The impact of very high performance integrated circuits on avionics system readiness

Very high performance integrated circuits (VHPIC) represent more than an integrated circuit technology advance- VHPIC really represents a new systems/technology culture. With a philosophy of top-down design and bottom-up build, a vehicle is provided to avoid rapid obsolescence so prevalent in the fast moving integrated circuit industry. However, to successfully and effectively design advanced systems in this manner, a design methodology is required that adequately addresses the challenge. Since everything from chip definition through application analysis is interactive with everything else, the challenge is to adequately keep track of all the perimeters and their relationship. The methodology by which design and analysis are accomplished is discussed. The starting point is the systems architecture and its application software. From the architecture and application software the partitioning of the system into appropriate modules can be derived. From this an idea of the integrated circuits needed can be determined. The elements of system readiness are described. They are design, implementation, insertion, maintenance, and (Preplanned Product Improvement).