Flight test data cycle map optimisation

Abstract

Flight testing of aircraft, in which new design concepts, problems, and deficiencies are examined, involves the collection of large quantities of data allocated onto blocks within a telemetry frame or data cycle map (DCM). Individual parameters are sampled at different rates and may vary in both their word length and the number of words used to represent them. Planning flight tests requires that the order in which data is placed on telemetry frames is predetermined, along with other limitations such as, the length of the frames and periodic placement of parameters. This process is usually performed manually with some computer assistance, but typically involves several week’s work. As flight tests become more complex, restrictions on bandwidth and personnel have become limiting factors. We present an algorithm for designing DCMs which involves a novel combination of some number theoretic results and a set covering model. Given a quantity of data to fit into a DCM, number theoretic analysis, including use of the Chinese remainder theorem, is used to establish the existence of DCMs of minimal length, which are then found using a set covering integer programming formulation. A comparison of efficiencies for this algorithm and DCM designs produced by AutoTelem™ will be discussed.