FAULT-TOLERANT SOFTWARE FOR AIRCRAFT CONTROL SYSTEMS

Concepts for software to implement real time aircraft control systems on a centralized digital computer were discussed. A fault tolerant software structure employing functionally redundant routines with concurrent error detection was proposed for critical control functions involving safety of flight and landing. A degraded recovery block concept was devised to allow collocation of critical and noncritical software modules within the same control structure. The additional computer resources required to implement the proposed software structure for a representative set of aircraft control functions were discussed. It was estimated that approximately 30 percent more memory space is required to implement the total set of control functions. A reliability model for the fault tolerant software was described and parametric estimates of failure rate were made.

• Corporate Authors:

  Aerospace Corporation

  Advanced Programs Division
  El Segundo, CA  United States  90245
• Publication Date: 1978-2-1

Media Info

• Pagination: 82 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aircraft pilotage; Aviation safety; Computer programs; Control systems; Digital computers; Failure; Fault tolerant computing; Landing; Mathematical models; Rates; Redundancy; Reliability; Software
• Uncontrolled Terms: Models
• Old TRIS Terms: Aircraft landing; Computer systems programs; Error detection codes
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00176132
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: NASA-CR-145298 Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: NAS1-14644
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 19 1978 12:00AM