Avionic Switch Time Reference Server for Data Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Avionic communication systems lack synchronization and frame synchronization during data transmission and reception, making it difficult to monitor delays and ensure consistency across equipment, particularly in systems like ARINC 664, which hinders the detection of abnormal propagation and frame crossing issues.
Innovation Solution
A digital data exchange architecture that includes a time referencing server in each switch to generate and manage local and global time references, measure transmission and receiving aging, and analyze aging information to generate next local time references, ensuring synchronization and consistency across communication planes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If asynchronous frame exchange is used in avionic communication systems, then equipment independence and flexibility are improved, but synchronization capability and monitoring precision deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
A time reference server is introduced as an intermediary component within each switch. This server generates, transmits, and processes time reference frames that mediate between asynchronous equipment and the need for synchronized monitoring, enabling delay measurement and event dating without requiring equipment to be inherently synchronous
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where time reference frames are circulated through the network, received by equipment, and used to calculate aging information that is fed back to monitor propagation delays and detect abnormalities, creating a closed-loop synchronization monitoring system
2Reliability
If time reference frames are circulated through all switches, then global event consistency is improved, but network traffic load and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The time reference distribution is segmented into individual frames that can be independently processed by each switch. Each switch handles time reference frames locally through its time reference server, processing only the relevant portions needed for its monitoring functions rather than requiring all switches to process all time reference data
Solution Approach 2:
Time reference frames serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide timing synchronization, enable propagation delay measurement, facilitate event dating, and support abnormal condition detection. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated communication channels for each monitoring purpose
Data Source
AI summary
This digital data exchange architecture includes at least one communication network having at least one communication plane, a plurality of pieces of subscriber electronic equipment, and several switches. Each switch includes means forming a time referencing server able to: generate a local current time reference; transmit this local current time reference generated on the corresponding communication plane via a frame; receive via one or several frames the current time references generated by at least some of the switches of the corresponding communication plane; analyze the received current time references, in order to generate a local following time reference according to a predetermined generation law; and associate the local following time reference with the local current time reference.