Architecture Optimization Based on Incremental Approach for Airplane Digital Distributed Flight Control System

Over the years, technical improvements, such as digital computer and digital communication, are drastically changing avionics architecture designs. Airplane performance and business pressures related to cost have been the main drivers to change the flight control systems (FCS) from mechanical to digital fly-by-wire designs. In this context, there exists a great motivation to change current FCS architecture to ldquomorerdquo distributed architectures, better optimized in terms of hardware redundancy for future generation aircraft. Analysis of existing FCS architectures of Airbus and Boeing airplanes, as well as future requirements (eco-efficiency), drive us to introduce a brief overview of an incremental methodology of architectural design process based on progressive requirements injection and distribution of systempsilas functionality.