Clemens Reichmann

GeneralStore - a CASE-tool integration platform enabling model level coupling of heterogeneous designs for embedded electronic systems

The integration platform GeneralStore is a tool that assists an integrated development process starting with a model and ending with executable code. The software features coupling of subsystems from different modeling domains on model level. From the coupled model it generates a running prototype by code generation. In addition to object-oriented system modeling for software components in embedded systems, it supports time-discrete and time-continuous modeling concepts. The Unified Modeling Language (UML) metamodel is used for storing CASE data in a meta object facility (MOF) object repository whereas XML metadata interchange format (XMI) is used to interchange this data with UML-CASE-tools. The CASE-tool chain we present in this paper further supports concurrent engineering including versioning and configuration management. It provides adaptors for the tools MATLAB/Simulink/Stateflow and ARTiSAN real-time studio, as well as an importer and exporter of UML/XMI. Utilizing the UML notation for an overall system design cycle, the focus of this paper lies on the coupling of heterogeneous subsystems and on a new code generation and coupling approach.

From object-oriented modeling to code generation for rapid prototyping of embedded electronic systems

In this paper a new high-level system design approach for electronic systems is presented. It supports object-oriented system modeling of software intensive components with the Unified Modeling Language and time-discrete and time-continuous modeling concepts. Our approach supports structural and behavioral modeling with front-end tools and simulation/emulation with back-end tools. The XMI (XML Metadata Exchange) format and the UML metamodel is used for an exchange and storage of CASE data. The CASE tool chain, which we present in this paper, supports concurrent engineering with versioning and configuration management and provides tool adaptors for MATLAB/Simulink and ARTiSAN Real-Time Studio. Using the Unified Modeling Language notation for an overall system design cycle, the focus of this paper lies on the subsystem coupling of different modeling domains and a new code generation approach.

ISO/DIS 26262 in the context of electric and electronic architecture modeling

The draft international standard under development ISO 26262 describes a safety lifecycle for road vehicles and thereby influences all parts of development, production, operation and decommissioning. All systems affected by the standard, like anti-trap protection or advanced driver assistance systems, contain hierarchical electric and electronic parts. After publishing the final version, they all should be designed, assessed and documented to the demands of ISO 26262. The intercommunication structure of the distributed automotive control system, consisting of electronic control units (ECU), sensors and actuators, and functions computed by this control system, are specified by the electric and electronic architecture (EEA). In the context of the ISO 26262, the EEA contributes to the intercommunication of distributed, safety related functions plus the determination of architectures. This article discusses the impact of the standard on the EEA development and the handling of safety requirements demanded by ISO 26262 during early development phases.

An approach for rapidly adapting the demands of ISO/DIS 26262 to electric/electronic architecture modeling

The draft international standard ISO 26262 describes a safety lifecycle for road vehicles and thereby influences all parts of development (specification, prototyping, implementation, integration, test, etc.). All functionalities affected by the standard, contain hierarchical electric and electronic systems. Starting from 2011, they should be designed, analyzed, assessed and documented strictly to the demands of ISO 26262. The adaption of the standard to the OEMs (original equipment manufacturer) existing development lifecycle comes along with numerous additional challenges and time-consuming activities. The rapid application and adaption of the ISO 26262 is imperative for OEMs and tier one suppliers to stay competitive and avoid the risk of delayed development kick-offs. The electric and electronic architecture (EEA) of a vehicle comprises the distributed automotive control system (electronic control units (ECU), sensors, actuators, etc.), and the computed functions. The EEA is designed and evaluated during the concept phase of the vehicle development. The EEA design has groundbreaking impact on succeeding development phases. Conformity of the EEA to the demands of the ISO 26262 and well-wrought design decisions enable for fast and safe progress of succeeding phases of the development lifecycle and thereby rapid development of intelligent and future-oriented vehicular systems. This article discusses impacts of the ISO 26262 to the EEA development and the handling of demanded safety requirements during the early phases of EEA development.

