From Requirements to Embedded Software - Formalising the Key Steps

Simulation, Modeling, and Programming for Autonomous Robots

et al. 2012

Simulation of models that specify behaviour of software in robots, embedded systems, and safety critical systems is crucial to ensure correctness. This is particularly important in conjunction with modeldriven development, which is highly prevalent due to its numerous benefits. We use vectors of finite-state machines (FSMs) as our modelling tool. Our FSMs can have their transitions labeled by expressions of a common sense logic, and they are more expressive than other modelling approaches (such as Behavior Trees, Petri nets, or plain FSMs). We interpret the models using the same round-robin scheduler which is integrated into the simulator. Execution on a platform is exactly the same as in the simulator (where sensors and actuators are masqueraded by proxies) and coincides with the generator of the Kripke structure for formal modelchecking. In three ubiquitous case studies we show that our simulation discovers issues where those models were incomplete, ambiguous, or incorrect. This further illustrates that simulation and monitoring need to complement formal verification.

Section: The Microwavementioning

confidence: 99%

Visual-Trace Simulation of Concurrent Finite-State Machines for Validation and Model-Checking of Complex Behaviour

Coleman

Simulation, Modeling, and Programming for Autonomous Robots

et al. 2012

“…The microwave oven has been a standard example in software engineering [13,19,21] and requirements engineering [14,23,9]. Table 1 shows the requirements as presented by Myers and Dromey [14, p. 27, Table 1].…”

Section: Modelling a Microwave Ovenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling Behaviour Requirements for Automatic Interpretation, Simulation and Deployment

Billington

Simulation, Modeling, and Programming for Autonomous Robots

et al. 2010

In this paper we propose a high level approach to capture the behaviour of an autonomous robotic or embedded system. Using requirements engineering, we construct models of the behaviour where system activities are captured mainly by collaborating state machines while the domain knowledge is captured by a non-monotonic logic. We explain our infrastructure that enables interpretation, simulation, automatic deployment, and testing of the models, minimising the need for developers to code. The approach also minimises faults introduced in the software development cycle and ensures a large part of the software is independent of the particular robotic platform.

“…In particular, use-case traces can be naturally mapped to paths through states and transitions. In fact Behaviour Engineering [24], a form of requirements engineering, creates these traces and then integrates them into Behavior Trees, from which finite-state machines describing the behaviour of components can be readily synthesised. The precise semantics of LLFSMs makes them overcome some of the criticisms that MDSD has received [26] while enhancing the advantages.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Models Testing Models in Continuous Integration of Model-Driven Development

Software Engineering and Applications/ 831: Advances in Power and Energy Systems

Stover³

2015

We propose to test software models with software models. Model-Driven Software Development proposes that software is to be constructed by developing high-level models that directly execute or generate most of the code. On the other hand, Test-Driven development proposes to produce tests that validate the functionality of the code. This paper brings both together by using Logic-Labeled Finite-State Machines to deploy executable models of embedded systems and also to configure the corresponding tests. The advantage is a much more efficient validation of the models, with more robust and durable representations, that ensure effective and efficient quality assurance throughout the development process, saving the costly exercise of formal model-checking until the system is complete enough to meet all requirements.