BS EN 62396-1:2016

What is BS EN 62396-1 - Atmospheric radiation effects via single event effects within avionics electronic equipment about?  

BS EN 62396-1 is an international standard for process management for avionics, enabling effective decision making, detailed assessment of risk, strategy for risk reduction and compliance with regulatory requirements.

BS EN 62396‑1 is the first part of the multi-series that is intended to provide guidance on atmospheric radiation effects on avionics electronics used in aircraft operating at altitudes up to 60 000 ft (18.3 km).

BS EN 62396‑1 defines the radiation environment, the effects of that environment on electronics, and provides design considerations for the accommodation of those effects within avionics systems.

Who is BS EN 62396-1 - Atmospheric radiation effects via single event effects within avionics electronic equipment for? 

BS EN 62396-1 on atmospheric radiation effects via single event effects within avionics electronic equipment is useful for: 

• Component manufacturers for avionic industry
• Electronic equipment manufacturers
• Avionics systems designers
• Space organizations
• Electronic component vendors
• Avionics components dealers and vendors
• Government agencies and regulatory bodies

Why should you use BS EN 62396-1 - Atmospheric radiation effects via single event effects within avionics electronic equipment?  

Avionics is a combination of aviation and electronics. These avionics is useful in communicating, navigating, monitoring, and helping in controlling the flight.   Avionics systems are exposed to the ionizing radiation environment and can result in faulty functioning of the equipment. The development of safety protocols assists in the safe operability and functioning of avionic systems.

BS EN 62396-1 enables avionics equipment manufacturers and designers to standardize their approach to single event effects in avionics by providing guidance for the safety of equipment in the radiation environment.

BS EN 62396-1 provides guidance on the effects of small particles that are heavy ions, protons, high energy neutrons, or thermal neutrons and single events used in electronic avionics, enabling the development of safety protocols and mechanisms for risk reduction and prevention of failures.

By adopting BS EN 62396-1, users can assess the effect of atmospheric radiation effect on avionics equipment, ensuring operational stability, performance and longevity in avionics applications.

What’s changed since the last update?

BS EN 62396-1:2016 supersedes BS EN 62396-1:2012 which is withdrawn. BS EN 62396-1:2016 includes some technical changes with respect to BS EN 62396-1:2012. These include: 

• Removed, in Clause 7 related to system design, reference to level A Type I and Type II (system and references). As Clause 7 is now for guidance, ”shall” statements have been changed to “should” and in 9.5.2 the requirement for electronic component management is clarified
• All current definitions included in Clause 3 are those used within the IEC 62396 family of documents
• Incorporated in Annex G related to new technology or latest news reference to some new papers and issues which have appeared since 2011
• Solar flares and extreme space weather reference added in 5.6 to a proposed future Part 6
• Reference added in 7.1 to a proposed new Part 7 on incorporating atmospheric radiation effects analysis into the system design process
• Reference added in 6.2.10 d) to a proposed future Part 8 on other particles including protons, pions, and muons
• Clarification on calculating event rates where cross-sections have been obtained with nonatmospheric radiation like neutron sources, the addition of a new Annex H, and changes to 5.3 and 8.2.