ETTC'2003 - SEE

The complete message is recorded by 4 PCM channels Mass Data Recorders, or decoded for on board
analysis. The same information is physically duplicated to go from one acquisition system toward
several end-users.
The acquisition, processing and storage performances requested by A380 Flight Tests having blown
up, AIRBUS had to set up a more global architecture, to unify data format and to jump from cyclic low
speed data exchange to up-to-date technologies.
SWITCHED IENA
IENA ARCHITECTURE
The IENA architecture (Installation d’Essais pour les Nouveaux Avions – Flight Test Installation for
New Aircraft) is based on 4 levels of data handling :
L1 (Level 1) : Sensor level
There is performed the data conversion from a physical input (pressure, temperature, force…) into
a measurable electrical parameter, tension or current. Some L1 system may integrate a part of L2
functions : filtering, AD conversion…
L2 (Level 2) : Acquisition level
L2 systems deal with the analog, numerical and discrete acquisition ; they perform the following
tasks :
- for analog inputs : sensor piloting, analog filtering, data sampling and AD conversion,
limited mathematical functions…
- for numerical inputs : label sorting, filtering
- for all : time stamping with respect to the global synchronisation, data shaping in IENA
PACKETS, sorting of packets towards the destinations (groups of L4)
L3 (Level 3) : Concentration level
L3 is the IENA-specific level, there are gathered data flows coming from all the L2 towards the L4
systems. There is no data modification through L3, the only actions performed are commutation
and duplication of the incoming frames. These functions are realised by standard Ethernet
switches.
L4 (Level 4) : Recording and Analysis level
L4 systems are on board end-users for aircraft parameters :
- Mass data storage for on-ground post analysis
- On-board analysis computers, performing pre-treatment and display for Flight Test
Engineers
- Telemetry
The Flight Test Data Base SABRE –in which the configuration of every system is traced– manages all
the IENA systems. SABRE describes the long way of every aircraft parameter from the very beginning
of its life (physical phenomenon) to its storage in IENA PACKETS.