ARINC 661 Development Tools

GlsA661 Toolkit

The GL Studio ARINC 661 Tool is a set of components that enables the development of ARINC 661 compliant displays using the core GL Studio editor as a foundation. The components of the tool include:

• Custom Visual Display Object (VDO) Look & Feel Library
• Widget Library Set
• Definition File (DF) Generator
• Simulated Cockpit Display System (CDS)
• Communications Libraries
• User Application Generator

Figure 1. The diagram above shows how GL Studio can be used as an integral part of the ARINC 661 development process.

The VDO Look & Feel Library

The VDO Library defines the Look & Feel of ARINC 661 Widgets according to the OEM specified style guide. This library is customized inside of the GL Studio editor and can be redeployed to the Widget Library.

Widget Library Set

The Widget Library Set is used within the GL Studio editor to create the ARINC 661 visual display windows. Users can create new display layouts requiring ARINC 661 compliance and simulate interactions at runtime between the CDS and User Application (UA).

Definition File (DF) Generator

The Definition File (DF) Generator produces Binary or XML based definition files from the GL Studio Editor. The Binary DF is loaded by the UA at initialization to the CDS. The XML DF fulfills the requirement as a tool interchange format and for providing human readability.

Simulated Cockpit Display System

The Simulated Cockpit Display System (CDS) loads and displays the ARINC 661 user interface in order to preview designs or test UA code. The CDS is built as a GL Studio RSO allowing it to be easily integrated into GL Studio designs used in Simulation and Training applications.

Communications Libraries

The Communications Libraries are fully compliant with the ARINC 661 binary communication protocol. It is a plug and play transport architecture that can leverage TCP/IP, A653 queues, and more.

Figure 2. GlsA661 Toolkit in action.

Features

• Efficiently produces ARINC 661 compliant displays using GL Studio
• Customizable look & feel
• WYSIWYG layout of widgets
• Generates ARINC 661 Binary DF
• Generates XML DF for tool interoperability
• Imports XML DF from other tools
• Verification of DF layout versus CDS provided capabilities

User Applications

• Generates User Applications
• GL Studio generated C++ objects for the User Application
• Uses UA Proxy library to instantiate proxy objects

User Application

"Proxy" Library

• Allows UA developer to interact with C++ objects rather than ARINC 661 protocol messages
• Greatly simplifies prototyping of User Applications

Simulated CDS Kernel

• Uses customized widget sets created with GL Studio
• Fully compliant with ARINC 661 binary communication protocol
• Plug and play transport architecture (TCP/IP, A653, etc.)
• Simultaneous connection to multiple UA
• Configurable via XML
• Customizable CDS specific parameters
• Extensive error checking

About the ARINC 661 standard

The ARINC 661 standard was established by the Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee (AEEC) in response to burgeoning costs resulting from the increasing complexity of Cockpit Display Systems (CDS). The standard is designed to normalize the definition of the CDS as well as the communication between the CDS and User Applications (UA). The standard is designed to reduce time, cost and risk associated with creating new avionics display types.

The object of the ARINC 661 standard is to minimize both direct and indirect costs to the avionics developers by;

• Minimizing the cost of acquiring new avionic systems to the extent it is driven by the cost of CDS development
• Minimizing the cost of developing new display functionality in the cockpit during the life of an aircraft.
• Minimizing the cost of managing hardware obsolescence in an area of rapidly evolving technology
• Introducing interactivity to the cockpit, thus providing a basis for airframe manufacturers to standardize the Human Machine Interface in the cockpit

Today the standard is being used on the Airbus A380 and A400M and the Boeing 787.