Graphically notated fault modeling and safety analysis in the context of electric and electronic architecture development and functional safety

Although fault tree analysis is well established in the industry and its application is proposed by the international standard for functional safety for road vehicles - ISO 26262 - it is often time intensive to perform. Tool chains are long, the line of action is not straightforward, annotations in data models are complex and traceability is not self-evident. To overcome these inconveniences, this paper presents an approach for graphically notated failure modeling, based on an integrated data model for electric and electronic architectures and rapidly performing of fault tree analysis during concept phase of system design. We demonstrate the utilization of existing concepts in the domain of electric and electronic architecture modeling to enrich existing architectures with concepts of fault tree analysis. Also, we demonstrate the model-based specification of failure models, their relation to modeling artifacts of electric and electronic architectures and the automated processing of failure expressions without the necessity to leave the development environment for electric and electronic architecture modeling. The presented methodology supports closer links between the development of architectures for safety-critical systems and failure analysis by facilitating traceability between failure and system modeling based on a common data structure and well-established modeling approaches.

Nonintrusive Black- and White-Box Testing of Embedded Systems Software against UML Models

We extend a model based development approach for software components of embedded systems by a model based testing framework. We motivate by describing challenges a developer has to face when developing embedded software and present as a solution an UML-centric development approach. We introduce a testing framework that allows specification of test cases for UML class models using UML sequence- and use-case-diagrams. These test cases define participating objects and their messages including parameters, loops, control structures, inclusion of other collaborations and time constraints. These diagrams are verified against the real system-response of the software under test. We employ a commercial in-circuit emulator to record method calls, object identities and their parameters on C source-code level as messages with minimal impact on system performance and map these back to model level to verify them against the specified model.

An overall system design approach doing object-oriented modeling to code-generation for embedded electronic systems

In this paper a new approach for an overall system design is presented. It supports object-oriented system modeling for software components in embedded systems in addition to time-discrete and time-continuous modeling concepts. Our approach provides structural and behavioral modeling with front-end tools and simulation/emulation with back-end tools. The UML metamodel is used for storing CASE data in a MOF object repository and XMI (XML Metadata Interchange format) is used to interchange this data with UML-CASE-tools. The CASE tool chain we present in this paper supports concurrent engineering including versioning and configuration management. It provides adaptors for the tools MATLAB/Simulink/Stateflow and ARTiSAN Real-Time Studio as well as an importer/exporter of UML/XMI. Utilizing the Unified Modeling Language notation for an overall system design cycle, the focus of this paper lies on the subsystem coupling of heterogeneous systems and on a new code generation approach.

Fast Feedback from Automated Tests Executed with the Product Build

Nowadays Continuous Integration (CI) is a very common practice with many advantages and it is used in many software projects. For large software projects checking out the source code, building the product and testing the product build via automated tests during CI can take a long time (e.g. many hours). So the software developers do not get fast feedback about their changes. Often the test report contains the results of many changes from several software developers or the feedback is not accurate enough according to the developer’s source code changes. This paper describes a novel approach to reduce the feedback time and to provide test results for only these changes the developer has committed.

Towards a platform for debugging executed UML-models in embedded systems

Automated transformations from model to executable code require new appropriate model-based ways for debugging and monitoring such models directly on an embedded target platform. We propose an architecture that allows the definition of various debugging-scenarios and -views independent of the actual execution-platform. This architecture is utilized to explore new approaches for assisting the developer in finding faults in the system he is developing.

Automatisierte Modellkopplung heterogener eingebetteter Systeme

Heterogene eingebettete elekt ronische Systeme unterliegen harten Anforderungen insbesondere bezuglich Kosten, Time-to-Market, und Qualitat, bei gleichzeitig immer komplexer werdendem Entwurfsraum. Eine mogliche Antwort auf dieser Herausforderung ist der modellbasierte Entwurf mit anschliesender Quellcodegenerierung. Bei der effizienten Modellierung eingebetteter elektronischer Systeme kommen mehrere Sprachen zum Einsatz, welche eine vollst andige Modellierung ermoglichen. Es werden dabei mehrere CASE-Werkzeuge eingesetzt, wie z.B. MathWorks MATLAB/S imulink, ARTiSAN Real-timeStudio oder i-Logix Statemate. Dieser Beitrag konzent riert sich auf die Kopplung der in verschiedenen Notationen entwickelten Modelle. Dies geschieht mit Hilfe eines Kopplungsmodells, welches aus einem UML Vorlagenmodell generiert wird. Der vorgeste llte Ansatz ist in der Integrationsplattform GeneralStore, welche die CASE Werkzeuge integriert und ein MOF1-Repository zur Modellverwaltung hat, implementiert.