On 28th March 2022. safety critical electronics was tested by researchers of SZTAKI on-board the Sindy experimental aircraft with the support of Aero Média Ltd.. The aircraft is operated in frame of the Autonomous Systems National Laboratory.
The so-called RxMux2 electronics developed by SZTAKI in frame of the Flipased EU H2020 project was tested which operates aircraft control surfaces from manual or autopilot inputs. Any of its operational failures can thus be catastrophic. Safe test flight possibility was provided by the redundant architecture of Sindy (left and right sides operate independently).
First, the handling properties of Sindy were explored gradually switching off rudder, aileron, elevator and throttle on its left side (driving more and more to zero position) with RxMux1 electronics which completed several flight hours (even on the T-Flex aircraft of the Flipased project). Sindy remained controllable applying only its right side control surfaces and motor.
The next step was the replacement of the left RxMux1 to RxMux2 previously laboratory tested for several hours even in hardware-in-the-loop simulation. A broad range of maneuvers was flawlessly executed during the more than 10 minutes test flight by the pilot. Consequently the integration of RxMux2 to the T-Flex aircraft is now possible.
