Testing Networked Aircraft Systems

Application Area

Hardware-in-the-loop test systems also support advanced use cases that require the real-time simulation of multiple aircraft systems to interact with real parts of the aircraft. This approach lets you perform efficient and fully automated integration tests 24 hours a day. Moreover, even critical flight scenarios can be fully reproduced in a safe laboratory environment on the ground. The open architecture of the HIL simulators makes the systems suitable for a wide range of applications, from simple to complex, thus contributing to a flexible test environment that can be used for many different test scenarios.

Important Aspects

This use case focuses on real aircraft systems that are integrated into a common, spatially representative test bench and connected with actual aircraft cable harnesses. The test bench usually also includes various mechanical components of the aircraft, for example, control surface actuators, navigation sensors, and inertial measurement units. The networked aircraft system hardware, such as the primary flight control system (PFCS), the flap actuation system (FAS) and the electrical power system (EPS), is connected to multiple dSPACE SCALEXIO simulators. The HIL systems simulate missing aircraft systems in real time, such as engines and avionics systems that are usually connected with the systems under test in the real aircraft and are thus required for test execution. In addition, the HIL simulators also provide navigation data, including Global Positioning System (GPS) and instrument landing system (ILS) data, as well as environmental data, for example, data related to aerodynamics during the simulated flight scenario. This approach enables early testing of integrated aircraft systems supported by a flexible, cost-effective and fully automated test environment.