Fault tolerant engineering methodology and the impact on ATE

Many new weapon systems are required to provide fault tolerance in order to achieve better overall reliability and weapon system effectiveness. A structured systems approach is required to implement efficiently the different forms of fault tolerance and reconfiguration in order to achieve a cost- and mission-effective fault-tolerant system, one that will meet the fault-tolerant requirements as well as minimize negative effects on performance, on-board diagnostics, off-board diagnostics, and life cycle cost. Such an approach applied to an advanced avionics system is described. Operational definitions for the relevant terms are given and applied to the requirements' synthesis and allocation efforts, the first steps of the process. The rest of the design process is described, including functional decomposition, parallel path identification, and a method for modeling the effectiveness of the fault tolerance as it affects both the weapon system and the support system. Options for implementing the system are delineated, including design techniques which optimize inherent fault-tolerant characteristics, real-time algorithms for the implementation of certain reconfiguration strategies, and architectural solutions.<>