Ramesh Sethu

Model-based design of cyber-physical software systems for smart worlds: a software engineering perspective

The paper discusses the design of cyber-physical systems software around intelligent physical worlds (IPW). An IPW is the embodiment of control software functions wrapped around the external world processes, exhibiting self-adaptive behavior over a limited operating region of the system. This is in contrast with the traditional models where the physical world is basically dumb. A self-adaptation of IPW is feasible when certain system properties hold: function separability and piece-wise linearity of system behavioral models. The IPW interacts with an intelligent computational world (ICW) to work over wide range of operating conditions, by patching itself with suitable control parameters and rules & procedures relevant to a changed condition. The modular decomposition of a complex adaptive system into IPW and ICW has many advantages: lowering overall software complexity, simplifying system verification, and supporting easier evolution of system features. The paper illuminates our concept of IPW with software engineering-oriented case study of an industrial application: automotive system.

Formal Requirements Analysis Techniques for Software-Intensive Automotive Electronic Control Systems

The ever increasing number and complexity of software-controlled features in todays automotive vehicles mandate the use of numerous techniques and tools for ensuring the absence of any kind of defects in them. In this connection, one of the key areas of applied research today involves the identification, development and use of various analyses on Feature Requirements so that any defects can be caught early in the system development lifecycle. In this paper, the following aspects will be covered: 1) an overview of various analyses available within current commercial requirements tools, 2) a discussion on what additional analyses at the requirements level would be desirable to help various stakeholders in the system development lifecycle, 3) an overview of what GM R&D has been developing/have developed to-date in order to identify or help identify various kinds of defects and thereby improve the requirements, 4) some key results and experiences in utilizing such analyses in one/more pilot applications and 5) a discussion of how the benefits of both current and new techniques and tools can be made use of in the development of new software -based automotive electronic control systems.