Barron Associates Awarded Contract for Run Time Assurance of Advanced Engine Control Systems

Barron Associates has been awarded a third year contract on an on-going effort to study the application of runtime assurance (RTA) methods to turbofan engines with advanced propulsion control algorithms.  The class of advanced control systems being considered cannot be fully certified to the proper Design Assurance Level (DAL) due to their inherent complexity and non-deterministic nature.  However, these advanced controllers can be employed operationally by using RTA protection which assures system safety to the required DAL.  The RTA system monitors key engine parameters during runtime operation to determine if the advanced (untrusted) control system is causing the engine to operate in an unsafe manner.  If unsafe conditions are ensuing, the RTA system mitigates the event by switching control to a reversionary (trusted) controller that is fully certified to the appropriate DAL.  Although the reversionary controller has less performance capabilities than the advanced controller, it will provide the safe “return to base” capabilities that would otherwise not be present without the application of RTA protection.