Filling the gap between IMA development and safety assessment through safety-driven model-based system engineering

The Avionics system has been taking its transition from federated architecture to Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) architecture. Meanwhile, consequent complexities and the isolation between IMA development and safety assessment made it difficult to perform a comprehensive certification for emergent system properties such as safety through traditional hazard analysis approaches. To address this issue, a framework for IMA safety assessment is proposed based on model-based engineering. It combines Intent Specification, a hierarchical requirement specification, and STAMP-based hazard analysis (STPA), a technique to identify safety constraints necessary for eliminating system hazards. A case study of an ARINC653-based platform is given to show how this method assists the development of IMA while fulfilling its safety requirements.