1. Discuss the difference in defining the top-level requirements for civil aircraft and military aircraft.

Military Aircraft: -the customer prepares: -statement of need and top level description of the possible missions -gross characteristics of a hypothetical aircraft -the customer seeks vendors wiling to build such an aircraft Civil Transport Aircraft: -the aircraft manufacturer determines customer needs based on: - predicted future operating environment, especially air traffic management - relevant economic trends -the aircraft manufacturer designs an aircraft that provides an optimum, balanced response to the integrated set of needs. -safety is always the highest priority need and economical operation is a close second. 2. What is design requirement traceability? -Each requirement at each level, must be traceable to a requirement at a higher level, ultimately tracing back to a system level requirement -Traceability is very valuable when a requirement is difficult to meet -The consequence of not meeting a requirement is readily identified and possible modification of requirement more easily achieved 3. What do PDR and CDR represent? Point out the main differences between these two major design reviews. PDR=Preliminary Design Review -preliminary design is an initial design to demonstrate that all derived requirements can be met -PDR is the first detailed review of the initial design against the derived requirements -PDR is the last review before major resources are committed to a detailed design CDR=Critical Design Review -detailed design has been performed with a design ready for construction (harwdware) or coding (software) -CDR is a review of the detail design -last opportunity to identify flaws before construction and codings (major design changes very expensive after this point) 4. What is avionics system architecture? List six major aspects of avionics architecture. -Avionics system architecture is the interconnectivity of airborne avionics units and subsystems - Involves displays, control, computation, data buses , safety partitioning, environment and standards

5. Describe the three types of avionics system architecture and discuss their advantages and disadvantages. Federated Architecture: -Independent design of the major systems while using a common database -Each major system shares input and sensor data from a common set of hardware and consequently shares their computed results over data buses. -Partitioning is an intrinsic feature of this architecture -Changes in system hardware or software are relatively easy to make (can be confined to each system without affecting the remaining systems) -commonly found in transport aircraft designed and built in the 1980s Centralized Architecture: -Signal conditioning and computations occur in one or more computers in a LRU in the avionics bay -sensors and command signals are transmitted over data buses -Advantages: -All computers located together in a readily accessible avionics bay -Environment for the computers is relatively benign -Software is more easily written and validated (only a few processor types and large programs that can be physically integrated) -Disadvantages: -Many long busses to collect and distribute data and commands -Increased vulnerability to damage from single hazardous event in avionics bay -Partitioning can be difficult Distributed Architecture: -Multiple processors throughout the aircraft that are assigned computing and control tasks in real time -signal processing may be performed in or near the sensors and actuators - communication with each other on high performance data buses based on networking standards (Ethernet) -Advanges: -fewer, shorter buses -intrinsic partitioning -reduced vulnerability (single hazardous event causes local damage only) -Disadvantages: -potentially greater diversity in processor types (complicates software generation and validation and stocking of spares) -some of the processors may be less accessible, such as wings and empenages

6. Explain partitioning in avionics system design. -An architecture feature that limits a failure to the subsystem in which it occurred (effects of failure are not allowed to propagate to the rest of the system) -partitioning can be between peer units and/or between levels in a hierarchal system -spatial partitioning: ensures that software in one partition cannot change the software or private data of another partition -temporal partitioning: ensures that services received from shared resources by the software in one partition cannot be affected by the software in another partition 7. What is fault tolerance of an avionics system? -fault tolerance is the ability of a system to continue satisfactory operation in the presence of one or more nonsimultaneously occurring hardware or software faults -two types: hardware and software -fault tolerant system has the capability for automatic, dynamic, reconfiguration of the system 8. What is the most commonly used technique to achieve fault tolerance of a system? -Redundancy (multiple units capable of performing the same task) -different levels of redundancy (dual, triple or quadruple) are used depending on level of criticality 9. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of similar redundancy compared with dissimilar redundancy. Similar Redundancy (identical units): -simplifies the design process and reduces costs and programming and verification activities -does not protect against generic errors (will be replicated in each redundant unit) Dissimilar Redundancy: -Design, programming and verification efforts, more complex, requiring more effort -Provides better protection against generic errors -Usually method of choice despite higher cost because safety is number one priority 10. What is system reconfiguration? -System reconfiguration is the dynamic relocation of redundant elements by executive- level software in response to failure or changes in the aircraft mission or condition -failed unit is taken off-line and its function is taken over by a spare fault-free unit -reconfiguration should be invisible to user of the system 11. State and discuss three commonly used hardware fault detection approaches. Replication (triple or higher) and Voting: -multiple processors compute the same parameter -a highly fault tolerant voting circuit compares the parameters -if one doesnt agree with the others the value is ignored and the processor is switched off-line - depending on system required fault tolerance, a replacement processor can be brought on-line or system can continue operating at lower degree of fault tolerance

Duplication and Comparison: -same as replication and voting but with two processors only Self-Checking: -A failed processor may perform a self-diagnostic check -if no permanent faults are found, the processor can be brought back online 12. What is reliability? 1. the duration or probability of failure-free performance under stated conditions 2. the probability that an item can perform its intended function for a specified interval under stated conditions