[Avionics Today 11-7-2014] The Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee’s (AEEC) 2014 mid term session hosted by Eurocontrol in Brussels produced the adoption of four new ARINC standards and an update for an existing one. The newly adopted standards include new guidelines for the development of avionics systems and components. These standards will provide benefits to operators flying through U.S. and European airspace where Air Traffic Management (ATM) technology is being upgraded under the respective Single European Sky and NextGen programs.
The ARINC 702A-4 update impacts aircraft Flight Management Computers, such as the one pictured here. Photo: Rockwell Collins.
ARINC standards affect new and evolving cockpit technologies such as advanced Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) and touchscreen cockpit displays. More than 250 organizations participate in the development of ARINC Standards.
ARINC 485, a cabin management and entertainment system standard, was updated to include extended built in test messages for passenger seat actuation systems used with premium seats. This standard was updated to provide more of a definition for the way that the actuators on aircraft seats report their built in testing mechanisms.
ARINC 620-8, the Data Link Ground System Standard and Interface Specification (DGSS/IS) standard, was adopted to support Aircraft Meteorological Data Relay (AMDAR) Version 6 as defined by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). AMDAR provides meteorological observations from sensors on more than 3,000 commercial jet aircraft from 39 participating airlines, according to Paul Prisaznuk, head of ARINC standards development and AEEC’s executive secretary.
“The data is downlinked via the ACARS communications protocol. This service complements conventional sources of upper air meteorological data derived from satellites and radiosondes. The real-time data is available to government agencies, such as NOAA, in support of forecasting operations,” Prisaznuk said. “The type of data includes: latitude, longitude, time, pressure (or altitude), wind direction, wind speed, water vapor and turbulence. Improved weather reporting is essential to NextGen and SESAR airspace initiatives.”
ARINC 653, the Avionics Application Software Standard Interface, Part 5, Core Recommended Capabilities standard, was also prepared to describe avionics real-time operating systems used with Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA). The IMA architecture, which has become the standard avionics configuration on airframes over the last decade, replaces numerous separate processors and Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) with fewer, more centralized processing units. Prisaznuk said future work on ARINC 653 will include the “definition of software operating system services to support multi-core processors.” ARINC 653 operating systems are part of the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE), which is a government-industry software standard and business strategy designed to acquire affordable software systems that can rapidly integrate portable capabilities across government defense programs.
Last but certainly not least, ARINC 702A-4, a standard defining the advanced Flight Management Computer (FMC) system, was updated to add winds temperature definitions as required to support 4D trajectory operations in NextGen and Single European Sky airspace environments.
“This update will enable airlines to meet Required Time of Arrival (RTA) accuracy requirements and in particular, arrival at metering point with an accuracy of ±10 seconds. This update provides a significant improvement to the accuracy of the aircraft trajectory and it will reduce airline fuel consumption,” Prisaznuk added.
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