The Aim of this paper is to show how a safety argument could be constructed for the use of blueprints in platforms using Integrated
Modular Avionics (IMA). It is assumed that the IMA system will contain safety-critical elements. Given current safety analysis
techniques, there is no certainty that this can be achieved satisfactorily.
Initially there is a need to define a blueprint: once this is done, the blueprints will be considered by looking at the impact
of Blueprints on IMA Safety. The ultimate objective of IMA is to produce a reconfigurable system. Whilst this has potential
safety benefits, there are substantial problems with the ability to argue that a reconfigurable IMA is safe. Consequently,
this project will concentrate on a 3 Step Approach towards developing full IMA capability. The three steps are:
| 1. |
Fixed number of prioritised configurations (e.g. lookup table) |
| 2. |
Ground (static) reconfiguration (between operations) |
| 3. |
Dynamic reconfiguration |
This approach is progressively more complex, but will enable confidence to be gained from success at each step. The safety
argument that is produced in this paper is generic and has been produced as part of an MSc project. However, the overall IMA
safety argument needs to consider many other issues and factors, which may affect the safety of blueprints. This is not covered
in this paper, but is expanded in more detail in the MSc project (Jolliffe 2004).
Keywords Integrated Modular Avionics - Blueprints - Safety