Improving performance and reliability assessments of avionics systems

Model-based development techniques have been successfully introduced into the design process of avionics systems. Examples of these techniques are performance models for digital systems and networks, fault tree models for reliability analysis and 3D-models for equipment allocation and weight assessments. However, current systems development processes usually require separate application of these techniques in order to achieve a well balanced overall solution. This paper presents an improved approach to evaluation of performance and reliability of avionics system designs. Performance and reliability assessments will be combined into a single validation step thus permitting for shorter development cycles. Such an approach is particularly useful during the early stages of development when the system architecture is not yet completely fixed and several alternatives need to be evaluated. It contributes to the maturity of the early system design and provides a good basis for further elaboration of a system architecture.