VxWorks 653 and PikeOS Based Pitch Control Hard Real-Time Application Rzeszow University of Technology Research Team Contribution to European Community SCARLETT Project Sławomir Samolej Department of Computer and Control Engineering Rzeszow University of Technology Rzeszow, Poland e-mail: ssamolej@prz.edu.pl Tomasz Rogalski, Andrzej Tomczyk Department of Avionics and Control Systems Rzeszow University of Technology Rzeszow, Poland e-mail: orakl@prz.edu.pl, atomczyk@.prz.edu.pl Abstract — The paper reports Rzeszow University of Technology Research Team contributions to the European Community SCARLETT project. The main objective of the research team was to prepare an avionic pitch control hard real-time application following ARINC 653 and ARINC 664 specifications. VxWorks 653 and PikeOS real-time operating systems are the application platforms. The paper mentions a general SCARLETT project objectives and the ARINC 653 specification. The main part of the paper includes a report of the application’s development and its evaluation. ARINC 653, VxWorks 653, PikeOS, hard real-time systems, control systems, avionics, Integrated Modular Avionics I. I NTRODUCTION Modern airliner’s computer systems include a vide set of hard real-time applications [7]. Typical avionic components such as cruise speed, flight level or pitch angle control systems can be good examples of them. It is worth to notice that the avionic hard real-time systems have to usually both execute control tasks and exchange data between each other and pilot’s cockpit. Recently, due to progress in engineering and economic stimuli airborne real-time systems have been evolving from the so called federated structure to a new - Integrated Module Avionics (IMA) [2], [3], [4], [5],[12]. The IMA concept has been introduced through the European funded research projects PAMELA, NEVADA and VICTORIA. The result of the projects was so called first generation of IMA (IMA1G) currently onboard A380, A400M and B787 aircrafts. According the IMA concepts modern onboard avionics subsystems (seen as software applications) should be grouped in a limited set of standard microprocessor units. The microprocessor units and other electronic devices should communicate via standard network interface - Avionics Full Duplex Switched Ethernet (AFDX) [2], [3]. The so far physically and logically separated (federated) avionic units must be converted into groups of real-time applications controlled by real-time operating systems. The current implementation of IMA covers a limited range of aircraft functions but shows that it may bring some significant profits: the aircraft weight reduction and lowered maintenance costs. Within the 7 th Framework Program the SCARLETT [17] (Scalable and Reconfigurable Electronics Platforms and Tools) international research project was created to define and preliminarily test the next generation of IMA. Its main aim is a definition of a scalable, reconfigurable fault-tolerant driven and secure new avionics platform, namely DME: Distributed Modular Electronics. Rzeszow University of Technology (RUT) Research Team (RUTRT), Poland, takes part in one of the SCARLETT research paths: a time critical application development and testing. The developed application should be a part of an aircraft IMA system and make it possible to evaluate whether DME units can be effectively used as hard real-time applications platforms. The preliminary research results of RUTRT were published in [13]. This paper reports the current contributions of RUTRT in SCARLETT project. The next sections of the paper are organized as follows. Firstly SCARLETT project will be shortly introduced. Secondly, ARINC 653 specification and the most mature ARINC 653 based real-time operation systems will be mentioned. Thirdly, a Pitch Control Application (an illustrative example of the hard real-time avionic control system) developed by the RUTRT will be presented. The final part of the paper will include some ARINC 653 based application development remarks and RUTRT future research and implementation plans. II. SCARLETT PROJECT The SCARLETT project [17] is a European enterprise joining 39 companies from 16 countries including large industrial companies, public research centers, industrial research centers, universities, and small and medium enterprises. Its main aim is to provide and test a set of new standard hardware components that will be parts of DME. The new DME should provide:  Scalability, portability and adaptability,  Fault tolerance and reconfiguration capabilities,  A minimum number of types of standardized electronic modules,  Support for the full range of avionics function. At the first stage of SCARLETT project the following DME units have been defined: