Modern cockpit designers are increasingly adopting the ARINC 661. Presagis ARINC 661 Development Suite is an integrated, end-to-end workflow environment for the entire lifecycle of ARINC 661 systems development: from requirements specification, design, and development through deployment and maintenance. The Suite provides a seamless workflow between development environments for the Cockpit Display System (CDS) and the User Application (UA) so you can create certifiable systems faster and more easily.
The ARINC 661 standard for commercial aircraft cockpit displays normalizes the definition of a Cockpit Display System (CDS) as well as the communication between the CDS and User Applications (UA).
The ARINC 661 working group was formed by the Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee (AEEC) in response to increasing costs resulting from the increasing complexity of Cockpit Display Systems. The objective of the standard is to minimize both direct and indirect costs to the airlines by
- minimizing the cost of acquiring new avionic systems by controlling the cost of CDS development,
- minimizing the cost of adding new display functions to the cockpit during the life of an aircraft,
- minimizing the cost of managing hardware obsolescence in an area of rapidly evolving technology,
- introducing interactivity into the cockpit, thus providing a basis for airframe manufacturers to standardize the HMI in the cockpit.
Recent major commercial programs have adopted the standard, including Airbus on the A380 and A400M and Boeing on the 787.
Presagis’ tools support the ARINC 661 standards for CDS and UA development. CDS developers can easily create or modify standard or custom widgets while developing a CDS and a widget library.
UA developers can lay out and generate data definition files for the UA. Developers using MathWorks Simulink®, IBM® Rational® Rhapsody® or other similar tools or techniques to develop the UA system model can use UA Accelerator to link the widget/layer layout process with development of the UA system model, reducing development time by synchronizing the layout design and the system model.
UA Accelerator also automatically generates C++ code for the MMI Logic interface for the UA, supporting good engineering practice by separating UA business logic from user interface logic.
Presagis' flagship product VAPS XT is the ideal solution for projects involving ARINC 661 Part 1 compliance, and we are committed to providing software that allows embedded avionics display designers and developers to easily and cost-effectively meet this emerging avionics standard.
ARINC 661 Part 1 is a very specialized field in HMI development. If you are new to the standard, Presagis ARINC 661 Part 1 experts can help you develop your displays in conformance with the ARINC 661 Part 1 Standard. Presagis technical services can help you accomplish the following tasks:
- Define ARINC 661 Part 1 widgets
- Create extended widgets based on the ARINC 661 Part 1 Standard
- Build your own ARINC 661 Part 1 widget library with your own look and feel
- Layout ARINC 661 Part 1 widgets to create HMI applications to be used by the Cockpit Display System (CDS)
- Develop and optimize the Cockpit Display System (CDS) and User Application (UA)
- To implement the data connection between input and output objects
The recently adopted ARINC 661 Part 2 is revolutionizing the ARINC 661 Standard and already changing the way original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) work. The new standard is prompting OEMs to modify their existing development processes to adapt quickly to the new approach of specifying cockpit display system (CDS) implementations. PRESAGIS, as a leading provider of graphical user interface development tools, is uniquely positioned to help with the adoption of the new Standard.
ARINC 661 Part 2 provides a new standard for CDS development by allowing the workflow to be streamlined and enabling development and communication of clear sets of human-machine interface (HMI) requirements. The new standard defines a common model format describing both the HMI visual appearance and behavioral logic. Experts agree that the new standard will have a radical impact on the way ARINC 661 CDS systems are developed and the relationship between OEMs and other industry suppliers.
PRESAGIS has been an ARINC 661 committee member and key participant and contributor since 2003. Development work on ARINC 661 Part 2 started five years ago with PRESAGIS and other leading aerospace companies as the architects of the new standard. The ARINC 661 committee’s work wrapped up in April, and the new standard was adopted by the ARINC standards body in May and published in the summer of 2020.