iDDS

iDDS (instrumentation Data Distribution Service) is an embedded common application protocol for ”plug and play” data acquisition and control instruments. UEI supports iDDS and is a member of the iDDS Support Group along with these other industry-leading companies:

iDDS support group information can be found at iddswg.org/forum/.

Read more in Aerospace Testing International about how UEI and MDS are revolutionizing turbomachinery testing with iDDS.

CORE PRINCIPLES

At the core of iDDS is DDS -- Data Distribution Service, a popular data communications protocol. iDDS utilizes a data-centric model. This is important for a few reasons:

• Loosely coupled architecture with Engineering Unit data being transferred at interfaces simplifies validation and expedites swap out of components
• Multi-vendor interoperability and support for product and application long term maintainability
• Publish and Subscribe Pattern: each node or device in an embedded network can both “publish” data subscribe to other data depending on the topic
• Simplifies complex data flows
• Ability to differ update rates, reliability, and bandwidth control at different nodes
• QoS configured to provide near real-time performance over standard Ethernet
• Scalable for small and large network-based deployments, data rates from 1Hz to 1MHz

Communication Infrastructure Diagram



UEI is dedicated to giving the customer the best experience possible. We pride ourselves on being one of the very select companies that offer iDDS compatibility.

UEI’s standalone embedded system using iDDS allows customers to have:

• Lower cost and shorter integration costs because publishers/subscribers share a common framework and code is written in a common interface definition language.
• Increases range of applications due to high level of customization.
• Enables our equipment to easily work with proprietary sensors/equipment to gather all useful information from a test cell in a “plug and play” capacity.

iDDS LAYER BREAKDOWN: LEVERAGING OFF INDUSTRY STANDARD!

Control Interface

• A control interface that handles FCAPS – fault (health monitoring) config, Accounting (billing), Performance (statistics/counts) and security.
• Provide a centralized login along with user privileges.
  • The YANG 1.1 Data Modeling Language, RFC7950 – describes the hardware and how to configure and control it
  • ITU CCITT Recommendation X.731, State Management Function, 01/92
  • IEEE 1588 PTP and time-stamping at source
  • OMG Data Distribution Service (DDS) Publisher/Subscriber Middleware
  • Twin Oaks, Real-Time Innovations (RTI), OpenDDS, PrismTech, ...

Data interface

A standard transport layer to determine how data is shared from one device to another

• OMG Data Distribution Service (DDS) Publisher/Subscriber Middleware –
• Twin Oaks, Real-Time Innovations (RTI), OpenDDS, PrismTech, ...
• Other data interfaces (TCP/IP, UDP/IP, Modbus, OPC, etc.)

Hardware Interface

iDDS runs directly on our rugged and flexible hardware, opening up new possibilities to move the sensor and control data as close to the engine as possible. Watch our application video below to see this in action.

THE RIGHT SIGNALS FOR YOUR iDDS APPLICATION

UEI knows how important it is to support all of your sensors and avionic interfaces in the system. That is why we offer an extensive list of I/O boards to make your development and testing safer, faster, easier, and more cost-effective.

An aerospace design manufacturer recently completed construction of a massive engine test bed structure designed to support a new generation of efficient and sustainable engines and propulsion systems. The data systems inside the test bed are more capable and complex than any of manufacturer's existing testbeds and have the capacity to collect and store more than 10,000 parameters of data from an intricate lattice of sensors. UEI worked in partnership with manufacturer to standardize on a common iDDS (Instrumentation Data Distribution Service) architecture across the test bed's complex data measurement infrastructure. Learn more here.

UEI offers over 90+ I/O boards to support all your data acquisition, test, and control application needs.

WHY USE UEI FOR iDDS?

• Ability to simulate and read a wide range of values for variables. This enables customers to find failure points with a great degree of accuracy.
• Harsh condition tested - Enables boards to go wherever they are needed:
  • 5 g Vibration
  • 100 g Shock
  • -40 to 85º C
• High level of channel isolation to ensure accuracy up to 350 VRMS.
• Extremely versatile can be used with a wide range of operating systems and programming languages.
• Decrease costs by not needing to use a real plant with the embedded system.
• Scalable due to wide range of chassis available allowing for an increase in boards that all can work together.
• Precise synchronization between chassis using PTP IEEE 1588.
  

Learn more about iDDS from UEI's Master Class series video:

Learn more about UEI's iDDS solution for aerospace design manufacturing test bed:

Application Story: UEI & Aerospace Design Manufacturer The data systems inside new test. bed facility are more capable and complex than any of the manufacturer’s existing test beds and have the capacity to collect and store more than 10,000 parameters of data from an intricate lattice of sensors. UEI's standardized hardware helped manufacturer develop a reliable and accurate measurement system for the test bed. Read about the complete solution