Abstract
Distributed control in the aviation industry provides the backbone for
reliable information communication. The precise nature and the
complexities dealt by a control system in the air require reliable
communication of data in a timely manner. This has led to communication
protocols defined specifically for the aviation industry. This paper
endeavors to provide an overview of specific networks and data
communication standards in the aviation industry, the focus being on
aviation standards that require working under rigorous time critical
environments. Specifically it focuses on the more modern techniques used
for data bus communications in aerospace, with a comparative study
between the Time Triggered Ethernet (TTE) and Avionics Full Duplex
Switched Ethernet (AFDX). While several studies have explained the
evolution of Aircraft Data Networks (ADNs), this study compares two
Ethernet based data communication protocols for reasons pertaining to
the trend of usage of Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) Components. A
detailed and comprehensive understanding of all components of the two
types of networks is provided here, in addition to clear comparisons
using a table.