Self-Checking Components for Dependable Interactive Cockpits Using Formal Description Techniques

In the last few years, glass cockpits are being replaced by interactive cockpits to provide a higher level of integration of both command and information display. Due to their event driven nature, interactive systems offer more display and control capabilities but they require specific error detection and fault tolerance techniques to reach a high level of dependability. This paper proposes a model-based approach for adding fault tolerance mechanisms to interactive cockpits. While several mechanisms are considered and presented, the contribution is focused on the formal description of self-checking widgets, being the basis for interactive cockpits.