A Discussion on the Effects and Mitigation of Single Event Upsets on Avionics Systems to Help in Developing Future Requirements 2011-36-0256

Avionics Systems are increasingly used to perform safety-critical functions at high altitudes. But their increasing capacity and concentration of memory and logics leads to more frequent occurrences of single event upsets, especially in high altitudes. In this work we discuss the effects and mitigation of single event upsets on avionics systems to help in developing future requirements. To do that we initially present the concepts of radiation environment of the atmosphere, radiation induced errors, single event upsets, etc. Then, we discuss some of their effects on avionic systems and ways of mitigation. Finally, we discuss provisions to demand the adoption of such mitigation measures, and their sufficiency. This will help in developing future requirements to accomplish the objectives of a safe operation of civil transportation aircraft.