers conception of the
vehicle/product.
Example: Clay model of an automobile.


Preliminary Design
How big will it be?
How much will it weigh?
What engines will it use?
How much fuel or propellent will it use?
How much will it cost?
This is what you will do in this course.
Detailed Design
How many parts will it have?
What shape will they be?
What materials?
How will it be made?
How will the parts be joined?
How will technology advancements (e.g. lightweight material, advanced airfoils, improved
engines, etc.) impact the design?


A380 Arrangement

SPECIFICATION AND STANDARDS
The designer needs to satisfy
Customer who will buy and operate the vehicle (e.g. Delta, TWA)
Government Regulators (U.S. , Military, European, Japanese)
CUSTOMER SPECIFICATIONS
Performance:
Payload weight and volume
how far and how fast it is to be carried
how long and at what altitude
passenger comfort
flight instruments, ground and flight handling qualities
Cost:
Price of system and spares, useful life, maintenance hours per flight hour
Firm order of units, options, Delivery schedule, payment schedule
TYPICAL GOVERNMENT STANDARDS
Civil
FAA Civil Aviation Regulations define such things as required strength, acoustics,
effluents, reliability, take-off and landing performance, emergency egress time.
Military
May play a dual role as customer and regulator
MIL SPECS (Military specifications)
May set minimum standards for Mission turn-around time, strength, stability, speed-
altitude-maneuver capability, detectability, vulnerability
SYSTEM INTEGRATION
Aircraft/Spacecraft Design often involves integrating parts, large and small, made by other
vendors, into an airframe or spaceframe (also called the bus.)
Parts include
engines, landing gear, shock absorbers, wheels, brakes, tires
avionics (radios, antennae, flight control computers)
Cockpit instruments, actuators that move control surfaces, retract landing gears, etc...
AEROSPACE DESIGN INVOLVES
Lot of Analyses
Ground testing and simulation (e.g. wind tunnel tests of model aircraft, flight simulation, drop
tests, full scale mock-up, fatigue tests)
Flight tests
Top-level Requirement for Civil Aircraft
The aircraft manufacturer makes a very careful analysis of the potential customers route
structure, image , and operating philosophies to determine the customers need and postulates a
future operating environment.
The manufacturer then designs an aircraft that provides an optimum, balance response to the
integrated set of needs
Safety is always the highest priority need and economical operation is a close second.
Requirements of MIL-F-9490
Five operational States for the flight control system:
Operational State I: Normal Operation
Operational State II: Restricted Operation
Operational State I: Minimum safe Operation
Operational State I: Controllable to an immediate emergency landing
Operational State I: Controllable to an evacuable flight condition
Criticality Classification Definitions-9490
Essential : A function is essential if its loss degrades the flight control system beyond operational
state III.
Flight Phase Essential :Same as essential except it applies only during specific flight phases.
Non-Critical :Loss of function does not effect flight safety or reduce control capability beyond that
required for operation state III
APPLI CATI ON TECHNOLOGI ES
Requirement:
1. Flight Engineer should be Type E certified engineer to service and maintain the latest aircrafts
2. For future aircraft and retrofit applications Integrated Modular Architecture being offered.
Application Technologies:
1. Use of IMA for future aircrafts, thereby cost, weight, and volume are reduced.
2. Integration of offensive & defensive communication
3. Using Optical Sensors for 3D Wind Profile msmt
4. Optical Fiber Bus 1773 B used for high speed-300 Mbps
5. Using Flat Panel AMLCD in Cockpits.

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