An Integrative Approach for Embedded Software Design with UML and Simulink

Abstract

The increased amount of software in automotive embedded systems has challenged its C code development to successfully manage software design, reuse, flexibility and efficient implementation. Modelbased methods help to address such challenges with more abstract specification, code generation and simulation to determine if software design will meet requirements. However, in today's development processes lots of different legacy artifacts are involved, that hamper a frictionless migration from C code to model-based design. Therefore, migration concepts and adequate domain-specific methods with adoption of modeling languages and their tools in established embedded coding environments are needed. In our approach we present a novel migration concept considering the integration of two different modeling languages UML and Simulink in a traditional automotive software engineering process. The proof is demonstrated within the software development of a real automotive car door-controller ECU.

ModelRob: A Simulink Library for Model-Based Development of robot manipulators

“…Our model-based development methodology can be seamlessly incorporated in the model-driven design methodology proposed by Schlegel et al [19]. The benefits of combining the low level Simulink model for a component with the high level UML model of the complete system have been studied recently [20], [21] and our thesis is that similar approach in developing complex robotic software will be very effective.…”

From UML diagrams to simulink models

“…Recent work has shown that UML and Simulink are considered attractive for embedded systems domain [22,4,20,9], a fact that motivates researchers to find a way to simultaneously exploit the benefits of both languages. Most existing approaches proposed mapping from Simulink to UML.…”

“…A mapping from UML to Simulink CAAM models was proposed in Brisolara [4], to allow designers to use UML as a modeling language for the whole system while using facilities of simulation and code generation of Simulink. This mapping captured the behavior of sequence diagrams, widespread in the area of software development, rather than activity diagrams or composite struc- [20,9]. The translation was first prototyped using a Java implementation [6], but without any considerations about its correctness, nor any formalization of metamodels or translation rules.…”

From UML to SIMULINK CAAM: Formal Specification and Transformation Analysis

“…This design flow uses as input a Simulink CAAM model, which is an extension of the Simulink language to model multiprocessor systems, combining Algorithm and Architecture Models in a single model. Recent efforts have shown that both UML and Simulink are considered attractive for embedded system-level design [7,8,9,10], a fact that motivates researchers to aim at finding a way to simultaneously exploit the benefits of both languages. In this way, a mapping from UML to Simulink CAAM models was proposed by Brisolara [8] to allow designers to use UML as modeling language for the whole system and at same time to use facilities for simulation and code generation based on Simulink.…”