A parameterisable VHDL model of an avionics data bus

This paper presents a behavioural model of a serial data bus of an avionics mission system. Such models are essential not only for the design and synthesis of the bus, they are also very important for determining the behaviour and performance of the bus prior to implementation. Various important aspects of the associated protocol standard have been captured in the model including three important message types. One important feature of the model is the parameterisation of key system parameters. This makes the model very flexible for simulating different model sizes and payloads with ease. Simulations have been carried out for different model sixes and payloads. The results obtained indicate the validity of the model. Furthermore, data about bus performance have also been obtained from simulations.