Requirements testing and fluency with regulations like DO-178 are a must when working on aerospace applications. The right partner can help guide such projects to success, while a lack of familiarity with these rules can severely slow a product’s launch.
When an aerospace company approached DornerWorks looking for guidance developing a motor control software system using independent flap position sensing, we helped them build that solution in compliance with DO-178 requirements.
On the Embraer Phenom 100 program, DornerWorks engineers successfully developed a trapezoidal control of a BLDC motor using Hall-effect sensor feedback and a PID algorithm on a TMS320F2812 DSP to tightly control the speed of the motor.
The controller was a dual-channel implementation, with one of the channels configured as a speed follower, such that it monitored the speed of the master channel and adjusted its speed to match. The controller also used RVDT excitation for flap position sensing, in parallel with motor control sensing for independent verification of the flap positioning.
DornerWorks performed requirements development, software architecture (including software prototyping), software implementation, and software verification (high-level and low-level). This included all necessary BIT and communications between controllers and Ground Support Equipment. This project demonstrated DornerWorks’ capability to effectively move commercial motor control technology into a flight worthy DO-178 system.
The tools and techniques developed for this project helped document the design elements that automated and streamlined the process and minimized maintenance. This provided the customer with immediate benefits by reducing implementation time and provided long-lasting benefits by helping reduce ongoing maintenance costs.
DornerWorks technical expertise in rapid prototyping techniques helped solidify requirements quickly, thus allowing the project to move faster. By leveraging a deep experience in avionics hardware and software, DornerWorks was able to define the hardware-software interface and dependencies clearly and early, lowering development time and risk.