Interactive Cockpits Applications: Specification, Prototyping and Validation using a Petri-nets based Formalism

The purpose of ARINC 661 specification is to define interfaces to a Cockpit Display System (CDS) which is used in many types of aircrafts cockpits such as A380 from Airbus, B787 from Boeing or Falcon 2000D from Dassault Aviation. ARINC 661 provides precise information for communication protocol between application (called User Applications) and user interface elementary components (called widgets). It also provides a detailed description of the widgets themselves (attributes, events …). However, in ARINC 661, very little information is given about the behaviour of these widgets and about the behaviour of an application made up of a set of such widgets. This paper presents a quick overview of the formal description technique called Interactive Cooperative Objects (ICOs) and its application for modelling the various elements of ARINC 661 specification. This formal description technique defines (in a precise and non-ambiguous way) all the elements of an interactive application compliant with ARINC 661 specification and especially their behavioural aspects which is definitively overlooked in the standard. The application of the formal description technique is shown on an interactive application to be used in an interactive cockpit. This application supports pilots' activities while cooperating with Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) using a Data-Link (DL) communication technology. Such communication must follow a predefined protocol called CPDLC (Control-Pilot Data Link Communication). Using this application as a case study, we present how ICOs are used for modelling Interactive Widgets, User Applications and User Interface servers (in the ARINC 661 specification context). Lastly, we present briefly how such models can be exploited for verification and validation purposes of interactive cockpits applications.

[1]  Gilbert Cockton,et al.  Design Principles for Interactive Software , 1997, IFIP — The International Federation for Information Processing.

[2]  Philippe A. Palanque,et al.  Self-Checking Components for Dependable Interactive Cockpits Using Formal Description Techniques , 2011, 2011 IEEE 17th Pacific Rim International Symposium on Dependable Computing.

[3]  Lance Sherry,et al.  When Does the MCDU Interface Work Well? Lessons Learned for the Design of New Flightdeck User-Interfaces , 2002 .

[4]  Eric Barboni,et al.  ICOs: A model-based user interface description technique dedicated to interactive systems addressing usability, reliability and scalability , 2009, TCHI.

[5]  Robert van Liere,et al.  User Interface Management Systems , 1987, Advances in Computer Graphics.

[6]  Massachusett Framingham,et al.  The Common Object Request Broker: Architecture and Specification Version 3 , 2003 .

[7]  Rémi Bastide,et al.  Reconciling Safety and Usability Concerns through Formal Specification-based Development Process , 2002 .

[8]  Eric Barboni,et al.  Model-Based Engineering of Widgets, User Applications and Servers Compliant with ARINC 661 Specification , 2006, DSV-IS.

[9]  Philippe A. Palanque,et al.  A Visual and Formal Glue between Application and Interaction , 1999, J. Vis. Lang. Comput..

[10]  Marco Winckler,et al.  Beyond modelling: an integrated environment supporting co-execution of tasks and systems models , 2010, EICS '10.

[11]  Philippe A. Palanque,et al.  Integrating Rendering Specifications into a Formalism for the Design of Interactive Systems , 1998, DSV-IS.

[12]  Rapport DU Capscaafrica,et al.  INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION , 1947, International Organization.

[13]  Philippe A. Palanque,et al.  Formal specification of CORBA services: experience and lessons learned , 2000, OOPSLA '00.

[14]  Philippe A. Palanque,et al.  Structuring Interactive Systems Specifications for Executability and Prototypability , 2000, DSV-IS.

[15]  Philippe A. Palanque,et al.  A Petri Net based Environment for the Design of Event-driven Interfaces , 1995, Application and Theory of Petri Nets.