Rotorcraft, vertical lift

Introduction

Rotorcraft are used to transport both goods and passengers. Similar to the fixed wing aircraft sector, system lifecycle costs and operating costs as well as safety standards for the respective application are important considerations for rotorcraft manufacturers. They make use of innovative, new high performance integrated electronic aircraft systems as a way to maximize fuel efficiency and enable new capabilities but at the same time reduce size, weight and power (SWaP). Rotorcraft systems in particular need to be highly robust, in order to  withstand high vibrations generated by the rotors. 

One means to achieve lower SWaP in avionics is to provide more functionality with less hardware. This decreases the initial investment’s NRE (non-recurring engineering) cost as well as operation costs throughout the rotorcrafts’ lifecycle. Manufacturers require on-board electronic systems solutions that can provide high performance networked computing platforms and scalable fault-tolerance and integrity system architectures, while at the same time being compact and light-weight. These types of systems are less costly and easier to maintain and provide the high data throughputs required by modern rotorcraft systems and for upgrading to future applications.

Benefits of TTTech Aerospace’s solutions

TTTech Aerospace supports rotorcraft manufacturers in reducing SWaP and increasing data throughput with its versatile, deterministic embedded network and platform solutions. Its products have completed more than two billion flight hours in DAL A applications. They are implemented in avionics, integrated modular avionics (IMA) and distributed integrated modular avionics (DIMA), distributed power generation platforms, landing gear systems, flight controls and fly-by-wire, engine control, as well as other utility systems (e.g. air management, fuel systems).

TTTech Aerospace’s chip IP, ASICs, and on-board hardware are used in a range of rotorcraft built by key market players.

TTTech Aerospace’s solutions for rotorcraft offer:

• Reliable integrated network system solutions: TTTech Aerospace provides components (ASICs, modules, and boxes), technology, network solutions, as well as drivers, middleware, tooling, qualified V&V tools (verification and validation) and integration to support customers along the whole product lifecycle
• Versatility and flexibility: deterministic network solutions and components enable scalable and modular architectures for a variety of use cases enabling DO-297 conform systems
• High-performance and highly efficient data transfer with bandwidths of up to 1 Gbit/s: allows more data to be sent on the network and simplifies future upgrades of the system
• Easier integration and reconfiguration: integration via highly deterministic networks (e.g. time-triggered) is three times as fast compared to systems using traditional data buses
• Reduced system complexity and system lifecycle costs thanks to mixed-criticality architectures: three traffic classes (best-effort Ethernet acc. to IEEE 802.3, rate-constrained traffic acc. to ARINC 664 part 7 and Time-Triggered Ethernet acc. to SAE AS6802) can use the same physical medium/network
• Certifiable and certified solutions up to DAL A: TTTech Aerospace’s products have gone through certification with the most important certification authorities such as the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the Canadian Council for Aviation and Aerospace (CCAA), and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
• TTTech Aerospace’s solutions portfolio is based on TTP® or Ethernet and open, international standards. Long-standing cross-industry experience allows TTTech to leverages synergies and know-how from other industries like space, automotive, and industrial automation for their products.

Certification

When rotorcraft not only carry cargo, but also passengers, the same high standards apply as for (passenger) aircraft. Therefore, TTTech Aerospace’s products are certified according to RTCA DO-178C DAL A (software) and RTCA DO-254 DAL A (chip IP, firmware, and hardware). TTTech also follows the system certification standard ARP4754A in its development processes. ARP4754A is a set of recommended guidelines from SAE International for developing civil aircraft and systems that helps support the certification of aircraft systems. Furthermore, TTTech Aerospace’s deterministic products support the certification of platforms according to DO-297.