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With the next generation of avionics systems, more sensors and actuators will be required for an ever increasing number of functions. In this paper, we propose a system architecture based on several enhancements to the IEEE 1451 standard, granting it a wider application range, improved resource efficiency and a generic and reusable character. This architecture facilitates the integration of next generation smart sensors with a wide range of avionics data communication networks and allows the specification of generic features to be respected. In order to meet the requirements of avionics applications, this architecture that provides a design framework offers customization of features such as bandwidth, reliability, resources utilization and compatibility with different types of transducers, especially smart sensors. The resulting resource utilization and reliability are analyzed for several configurations that provide a basis for comparison.

Avionic Full-Duplex Switched Ethernet (AFDX) is one of the most promising solutions developed in recent years for implementing high-bandwidth Avionic Data Networks (ADNs) that can support the increasingly high information flow required by modern avionic systems. Although AFDX commercial products are available, developing custom implementations using generic software and hardware, without depending on third-party products, allows identifying practical challenges and constraints, prototyping and characterizing new architectures, testing new algorithms, as well as performing validation and verification in the early stage of development. In this paper, we show how an AFDX switch fabric hardware core can be designed and implemented on an FPGA to facilitate the prototyping of a generic ADN in an early development stage.