Ausy develops the entire low-level software product line for the avionics platform of the future.
- Domain of expertise : Critical embedded, multicore architecture, basic software, component-based approach
- Sector of activity : Aeronautics
Context
Like the automotive industry, the aeronautics sector aims to create a low-level, generic and secure platform standard, capable of hosting all types of avionics applications.
Modular avionics allow common resources to be shared between computers. The exponential evolution of on-board connectivity, particularly for the passenger experience, the evolution of piloting functions, and the enhancement of data, calls into question the architecture and capacities of existing platforms.
The challenge is therefore to produce a platform that complies with DO 178 standards, allowing components of different criticality to be executed on the same memory partition. It is also a question of respecting both the constraints of operational safety and the constraints brought about by the integration of connected services.
Challenges
On board this adventure since 2012, our technical experts have contributed to all phases of this project. A team of experts was involved in the R&T phase, in the development of a demonstrator. The latter was based on a flight control computer hosted on a generic platform. En 2016, le jalon TRL6 est passé avec succès et l’industrialisation est lancée.
Ausy is setting up a dedicated organization of 30 engineers from 2017 to cover the development phases of the Basic SoftWare product line. All phases are taken care of, from specifications to on-target validation of components, according to specific aeronautical standards. Ausy also provides its customer with the necessary support to successfully pass EASA certifications.
Solutions & results
Ausy develops the entire low-level software product line, the keystone of the platform. The platform is structured around a multi-core NXP processor, a nanokernel and a client/server architecture based on NVM servers for memory management, IO servers with conventional I/O and network servers based on UART, Ethernet and AFDX.
Involved from the beginning in the development of all these components, ausy designs since then the low-level software and its components which define the common functionalities of a typology of ECUs, the integrated maintenance software as well as the specific applications hosted on this platform.
In the COVID context, a dedicated organization with strong commitments and New Ways of Working have been put in place, which has, among other things, made it possible to guarantee continuity of services on a project that cannot be shut down.
New work methodologies have also been tested since the industrialization phase: the component-based approach (a first in the aeronautics industry), an agile approach adapted to aeronautics constraints, and the notion of incremental development maturity. This intermediate level of component development, which can be adapted according to the final criticality level of the application, has made it possible to secure development schedules and costs.
