Research on Joint Reliability Test Methods for Software-Intensive Avionics Products Based on Scenario Models

Software-intensive systems play a critical role in complex airborne products, where the system-level failure mechanisms are closely related to the interaction between software and hardware. These failures not only impact the reliability and safety of the system but also the integrity of its functionality. These systems typically have high functional requirements and complex failure mechanisms, with physical redundancy in resources. Therefore, thorough validation during the design phase is crucial to ensure comprehensive and sufficient testing. Standards such as DO178 and DO254 provide guidance in the reliability validation of such systems. However, existing research shows that the scenarios used in software-hardware joint reliability test designs do not sufficiently cover all possible operational conditions and environments. This shortfall may lead to undetected software-hardware integration issues, compromising the comprehensiveness and accuracy of reliability assessments. Moreover, there is a lack of research on software-intensive systems. This paper conducts an in-depth analysis of scenario models, integrating the design and development characteristics of commercial aircraft avionics systems, and focusing on the mission scenarios and capability requirements of software-hardware intensive systems. It proposes a novel method for constructing software-hardware joint reliability test profiles based on scenario models. This approach comprehensively captures the requirements for reliability integration testing, conducting system-level and component-level reliability integration testing based on model-based techniques, and serving as a primary basis for reliability validation.