Audio/Video and Hard Real-Time Capability for Advanced IMA Architectures

The design of complex integrated systems and avionics architectures relies on the system architect's capability to manage key system interfaces, and share computing and networking resources. The capability of Ethernet-based ARINC 664 avionics networks to handle critical traffic with mu s-jitter and fixed latency can be expanded using the Layer 2 Quality Of Service (QoS) protocol enhancements described in SAE AS6802. All existing critical distributed functions using ARINC 664 Virtual Links (VLs) can operate without congestion and with prescribed maximum latencies. This paper discusses basic considerations for how time triggered services based on AS6802 standard could enable integration of hard real-time and audio/video capabilities in advanced ARINC 664-based IMA architectures. In order to adapt those capabilities to existing design processes for ARINC 664 networks, time triggered services described in SAE AS6802 can be modeled as periodic ARINC664 traffic with mu s-jitter and fixed latency. Both standards integrated on one switch establish Ethernet as the deterministic unified Ethernet technology for time-, safety-, and mission-critical applications, capable of handling any low-jitter, low-latency and lossless applications. Finally, an overview is provided which shows how strict communication determinism influences platform complexity and design of IMA architectures.