Using design patterns for safety assessment of integrated modular avionics

In commercial aircraft, safety assessment uses a combination of top-down and bottom-up techniques. This is performed for every system in each aircraft installation. Since several functions and sub-systems are common to different aircraft models, there is the need to consider reusing components and safety artifacts across several platforms. This necessity has become even more evident with the introduction of the Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) concept. There is an increasing interest in developing design patterns in safety-critical systems. This paper provides an investigation of how SysML/UML design patterns can be used to assess the safety of IMA systems in a modular manner, while maintaining compliance with the existing civil aircraft certification guidelines. A case study is provided for a generic avionics system based on the IMA concept, fulfilling safety requirements for civil avionics.