Gapless Aircraft Data Recording via Cache Buffering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data recording technologies face challenges in maintaining gapless asynchronous data recording, particularly in aircraft systems, where process interruptions due to write failures can result in gaps within data files.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves an aircraft recording system that includes an aircraft data acquisition system, a data ingestion interface, an asynchronous messaging platform, and a data caching system. This system captures avionics data, buffers it, and synchronizes it later, preventing gaps in data files due to process interruptions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is written directly to physical storage media, then data persistence is achieved, but process interruptions cause gaps in data files
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by writing data to a cache buffer in memory before final persistence to physical storage. This allows data to be prepared and staged for writing without immediate commitment to the storage medium, enabling recovery from write interruptions without creating gaps in the data stream.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a cache buffer as an intermediary between the data acquisition system and physical storage media. This buffer acts as a mediator that decouples the data writing process from storage operations, allowing data to be continuously received and buffered while storage operations proceed asynchronously, thus preventing gaps caused by storage interruptions.
2Reliability
If data is buffered in cache, then write interruptions are prevented, but data synchronization delay occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs periodic flushing operations where the cache buffer is synchronously written to physical storage at regular intervals or when certain conditions are met. This periodic action balances data integrity by maintaining buffered data for protection while limiting synchronization delay through scheduled persistence operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The cache buffer management implements dynamic behavior by adjusting flush timing based on system conditions, such as buffer fullness, system load, and criticality of data. This dynamic approach optimizes the balance between maintaining data integrity through buffering and minimizing synchronization delay when data must be persisted.
3Adaptability or versatility
If asynchronous messaging is used, then data flow flexibility is improved, but process coordination complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The asynchronous messaging system is enhanced with self-service mechanisms including automatic acknowledgment, retry logic, and dead-letter queue management. These self-service features reduce the burden of process coordination by automatically handling common coordination tasks, thus maintaining data flow flexibility while managing complexity through automation rather than manual coordination protocols.
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft recording system provides gapless asynchronous data recording. A data acquisition system is connected to a data ingestion interface, such that data acquisition system captures avionics data. An endpoint is associated with the aircraft data acquisition system and located remotely from the aircraft, which persists the plurality of events. An asynchronous messaging platform is provided that is adapted to digest and publish a plurality of packet payload words. A data file caching system is provided that is adapted to cache aircraft data files by ingesting data from the asynchronous messaging platform, writing the ingested data to a cache buffer, and based on a determination that a file descriptor is available, flushing the cache buffer to the file descriptor. A data file persistence system persists the aircraft data files by claiming the file descriptor, flushing the cache buffer to physical storage, and releasing the file descriptor.