Aircraft Control Truth Tables for Exhaustive Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Designing and testing aircraft control systems with multiple inputs and outputs is cumbersome and costly due to the need for exhaustive testing of all combinations, which is impractical with existing methods, especially in safety-critical systems where certification requires exhaustive testing of all input and output relationships.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a processor-based system with a configuration database of truth tables that define all logical operations, limiting each truth table to 13 or fewer inputs to ensure exhaustive testing can be completed within a practical time frame, using a configuration database with input/output vector maps to manage inputs and outputs efficiently and deterministically.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If exhaustive testing of all input combinations is performed, then system reliability and certification compliance are improved, but testing time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the testing process by dividing the truth table into multiple sections, where each section tests a subset of input combinations. This allows exhaustive testing to be performed in manageable portions rather than as a single monolithic process, reducing the time loss while maintaining complete coverage of all input combinations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the number of inputs in truth tables is increased to accommodate complex systems, then system complexity handling is improved, but testing time increases exponentially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing complex truth tables with many inputs into multiple smaller sections. Each section handles a manageable subset of inputs and their combinations, allowing the system to accommodate complex systems while keeping individual test sections within practical time limits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic testing by allowing the truth table structure to adapt based on the number of inputs. When the number of inputs exceeds a threshold, the system automatically segments the truth table into multiple sections, dynamically adjusting the testing approach to maintain efficiency while handling system complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If manual review and detailed testing of software code is performed, then software quality is improved, but the design process becomes cumbersome and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses copying by creating a standardized truth table template that can be replicated and applied to different software modules. This template includes predefined sections for input combinations, expected outputs, and test cases, allowing systematic quality verification without requiring complex manual review processes for each module.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by transforming the software verification process from manual code review to automated truth table-based testing. By changing the verification parameter from source code inspection to input-output behavior validation, the system achieves high software quality while reducing design process complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
We describe apparatus or a programmable logic platform for controlling a complex system. There is a processor, a plurality of inputs coupled to the processor for providing input data from the complex system to the processor, a configuration database coupled to the processor wherein said configuration database defines a plurality of logical operations to be performed on said plurality of inputs, said plurality of functional operations comprising a plurality of logical operations, and a plurality of outputs for outputting data from the processor wherein the output data is determined based on the plurality of functional operations which have been performed on the input data and wherein the output data is used to control the complex system. The configuration database comprises a set of truth tables which define all the plurality of operations and each truth table has thirteen or fewer inputs whereby the operations are exhaustively testable.