We introduce a novel approach for real-time decision making with limited memory bounds based on an adaption of the well-known RETE algorithm together with static priorities for conflict resolution. This guarantees fixed execution times independent from the number of rules and facts. Experiments on an unmanned aerial system confirm the adequacy in applications with real-time requirements. The proposed decision system is especially interesting to be used in time-triggered embedded software architectures and for establishing a technical base for building certifiable autonomous unmanned systems.

The problem of missing adherence to the complex process landscape of Avionics Software development is known for decades. The results are observed in many civil and military aviation programs leading to severe cost and schedule overruns. Furthermore, the problem is significantly aggravated when the combination of business needs, such as improving productivity, agility to technical changes and simultaneously process adherence to various standards are required. Traditionally the education of such software development staff is expensive and requires long training on the job and much experience.This paper describes the results of a research project currently undertaken at Cassidian Air Systems to improve the education and the productivity Of the Avionics software engineering through the introduction of an executable process framework and to bridge the gap between software engineering and project metrication.In this new approach the specification of the complete process landscape incorporating both development and certification standards is based on the Business Process Modeling Notation 2.0 (BPMN). Besides its formal static semantics the BPMN standard also specifies execution semantics for the implementation of business processes in corporate IT infrastructures. In the context of our research project this feature has been used to deploy and execute the complex avionics software development process landscape transparently via web-browser in the software development environment.

In software intensive avionics projects the problem of missing adherence to the complex process landscape has been known for decades. This problem is significantly aggravated when the combination of business needs, such as improving productivity and responsiveness to technical changes are required in addition.The modeling of the Agile Avionics Software Development Processes through the Application of an Executable Process Framework shows first useful results in improving the situation of missing process adherence and is increasing transparency of process changes.

The implementation of autonomous behaviour in unmanned systems is one of most challenging tasks today. Although the underlying algorithms for decision-making are well known, do no implementations exist for certifiable time-triggered embedded realtime operating systems as used by all modern aerospace and automotive products today. In this publication we present the new approach of realtime decision-making. It allows the a-priori calculation of time and space bounds as a prerequisite for the integration of decision-making in time-triggered embedded software systems.

Today’s mission software requires ever more sophistication, being faced with the challenges of conducting Nnetwork-centric Operations (NCO) and exhibiting mission autonomy. Addressing these challenges, together with improving the engineering process in general, is the main output of the project described in this paper, accomplished at EADS Military Air Systems. The project comprises an architectural concept, a methodology, a development environment, a runtime environment and a simulation connector. The adequacy of the approach was demonstrated by means of a prototypical implementation of a NCO scenario.

Using middleware technologies in modern distributed embedded environments, one is often faced with connecting incompatible transport media to the communication stack, especially in the military domain. In case of CORBA, natively unsupported media can be plugged in via ESIOP, integrating it into the middleware. This approach tightly couples media to middleware and tends to be unportable between middleware technologies. In contrast, this paper suggests transport abstraction by providing IPv6 adapters for each medium, exploiting the predominance of IP support in middleware and existing adapters. Apart from the flexibility gained compared to transport integration, the proof-of-concept implementations of both approaches, based on CORBA and CAN, show an up to a tenfold improvement in invocation time over integration. Transport abstraction not only reduces the problem to adapting media to IPv6, but also allows transport media independent substitution of middleware and vice versa.

Network-centricity and autonomy are two buzzwords that have found increasing attention since the beginning of this decade in both, the military and civil domain. Although various conceptions exist of which capabilities are required for a system to be considered network-centric or autonomous, there can hardly be found proposals or prototypes that describe concrete transformations for both capabilities into software. The presented paper reviews work accomplished at EADS Military Air Systems driven by the need to develop an infrastructure that supports the realisation of both concepts in software with respect to traditional and modem software engineering principles, e.g., re-use and service-oriented development. This infrastructure is provided in form of a prototypical framework, accompanied by configuration and monitoring tools. Tests in a complex scenario requiring network-centricity and autonomy have shown that a significant technical readiness level can be reached by using the framework for mission software development.

A method is disclosed for molding a reflector of light-transmissive urethane, with a retroreflective pattern of a multiplicity of angled facets at the back surface of the reflector. In a mold cavity for the reflector there is provided a mold portion shaped to form the multiplicity of angled facets. Prior to filling of the mold, there is applied to the mold portion temporarily a transfer coating of a material which will maintain the angled facets reflective in a urethane reflector. A releasing agent is applied to the remainder of the mold other than the subject mold portion, then the mold is filled with urethane material. Once the urethane material has set, the mold is opened and the molded urethane is stripped off the special mold portion, leaving the transfer coating, which acts as a release coating, adhered to the angled facets.

The paper presents VHDL2HYPER, a tool which converts VHDL code in a hypertext format. VHDL2HYPER is different from other tools because of its flexibility and the richness of generated links. Current HTML- and RTF-formats are supported and MIF as well as PDF are under construction. The different formats are used to provide an interface to VHDL model documentation, whereas hypertext links dramatically improve the readability of the code. RTF opens up the world of office suites. HTML documents accessible over the intranet make the code easily accessible world wide. Besides numerous formats, the tool is able to generate code: file and design unit oriented. Also different types of hypertext pages providing different entry capabilities into the linked models can be generated. The tool is implemented in JAVA using the Java CC parser generator and the jjTree parse tree builder. Both the parse tree interface and the different format generators are implemented using the JAVA interface concept.