Modular Aerospace Avionics Interface Standard

MAAIS

Modularity requires standard interfaces! Selecting a great interface today is critical to ensure the performance needs of tomorrow are met by design.

Mechanical - Thermal - Power - Data - Time

Zooming into what has changed from legacy systems: Aerospace systems require more information transferred, more electrical power consumed, and faster response times than ever before. Time constants are significantly shorter with increased energy levels in faster flight and with smaller vehicles having less inertia. Accurate time is critical for navigation, remote sensing, and cybersecurity. Without a human in the loop for complex tasks, sensor networks and computers are critical to enable the vehicle and systems of tomorrow to reliably fill the needs projected. Systems of the past did not have the needs of systems on our white boards today.

Selecting an interface: A modular interface should be a combination of high performance, short learning curve, affordable cost, low mass, and small size. Any one of these factors can cause a standard interface to be unsuitable for use, making it not the best answer. Users of the standard should find their task is accomplished reliably and efficiently ensuring their best path forward is to use the interface when they have their next system design.

What is MAAIS

Modular Aerospace is committed to supporting the evolution of the aerospace market into an open-standard modular marketplace of technology.  This evolution is driven to empower rapid technological realization of miniature, high performance, secure, ruggedized avionics systems from concept to application by engineered modularity at the functional sub-system level. This interface standard crosses the space, air, ground, and sea domains enabling technology to be transported between platforms without complete re-design.  At the time of this release, the standard is NOT an open standard.  The vision is for part of this standard to be released as an open standard at a future date.

The Modular Aerospace Avionics Interface Standard utilizes a network-based connectivity model for power and data.  Switches are used at each hub in the network to facilitate the connectivity between ports.  The network can be expanded in series and parallel to both scale the system and add redundancy.  Each endpoint can connect to multiple network ports on separate switches for redundant power and data.  This network architecture is scalable to large/complex systems.  It can operate in redundant configurations for data and/or power routing.  It is adaptable in nature allowing for re-configuration, even in real time, such as vehicle staging and/or hot-swap systems.

The network capabilities of MAAIS will evolve to incorporate various future capabilities.  The architecture allows for this growth.

Architecture    

The architecture is designed to be a multi-domain solution serving remote and rugged applications such as Ground, Airborne, Launch and Space Systems.

A hardwired network of devices makes up a vehicle system.  A vehicle may have multiple vehicle systems, each being its own network.  Maybe this is for redundancy, isolated activities, or a system that can reconfigure (stages of a launch vehicle).

Hardwired networks are connected via Communication modules, providing routing functionality to the network.  The routing using Modular Aerospace Communication modules are optimized for the traffic of the architecture and generally isolate networks.

This architecture is made up of both COTS products and custom modules/software enabling every mission to achieve their objectives. This may include custom control software, payloads, or other key components.  The network has a power, data, timing, and mechanical interface which enables the modularity of the system.

Specification Summary

The basics of the interface specifications include:

• Mechanical:

  • MAAIS-OFP (Open Flat Plate, Public)

    • Flat plate integration for thermal and structural load of avionics

      • 1/2-inch pitch 8-32 bolt pattern

      • 1/2-inch pitch alignment pin pattern

  • MAAIS-DC (Direct Connect, Proprietary, Modular Aerospace)

    • This combines the electrical low power interface (MAAIS-LPI) with the mechanical Open Flat Plate (MAAIS-OFP) interface standard to provide patented cable-free connection option for sub-systems.

• Electrical:

  • MAAIS-LPI (Low Power Interface)

    • Nominal 200W Power

    • Micro D connection (MIL-DTL-83513G)

    • 28V DC Bus (MIL-STD-1275E, RTCA DO-160G)

    • Ethernet Data Signals (IEEE 802.3)

    • Hot Swap Data Signal (Proprietary, Modular Aerospace)

  • MAAIS-MPI (Medium Power Interface)

    • Nominal 2000W Power

    • Circular Connector (MIL-DTL-26482/38999)

    • 28V DC Bus (MIL-STD-1275E, RTCA DO-160G)

    • Ethernet Data Signals (IEEE 802.3)

    • Hot Swap Data Signal (Proprietary, Modular Aerospace)

  • (High Power for Electrical Vehicle is in development!)

• Protocols:

  • IEEE-1588 (Network Time Synchronization)

    • Industry standard Precision time protocol

  • MAAIS-OMP (Open Module Protocol, Modular Aerospace)

    • Protocol for simple control and monitoring of network connected avionics capabilities

  • Other (Any other ethernet supported protocol)

• Hot Swap Data:

  • MAAIS-OHS (Open Hot Swap)

    • Signal to host to activate output power to port

  • MAAIS-MHS (Modulated Hot Swap)

    • Signal for low-speed data connection of modules

Notice:  Portions of the standard are patented.  Other portions are industry standard.  This summary does not grant license to any intellectual property of the referenced interface details. Not all specifications are listed here.