Flight command and control systems in aircrafts
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Flight command and control systems in aircrafts
The customer asked for FPGA-to-ASIC conversion to address obsolescence problems with FPGA components. The conversion concerned mainly communication adapters, and command/control functions within some aircrafts.
One challenge faced by the team was to deal with signal inputs & outputs of the ASIC: the type of interfaces (voltage level, max current driven of course, but also for example, timing aspects such as the speed of the rising/falling edges) as well as the package, are all very key in enabling the replacement of former FPGAs by the new devices on already certified boards.
Another key aspect of the project was the capability to secure the long-term supply and quality of the ASIC solution provided.
The engineers in our team have developed a vast experience in RTL code for controls, memory wrapping, and replacement of macro blocs (such as PLL) with equivalence checking at each step between FPGA source code and ASIC oriented implementation. Code analysis, intensive verification with KPI such as code coverage, up to timed simulations have been successfully passed.
A strict documentation effort has been done in the scope of the project, applying EN9100 quality standards and completed by the requirements for DO254 DAL-A to -C (compliance at the board/equipment level is handled by our customers – but design plans, justifications, risk analysis, and reports provided by the ASIC provider are contributing to it).
Supply chain specialists came with the appropriate partnerships with foundry, package and test houses in order to manufacture the devices on time and with the highest quality standards, including the expected traceability support and qualification level, for more than 15 years.