ARINC 661 HMI Development Using Structured Functional Description Language
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current aeronautical software development methods for interactive graphic interfaces in aircraft cockpits are inefficient due to manual coding, lack of unified design methods, and high risk of inconsistencies between graphical and functional changes, leading to increased development and maintenance complexities.
Innovation Solution
An integrated development bench using a structured functional description language in XML, which creates, simulates, and integrates graphic and logical functions for ARINC 661 HMIs, enabling unified design and development, automatic code production, and dynamic flow control through input and output plugs, ensuring consistency with the ARINC 661 standard.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If manual coding methods are used for ARINC 661 HMI development, then flexibility in implementation is maintained, but development complexity and time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses template-based widgets that can be copied and reused across different HMI applications. These templates encapsulate predefined graphical representations and behaviors, allowing developers to rapidly deploy consistent UI elements without manual coding for each instance, thereby reducing development time while maintaining flexibility through customization of copied templates
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements configurable parameters within widgets that allow dynamic adjustment of graphical representations and behaviors. By changing parameters rather than rewriting code, developers can adapt widgets to different contexts quickly, reducing both development time and complexity while maintaining the flexibility to meet specific project requirements
2Device complexity
If separate definition files and manual code are used for graphical and functional aspects, then independence of concerns is achieved, but consistency between graphical and functional changes becomes difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the definition file and manual code into a unified widget system where graphical representations and functional behaviors are integrated within single widget objects. This unification ensures that when either graphical or functional aspects change, the consistency is automatically maintained because both aspects are part of the same structured widget definition, eliminating the inconsistency problems of separate files
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements validation mechanisms that provide feedback when graphical or functional changes are made to widgets. The system automatically checks for consistency between the graphical representation and functional behavior, alerting developers to potential inconsistencies and ensuring reliability while maintaining the separation of concerns through structured validation
3Adaptability or versatility
If project-specific development methods are used for each ARINC 661 HMI, then customization to project requirements is achieved, but development costs and complexity increase due to lack of reuse
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates universal widget templates that can serve multiple functions across different HMI applications. These templates are designed to be adaptable to various project requirements while maintaining a consistent structure, allowing the same widget framework to handle diverse aviation display needs without requiring project-specific development methods, thereby reducing complexity while preserving adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the HMI development into reusable widget components that can be independently configured and assembled. By breaking down the interface into modular, standardized segments, the system achieves adaptability to different project requirements through configuration rather than custom development, reducing both methodology complexity and development costs
Data Source
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AI summary
The method involves realizing an executable software by a development segment of an aeronautical software application. Functional capacities of widgets created or integrated by computing units of the segment, are defined by associating consumed variables i.e. input plugs, to modifiable attributes of one widget, and associating produced variables i.e. output plugs, to notifications of events produced by the widget, where one input plug is specific data to dynamically modify graphical attributes of the widget and one output plug is data signaling a state change request for one equipment.