Virtual production testing of large integrated products
View Patent ↗A communications system and method for testing components of an aircraft via Ethernet. The communications system may comprise one or more Ethernet links having software and hardware controls for timing, buffering, and messaging, and a dedicated Ethernet line. The Ethernet links may be configured to communicably link sections of a central communication system of the aircraft, each section being part of a separate aircraft component. The Ethernet links may also communicably link the sections with various databases over the Ethernet line. The databases may comprise loadable software, archived testing data, configuration data, and/or diagnostic data. Any of the central communication system sections and the databases may be located at geographically distant locations from each other, such as at separate production sites. The communications system may allow the aircraft components to test each other, or essentially for the aircraft to test itself prior to its components being physically joined together.
1. A method of testing the ability of aircraft components to properly communicate with each other prior to being physically joined together, the method comprising:
connecting a first central communication system section associated with a first aircraft component at a first geographic location to a first Ethernet link;
connecting a second central communication system section associated with a second aircraft component at a second geographic location remote from the first geographic location to a second Ethernet link, wherein the first aircraft component is not physically connected to the second aircraft component;
connecting the first and second Ethernet links to a dedicated Ethernet line such that signals from the first central communication system section are received by the second central communication system section;
testing the first and second central communication system sections via the dedicated Ethernet line.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising linking at least one database with the dedicated Ethernet line to communicably couple the at least one database with at least one of the first central communication system section and the second central communication system section.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the signals from the first central communication system section received by the second central communication system section relate to at least one of operation of the aircraft components and monitoring of the aircraft components.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising connecting each of the central communication system sections to external power controls configured for creating test signals for the central communication system sections to send to and from each other via the Ethernet line.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising communicably linking at least one software loader via the Ethernet line to at least one of the aircraft components and the databases, wherein the at least one software loader is configured to load software into at least one of the aircraft components.
6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one database archives data determined by testing at least some of the aircraft components.
7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one database stores at least one of aircraft configuration data and diagnostic data of one or more lab test vehicles.
8. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one database comprises loadable software.
9. The method claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first Ethernet link and the second Ethernet link comprise any combination of software and hardware controls for timing, buffering, and messaging.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second central communication system sections and the first and second Ethernet links are configured to communicate according to the ARINC 664 platform.
11. A method of testing a first central communication system section of a first aircraft component at a first production site and a second central communication system section of a second aircraft component located at a second production site to determine if the first and second central communication system sections will properly communicate with each other once the first and second aircraft components are physically joined together, the method comprising:
connecting the first central communication system section of the first aircraft component to a first Ethernet link;
connecting the second central communication system section of the second aircraft component to a second Ethernet link;
connecting the first and second Ethernet links to a dedicated Ethernet line such that signals from the first central communication system section are received by the second central communication system section and vice versa, wherein the signals relate to at least one of operation and monitoring of the aircraft components;
communicably connecting at least one database with the dedicated Ethernet line such that the at least one database sends data to at least one of the first and second central communication system sections;
testing the first and second central communication system sections via the dedicated Ethernet line;
transporting the first and second aircraft components to a common assembly location after the testing of the first and second central communication system sections via the dedicated Ethernet line; and
physically joining the first and second aircraft components together at the common assembly location.
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising connecting each of the central communication system sections to external power controls configured for creating test signals for the central communication system sections to send to and from each other via the Ethernet line.
13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising communicably linking at least one software loader via the Ethernet line to at least one of the aircraft components and the databases, wherein the at least one software loader is configured to load software into at least one of the aircraft components.
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the at least one database stores at least one of test data, configuration data, diagnostic data, or loadable software.
15. The method claim 11 , wherein at least one of the first Ethernet link and the second Ethernet link comprise any combination of software and hardware controls for timing, buffering, and messaging.
16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first and second central communication system sections and the first and second Ethernet links are configured to communicate according to the ARINC 664 platform.