Towards a Model-Based Systems Engineering Framework for the Design and Configuration of Communication Networks in a Data-Driven and Interconnected Aircraft Cabin

In modern aircraft cabin designs, data-driven services, such as predictive maintenance or optimized catering, are being introduced to improve operational and business processes on board aircraft. Along with a communication protocol for such services, the novel Cabin Secure Media Independent Messaging (CSMIM) aviation standard specifies a data model to organize and address available sources and sinks of information in the aircraft cabin. This paper presents an approach for integrating CSMIM-specific concepts in a System Modeling Language (SysML)-based aviation model-based systems engineering (MBSE) framework. For this, a profile-oriented approach is used that extends the SysML and forms the Cabin Data and Communication Modeling Language (CDACML). CDACML can be used to model the information that is communicated according to the CSMIM data model in a specific, airline-customized network architecture. The novel CDACML is developed in a way that it captures information that can also be used for design analyses such as network load or consistency checks with respect to available information as well as enables automated configuration of CSMIM-compliant network nodes. To guide engineers during system design, validation rules are defined using the Object Constraint Language (OCL), thereby ensuring conformance with the CSMIM standard. An application of the MBSE framework with an illustrative example is used to demonstrate its usability for system engineers.