Vienna, Austria – July 22, 2019
The Austrian high-tech company TTTech and Cranfield University have established an R&D partnership in the area of embedded networks and related technologies at the university’s Aerospace Integrated Research Center (AIRC). The AIRC conducts further studies on the integration of system and platforms into aerospace applications on a TTEDevelopment System A664 v4.1 for Linux from TTTech. Current research efforts deal with the development of solutions that can be applied to drones.
“We are delighted to be working with TTTech, a worldwide recognised leader in the development of deterministic network solutions for many industrial applications in aerospace, the automotive industry and robotics,” says Dr Ivan Petrunin, Lecturer in Digital Signal Processing for Autonomous Systems at Cranfield University. “TTEthernet has been designed as an avionics communication platform with target use cases focusing on in-vehicle communication. Individual TTEthernet-based systems can be connected to each other to form a TTEthernet-based System-of-Systems (SoS). We want to explore the possibility of constructing TTEthernet-based SoS that leverage wireless connections to each other and/or to a common navigation reference such as the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). This can be applied to Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) systems and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as drones. Quick and stable communication links between UAVs as well as between UAVs and ground control are essential. More accurate localization and more reliable wireless connectivity within the SoS could provide significant benefits for the aerospace industry.”
TTTech was founded 20 years ago as a spin-off from TU Wien and has remained close to the scientific community ever since, taking part in various research projects for different markets. “Safety and reliability are cornerstones of our technological solutions and thus we are happy to work with AIRC on the necessary fundamental research to meet the aerospace industry’s growing demands for highly reliable connectivity solutions,” says Christian Fidi, Director Product Management, Sales & Marketing at TTTech Aerospace.
The TTEDevelopment System A664 is a TTEthernet (Time-Triggered Ethernet) product. TTEthernet is a scalable networking technology that uses time scheduling to deliver deterministic real-time communication over Ethernet. It was specifically designed for safe and highly available real-time applications, cyber-physical systems and unified networking. TTEthernet enables the certification of networks for safety systems and ensures fail operability and easier failure management. The TTEthernet networking technology is part of the “nerve system” of NASA’s Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MCVP), the successor of the famous Space Shuttle. TTTech is a technology leader in safety control platforms and real-time networks and has been active on the aeronautics and space market for 20 years.
The TTEDevelopment System A664 is a ready-to-run TTEthernet evaluation and development system. It supports the three standard traffic classes: standard Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), rate-constrained (ARINC 664 part 7) and time-triggered (SAE AS6802) traffic. At the AIRC lab, it is currently used in connection with a PhD thesis dealing with the construction of TTEthernet-based SoS consisting of individual TTEthernet systems that coordinate their actions by means of a GNSS reference.
“The PhD thesis will use both analytical means and simulations, as well as practical evaluation on TTTech’s TTEDevelopment System A664 v4.1 for Linux. It will, for example, be demonstrated how the time of a TTEthernet system can be synchronized to the time provided by a GNSS. Relevant use cases, such as swarms of UAVs and UAV to ground station coordination, will also be explored. For this research, the TTEDevelopment System is a key enabler and offers a fully controlled and flexible environment for experimentation with multiple deterministic networks and their synchronization,” explains Dr Ivan Petrunin, Lecturer in Digital Signal Processing for Autonomous Systems at Cranfield University.
Find out more about TTTech's TTEDevelopment System A664 v4.1 for Linux on our product page.
About Cranfield University
Cranfield is the number one university in Europe for aerospace. We are the only university in Europe to own and run an airport and to have airline status. We have been at the forefront of aerospace technology for 70 years. As the UK's most business-engaged University, we have long-term relationships and close commercial partnerships with many companies in the sector including Airbus, BAE Systems, Boeing and Rolls-Royce.
Our education, research and consultancy is enhanced by our world-class facilities including the National Flying Laboratory Centre – a unique national asset which provides a hands-on, flying experience, along with flight deck simulators and industrial-scale gas turbine engine test facilities used for performance and diagnostic studies. The Aerospace Integration Research Centre, a £35 million innovative centre built in partnership with Airbus and Rolls-Royce, fosters collaboration between industry and academia. A new £65 million Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre (DARTEC) will also be built at Cranfield to spearhead the UK’s research into digital aviation technology.
Notable Cranfield alumni include Warren East, CEO of Rolls-Royce plc and Ralph Hooper, who attended the College of Aeronautics at Cranfield in 1946 and went on to become one of the UK’s most important post-war aircraft designers, creating the Hawker Harrier jump jet.
Web: www.cranfield.ac.uk/aerospace
AIRC building (© Cranfield University) (JPEG, 2,45 MB)
